We continue today a periodic look at the state of the Nationals roster at the point spring training was suspended and project how things may look whenever baseball is played again. Up next is the bullpen... Team officials are always going to speak optimistically about their roster during spring training. If you can't be positive in February and March, what hope do you have? But the optimism the Nationals displayed in West Palm Beach over their bolstered bullpen was genuine. They legitimately...

According to STATS, yesterday was the first Memorial Day without a Major League Baseball game since 1880. Yep, it was quiet around MLB on Monday, but hopefully the days we can say that about are dwindling. This is a huge week to determine if there will be a 2020 season. The players and owners will talk money this week and they probably only have days to resolve any differences. There seems to be an unofficial June 1 deadline on such talks. So get it done now or never if they want spring...

Having to hunker down at home while waiting for the new/novel coronavirus (what are they calling it this week, anyway?) to wane has been tough on all of us. But think about what it might have been like for Cal Ripken Jr. had the pandemic hit our shores during his playing days. The Iron Man carved out a place for himself among the legends of baseball by just showing up to work every single day. He couldn't have kept himself in the lineup had he not produced, of course, but by declining to take...

They won't get to try them on for real until some undetermined date, but the Nationals finally got a chance to see what their World Series rings look like during Sunday night's virtual presentation. What do they look like? Like a million bucks. (Note: They're not actually worth $1 million.) Created by Jostens, the Nats' rings include 170 round diamonds, 31 custom-cut rubies, 24 princess-cut rubies and 32 custom-cut genuine sapphires, bringing the total gem weight to 23.2 carats. The...

I was reading my Twitter timeline during Saturday's "Improbable" documentary on the Nationals' run to a World Series ring and I saw a lot of mentions of Michael A. Taylor's play in the postseason and how important that has been over the years. Fans refer to Taylor as "MAT" because of his initials. It got me thinking what other players call Taylor for a nickname? Like "Mikey" or "Matty." Checking some of the official nicknames from MLB.com, I have never heard other players call them...

The Washington Nationals and Jostens, the leading provider of custom, hand-crafted fine jewelry for professional sports teams, today unveiled the 2019 Washington Nationals World Series Championship Ring. "The journey the Nationals took to become World Series Champions for the first time was incredible," said Chris Poitras VP andCOO of Jostens Professional Sports Division. "We had the absolute honor to partner with them to create a ring that celebrated not only this historic moment for the...

My optimism is growing that baseball will be played later this summer. Which in the past has meant nothing because I can become skeptical again in a matter of seconds. But it appears that progress is being made toward spring training 2.0 and an opening day in July. Contingencies are in place in case it doesn't happen, which I've heard from people who are close to the game. Have to be prepared for both scenarios. I'm still not buying the argument that fans will never return if there's no...

We have just over two weeks to this year's five-round First-Year Player Draft. The Orioles hold the No. 2 pick in the first round behind the Detroit Tigers at No. 1. The Orioles will also pick at No. 30 and No. 39. They are the only major league team with three picks among the first 39 selections. Many analysts seem to be predicting that Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson goes first to the Tigers. He hit 25 homers as a freshman and 23 as a sophomore. When this year's season was...

Well, it's May 24. And as everybody knows, May 24 is the most important day in Nationals history. Or something like that. Look, there's nothing wrong with noting the low point of a most improbable season. It serves as an obvious demarcation point that separates the wretched first portion of the 2019 campaign from the glorious five months that followed. And as has been said over and over since then, there really aren't many other teams in major league history that came back from such an...

The message from fans to baseball players and owners might be something like this: You guys got our hopes up for a season, so don't screw it up now. Sure, the dollars at stake are significant for both, and there are issues to work out - about health and money. But if they've come this far - and they already seem to be mostly in agreement on safety and health protocols - so it's time to get this to the finish line. It might look strange to see baseball with no fans in the stands and players...