As we count down the final days of 2018, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. Five top stories made the final cut, and we'll reveal one each of the next five days, beginning with ... No. 5: The All-Star Game in D.C. From the day Nationals Park opened, Mark Lerner lobbied Bud Selig to give an All-Star Game to Washington. It took a decade, not to mention an...

As the Orioles look to hire and finalize their coaching staff soon, the ability of those coaches to embrace analytics and pass the data on to the players in a useful manner will be a key. It may be the key factor in which coaches Orioles manager Brandon Hyde hires for his first staff. During the recent Winter Meetings, I asked general manager Mike Elias about this. On that staff, are certain coaches more important in disseminating such information? It stands to reason the pitching coach and...

One of the common refrains in baseball is how hustle never goes into a slump. New Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is a firm believer. The Orioles won't present a roster with the same level of talent as the contenders. That's not how a rebuild works. It won't bring the same experience. It won't include the same number of elite prospects. But there's no reason why other teams should be able to outwork the Orioles, to put forth more effort. Jogging up the line on a ground ball, conceding the...

The Nationals went shopping early this winter. They made a bunch of moves in November and early December to address most of their glaring roster needs, leaving only a few remaining items left to cross off during this holiday season. But they're not entirely done yet. There are still acquisitions to be made, vacant positions to be filled. And, of course, there's the biggest prize of all still out there, unsure whether he'll be returning to Washington in 2019 or heading elsewhere for the next...

For Trey Mancini to turn around his season, he had to go back to hitting the ball the other way. The change in direction returned him to normal. Or as close as he was going to get this summer. The contrasting splits on Mancini are as pronounced as anyone in 2018, though he reversed Dylan Bundy and finished on a much higher note. After placing third in Rookie of the Year voting in the American League the previous summer, Mancini slashed .216/.292/.363 with 12 home runs over 91 games in the first...

This is an important year for the No. 7 player in Baseball America's list of the Nationals' top 10 prospects. Talented left-hander Seth Romero had issues that hampered his career at the University of Houston and slowed his start with the Nats after he was drafted as a first-round pick in 2017. But as national writer Carlos Collazo notes, there is no denying the potential for the 22-year-old Romero and the Nationals are being patient right now, hoping he can get it right and demonstrate his...

The Carolina Hurricanes wore Hartford Whalers uniforms Sunday for their home game against the Boston Bruins. And if that isn't the strangest lede I've ever written to a blog post about the Nationals, I'm trying to remember something else that would top it. You see, the Hurricanes' throwback night on the ice reminded me of something I've long pondered in my own mind: Would the Nationals ever wear Expos uniforms? And how would fans, both from Washington and Montreal, feel about that? I think...

Orioles fans aren't likely to find a new player under their tree on Christmas morning. The stocking stuffers won't include a pitcher or outfielder. Dump bourbon in your egg nog - unless rum or brandy is your preference - and stay patient. Not a creature is stirring, but there's going to be roster activity by spring training. Executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias issued the warning at the Winter Meetings. Not the one about reports being "overzealous" and "inaccurate."...

After a furious Friday of hot stove action, the baseball world is now taking holiday break. That includes the winter leagues, where several Nationals have been playing. Atop that list, of course, is Michael A. Taylor, who has been in the Dominican Republic putting some swing changes into practice in an attempt to come to spring training a new hitter. Taylor isn't off to a great start. In seven games so far for Gigantes del Cibao, he's batting just .143 (4-for-28) with one double, two RBIs,...

No matter who fills out the Orioles coaching staff in 2019, the ability to teach is going to be crucial, with so many young players vying for roster spots and assorted veterans in need of some tweaking, if not a complete overhaul. "I think the game in general has become a lot younger," manager Brandon Hyde said Thursday night on the "Hot Stove Show" on 105.7 The Fan. "The older-type veteran guys, it just seems like it's really becoming a younger game. Teams are giving younger players a...