This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to be credentialed for the Nats series against the Dodgers. That gave me a level of access I have not had before. Being in the press box, down on the field for batting practice and in the locker room gives me a new perspective to share with you guys.
It was a very cool experience, and honestly a dream come true. However, I was there to do a job. When you get there, the first real activity is to go into the locker room. Honestly, you spend a lot of the 50 minutes
you get just lingering and observing.
I chatted with some players there, which was cool. When I went up to talk to Gus Varland, he was almost amused, asking how much he had to pay me for an interview. The conversation I had with him made up the meat of the story we put up a couple days ago.
After that, there is a pre-game press conference with Blake Butera. One of the questions I asked him during those was why he wanted James Wood in the leadoff spot. Butera responded to that by saying, “James is one of the best hitters on our team and one of the best hitters in the league. When you talk about your best hitters, over the course of the season, you want to get them up to bat as much as possible”. Over the past couple games, Butera’s faith in Wood at the top of the lineup has been rewarded.
I enjoy Butera press conferences. He gives thoughtful answers and really tries to answer the questions. After that loss in the home opener, Butera was clearly pretty disappointed. The first thing he did was thank the fans and almost apologize to them as well. That was in the press conference after the game.
One of the coolest parts of the day is going down on the field for batting practice. You are right there and can even sit in the dugout. Being in the dugout was a bit of a pinch me moment. On the first day, Paul Toboni was available for questions. He held court for a bit over 15 minutes, and answered a variety of questions. There is even a photo from that scrum where you can see me.
I asked Toboni a couple questions. The first one was about Joey Wiemer, and how he would characterize him as a player and person. Toboni called Wiemer a “high energy guy” and a “great teammate”.
The other question I asked was about Harry Ford. Despite the Nats having a need behind the plate, Ford, who the Nats traded for this offseason, did not do enough to win a job out of camp. Toboni gave an honest answer, which I appreciated.
He stressed that Ford needed to work on his defense. The Nats new President of Baseball Operations said he wanted Ford to show he can be an average or above average receiver over a decent sample of games. Defense was a question mark for Ford in Seattle, and clearly the Nats new regime still has some questions about it as well.
Toboni also emphasized Ford’s youth as a factor in the decision. Despite the fact he has been on top 100 lists for years at this point, Ford is still just 23 years old. I got the sense that Toboni believes in Ford, but did not quite think he was there yet.
Another exciting thing about this experience is you get to see some of the tools the Nats are using. Before one of the games, the Nats had a pitching machine out at shortstop and it was feeding balls on a hop to the first baseman. It was cool to see them actually putting the work in.
This season, I will be going to a good chunk of the home games to cover them. I feel like it is important to have this access to help give you guys the best information I can. Seeing what happens on the inside will help me give you guys better information.
It is also a lot of fun to be in there and experience what it is like to be inside a locker room. However, as I mentioned, I am there to do a job. This will give me new information and perspective, but I will not allow myself to be soft either. Getting this information is all about giving you guys a better idea about what is going on with the Washington Nationals.
