Washington Nationals news & notes: Davey Martinez on Luis García; shift ban; winter work + more…

Given time to replicate on the 2022 season, the Washington Nationals’ fifth-year supervisor, Davey Martinez, talked on the Winter Conferences in early December about what he’d realized about himself on the bumpy highway to a 55-107 end which left his membership in final place within the NL East for the third season in a row.

“ what — I do know that I’ve endurance,” Martinez kind of joked, “… however final yr I realized an entire lot extra endurance. what, although, I sat again, and I usually caught myself laughing at a few of the issues that we’ve finished and the truth that I like the blokes, the way in which they play, with the vitality these guys had day-after-day.

“So I’m trying ahead to watching these guys develop and mature, and will probably be a variety of enjoyable for all of us. However it was making an attempt. I’m not going to say — I’ve been on groups the place we win fairly a bit. Shedding like that wasn’t enjoyable. However I don’t assume anyone had enjoyable in that clubhouse.”

Martinez’s message for his membership on the way in which out this previous season was that they should know dropping 100+ video games once more will not be acceptable, however he didn’t have to inform them that half.

“That’s one of many huge takeaways I took at my exit conferences,” Martinez defined, “… is all these guys have been dissatisfied with dropping so many video games. They need to get higher. They need to compete.”

Martinez, after giving everybody time to decompress, had already talked to a few of the Nats’ returning gamers when he spoke with reporters on the Winter Conferences, ensuring they’re onerous at work getting ready for 2023’s run.

A lot of them, he mentioned, have been placing within the work already at that time, getting ready for the beginning of Spring Coaching and the 2023 marketing campaign.

“I’ve allow them to do their very own factor for some time,” he mentioned, “… after which I began speaking to them now and allow them to know. For essentially the most half, I’m getting movies of them hitting, understanding. They ship me all these things.

“So it’s fairly cool to look at these guys. I might let you know now, I’ve seen — Lane Thomas is already hitting on the sector and dealing on making an attempt to remain on the ball, hitting the ball into proper heart area.

“It’s sort of good that these guys actually took it to coronary heart about being prepared. Like I mentioned, being prepared day one in all Spring Coaching and make that our Opening Day in order that we will work on baseball stuff and never fear about preparing bodily.”

Requested if anybody specifically stood out within the movies they’ve despatched him this winter to point out what they’ve been as much as, Martinez mentioned they’ve all been placing in work, however his younger second baseman stood out.

“Keibert [Ruiz] has been hitting,” he mentioned. “Luis [Garcìa] seems to be nice. Luis misplaced about 9 kilos of physique fats, 9 % of physique fats. He seems to be actually good. He took it to coronary heart he must be extra agile. He must be faster on his toes. He seems to be nice.

“Victor [Robles] went and is enjoying winter ball. He’s doing very well. Engaged on a few of the issues that [Hitting Coach] Darnell [Coles] needed to work on, and I feel Darnell is definitely headed over there this coming week to go watch him play a bit of bit and discuss to him.

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“We’ve bought some issues occurring. We’re undoubtedly invested in all our gamers.”

García, 22, moved from brief to second base when the membership acquired CJ Abrams from San Diego within the Juan Soto/Josh Bell deal on the commerce deadline final August, and Martinez mentioned he’s actually completely satisfied to see his infielder placing in work over the winter to deal with issues they agreed he wanted to construct on.

What does a leaner, extra agile García do for the Nationals’ infield and offense?

“Will probably be superior,” Martinez mentioned. “He’s bought good palms. We talked so much about him and his first step, and we predict this may assist him out so much. It’s additionally going to assist him run a bit of bit higher.

“As I instructed Luis, you undoubtedly bought some pop in your bat, however proper now let’s simply fear concerning the chases and placing the ball in play. You hit the ball onerous whenever you do hit it, utilizing the entire area. In case you might hit 40 doubles, the outcomes are going to be you’re most likely hitting 20 residence runs within the meantime.

“In order that’s one thing that he needed to work on this winter.”

Will the elevated agility assist García within the shift-free recreation they’ll play in 2023 after MLB “banned” infield shifts?

“He’s bought to cowl so much, yeah,” Martinez mentioned. “Truthfully, if you happen to take a look at the opposite aspect, I feel it’s going to assist our hitting out as nicely with CJ and Luis and even [free agent signing] Jeimer [Candelario], who I’ve identified, who does hit the ball so much in that gap. I feel it’s going to assist him out so much as nicely.”