Nationals beat reporter Jessica Camerato talks Crews, more in Reddit AMA
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On Wednesday, MLB.com Nationals beat reporter Jessica Camerato held an Ask Me Anything on Reddit with Nats fans at r/nationals. This mailbag features questions and answers from there. The full AMA can be read here.
Questions and responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
Given Dylan Crews¡¯ early struggles this season, have you heard or sensed whether the Nats will continue to play him or send him down for a reset?
The Nationals are committed to Crews finding his rhythm at the plate. They have given him days off to reset (at the Major League level) and work on his swing. This approach worked with Jacob Young earlier this month. Opposite to sending Crews down for a reset, an approach could be to move him up to the top of the order to re-establish momentum.
What's the best "hidden story" in the Nats' Minor League system?
I found it very interesting to see the different relationships among the Nationals players and prospects in Spring Training. Those relationships and having teammates/friends to go to are so important in the development process in the Minor Leagues.
A few I observed:
The strong bond between Juan Yepez and Andr¨¦s Chaparro. Even though they were competing for a roster spot, they are remarkably close. Yepez has been like a big brother mentor to Chaparro since last season.
Darren Baker is a glue guy in the clubhouse. You know the "six degrees of Kevin Bacon" concept? The same can be said for Baker, whose upbringing in baseball along with his easygoing personality make him a magnet for teammates.
The Nationals embraced Shinnosuke Ogasawara and were eager to learn from him. Yepez picked a new word every day to learn in Japanese, and that inspired Crews as well.
CJ Abrams, Marquis Grissom Jr. and Nasim Nu?ez are close friends from growing up in the Atlanta area. They happened to all be part of the same Major League organization via the MLB Draft, Rule 5 Draft and trades. They spoke about how it was important for them to represent and grow Atlanta baseball.
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Any news or insight in what the timeline for Cade Cavalli¡¯s return to the Majors will look like?
The Nationals' goal for Cavalli is to finish the season strong (and healthy). To do that, he is beginning the season rehabbing at their training complex in West Palm Beach. Last weekend, Cavalli joined the Nationals in Miami for their series against the Marlins. Cavalli said, ¡°I¡¯ve been throwing a lot of bullpens, so I was ready to see some hitters. I started sequencing and really pitching. It was a good feeling to be back out there. I don¡¯t even feel like I¡¯m on rehab anymore. It feels like back to normal, let¡¯s build up and get going. It¡¯s awesome to be in this spot.¡±
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What¡¯s the sense you get regarding the bullpen? Will they look for other options, promote from Triple-A, cut current players, etc? Thanks.
The Nationals held a pregame bullpen meeting yesterday to get back on track. The objective was to check in with the relievers, remind them it is still early in the season and give them an opportunity to share their thoughts. It was received well by the players.
A big missing piece to the bullpen is Derek Law. He has been sidelined all season because of right forearm inflammation. Last season, he pitched 90 (!) innings, and his role this year would be to bridge the innings to get to Jose A. Ferrer and Kyle Finnegan.
In the meantime, the Nationals have promoted Cole Henry and Jackson Rutledge from Triple-A Rochester. Once Michael Soroka returns to the starting rotation, Brad Lord is likely to be moved back to a reliever role as well. Zach Brzykcy, who pitched in the Majors last season, is working his way back from a right quad strain and began a rehab assignment with the Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals yesterday.
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What¡¯s your favorite opposing city to visit while traveling with the team?
Greetings from Pittsburgh! Good timing of this question.
Ever since being on the Philadelphia 76ers beat, I have enjoyed traveling to cities where you can learn about the history via museums or tours. One of my favorite things to do is take a ride on the guided tour buses. San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle are great cities for that. (This is an awesome way to see the Golden Gate Bridge.) For museums, the SFMOMA is incredible, the Hirshhorn is my favorite in D.C., and I still can't stop talking about the Motown Museum in Detroit a year after visiting.