Welcome to the offseason edition of the Nationals Beat newsletter. This is your stop for the latest on and off the field, from news to exclusive player interviews and insights brought to you by MLB.com club reporter Jessica Camerato. |
In the last newsletter, we focused on the Nationals’ potential roster. In this edition, let’s take a look at manager Dave Martinez’s coaching staff, including changes to four key roles. Martinez discussed these additions last month at the MLB Winter Meetings.
New coaches for 2024
• Bench coach: Miguel Cairo
• Last season: Mets Minor League infield coordinator
• Martinez: “[I’ve] known him for years. He was a bench coach with Tony [La Russa], so he learned a lot over there with them. I can't say enough about him. He's a baseball rat. [He] knows the game very well. He knows all aspects of the game. He's done a lot in his career.”
• First-base coach: Gerardo Parra
• Last season: Nationals front office special assistant
• Martinez: “We all know Parra. It was just a matter of whether Parra was going to want to do it, and he committed to being a full-time coach. But he'll bring a lot to our outfielders and our baserunning that we want to get better at.”
• Third-base coach: Ricky Gutierrez
• Last season: Nationals run prevention coordinator
• Martinez: “Ricky, who was with us last year, did a great job with [shortstop] CJ Abrams, Candy [former Nats third baseman Jeimer Candelario]. Candy loved him, so he gets the opportunity to coach third base.”
• Assistant hitting coach: Chris Johnson
• Last season: White Sox assistant hitting coach
• Martinez: “So far in his young career, he's brought a lot. I heard nothing but great things about him. I interviewed him, talked to him. He knows a lot about hitting. I think he's going to complement our team really well and help our kids out a lot.”
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Returning coaches
• Hitting coach: Darnell Coles
• Pitching coach: Jim Hickey
• Martinez: “I love those guys. Those guys work really hard. Players really bought into what they want to do. They have gotten better, so they will be back.”
New to role, but familiar to players
• Martinez: “Parra was around quite a bit, so he knows these guys. Ricky's known these guys, as well. … [Cairo] wants to get to know the guys a little bit before he comes to Spring Training, so he's going to start reaching out to guys and introduce himself.”
Approach to a revamped coaching staff
• Martinez: “I think these guys are well capable of doing the job. As you know, I don't micromanage these guys. These guys are going to coach. They're an extension of my voice, but they're going to be allowed to do what they do. I've known these guys for years. I've known them as players, and I know them as a person, as well. And they're all-in. They're eager to get going.”
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Alfonso Soriano celebrates his 48th birthday today. How many bases did he steal in his 40/40 season with the Nationals?
A) 40
B) 41
C) 42
D) 43
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Want to get a glimpse of top college talents ahead of the 2024 MLB Draft? The Desert Invitational is Major League Baseball’s annual Arizona-based tournament to celebrate the traditional start to the college baseball season.
Participating schools in this year’s event from Feb. 16-19 include Boston College, Brigham Young University, Georgetown University, Grand Canyon University, Kansas State University, Ohio State University, the University of California and the University of Southern California.
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