Nationals ready to take the field in defense of title
The Washington Nationals are ready to take the field as defending champsJULY 22, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Set to start behind the plate Nola is expected to open the season as the Mariners' starting catcher after Tom Murphy was diagnosed with a broken foot Wednesday, Jen Mueller of ROOT Sports Northwest reports.
Impact The 30-year-old was expected to see about 45 percent of the starts behind the plate alongside Murphy, but he'll now begin the season without any veteran competition. Nola saw his first major-league action in 2019 and had a strong showing with a .269/.342/.454 slash line and 10 homers in 79 games. According to Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle, Joe Hudson will operate as Seattle's backup catcher while Murphy is sidelined.
JULY 22, 2020 • ROTOWIRE
Faces setback Murphy's ankle isn't responding to treatment, which could impact his availability for Opening Day, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Impact Murphy was limited during camp after fouling two balls off his foot, and he could miss time to begin the regular season since his ankle isn't responding to treatment as the team had hoped. If the 29-year-old is unable to suit up for Opening Day, Austin Nola will likely serve as the primary catcher, with Joe Hudson or a current free agent as a potential backup.
JULY 22, 2020 • ROTOWIRE
Possible 2020 playing time O'Keefe is benefiting from plenty of instructional time during summer camp, and the possibility exists he could see some action at the big-league level in 2020, Greg Johns of MLB.c...
Impact O'Keefe has yet to play above Double-A despite the fact he's 26 years old, although he does have a trio of double-digit home-run tallies on his minors resume. The Rule 5 pick out of the Cardinals organization appeared in 10 Cactus League games but logged only nine at-bats, hitting .222 with two RBI, two walks and two runs. While Tom Murphy and Austin Nola are set to handle most of the catching reps this season, Johns points out both may need reinforcement at some point -- Murphy has already missed time during summer camp twice due to fouling a ball off his foot and has started a relatively modest 110 games across his first five big-league seasons, while Nola has only four games of experience behind the dish.
JULY 17, 2020 • ROTOWIRE
Could see playing time in '20 Raleigh is likely to frequently be designated the third catcher on the team's three-man taxi squad this season and could see some regular-season playing time, Greg Johns of MLB.com...
Impact The 23-year-old backstop has Tom Murphy and Austin Nola ahead of him on the depth chart, but Johns makes a case for Raleigh getting his first taste of regular-season big-league action at some point in 2020. If Murphy, who's expected to serve as the primary backstop, misses some time during the 60-game campaign, Nola, who only has four games of experience behind the dish, will likely need some help manning the position. Raleigh has yet to play above the Double-A level and struggled to a .228 average and .296 on-base percentage in 39 games there last season, but he's worked closely with Mariners Hall of Fame catcher Dan Wilson during summer camp and has caught the eye of his boss. "Cal's having a good camp," Servais said. "He swings the bat really well and certainly has power from both sides of the plate. The catching side has really impressed me with his arm strength in this camp and some of the drills."
JULY 17, 2020 • ROTOWIRE
Back in action Thursday Murphy (foot) went 1-for-2 with a walk while serving as the designated hitter for Thursday's intrasquad game, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.
Impact As expected, Murphy was able to make a quick return after fouling a ball off his foot Tuesday, although manager Scott Servais opted to keep him limited to an offensive role Thursday. Murphy is still likely to draw a slight majority of the starts behind the dish this coming season, but Servais previously stated Austin Nola will get a fair share of playing time and the duo could also be complemented with prospects Cal Raleigh and Brian O'Keefe.
JULY 17, 2020 • ROTOWIRE
How the Mariners' Austin Nola reinvented himself and broke... Nola canned everything he'd been doing and became a dramatically different player, changing his swing and his position on the field.
JULY 15, 2020 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Aaron Nola clears virus protocol, arrives at Phillies camp - Sportsnet.ca Phillies ace Aaron Nola reported to camp on Monday after waiting a few extra days because he was in contact with someone who tested positive...
JULY 7, 2020 • SPORTSNET.CA
