Monday, June 30

Welcome to the latest 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.

Amid his 10th Major League season, Josh Bell is adding a new job title to his resume: author. 

Bell partnered with literacy start-up Ello to write and publish the children’s book “What Color is the Sky.” He will read his debut book next Sunday, July 6, during Story Time at Nationals Park. 

“The underlying theme of the book is something I want my kids to take to heart and grow up with -- to know that no matter what happens, to keep their head up,” Bell said in the event announcement. 

“This story specifically is really important to me. It’s going to be awesome for my family -- my mom is an author and it’s nice to be able to follow in her footsteps, and it will be awesome for kids all over to know my story and to know where I come from.”

Bell is the first published author in Ello’s Storytellers program, created to encourage kids to read through the personal stories of athletes and celebrities. Ello is building an AI reading tutor for children. 

“Ello is thrilled to be partnering with the Washington Nationals to support children’s literacy in the D.C. area,” said Elizabeth Adams, PhD clinical psychologist and co-founder at Ello. “The Nationals have a long history of working in the community to make literacy a priority among D.C. families. Ello’s mission is to teach any child how to read from start to finish regardless of resources, and we are excited to work with the Nationals toward that goal.”

Story Time at Nationals Park is included with a ticket for that day’s game. It is scheduled to be held at 12:15 p.m. ET in the Kennedy Conference Room. (The Left Field Gate will open at noon for those attending.)

A limited number of Bell’s book will be given out during the July 6 Story Time. “What Color is the Sky” also will be available for free on the Ello app.

“Josh is an amazing partner,” said Adams. “At Ello, we love collaborating with literacy champions like Josh who are willing to put in the work to help kids learn how to read. His story is incredible, and I have no doubt it will help spark a love of reading for countless young Nats fans. We’re proud to be able to share Josh’s book with the tens of thousands of families using Ello at home to support their children’s independent reading.”

The Nationals are hosting five Story Times this season. Following July 6, there are reading events scheduled for Aug. 3 ("Play Ball, Pikachu" by Sonia Sander) and Sept. 14 ("Baseball on Mars" by Rafael Rivera Jr. and Tim Hoppey). 

To commemorate Brady House’s rookie season, the Nationals are giving away T-shirts to the first 10,000 fans in attendance on Wednesday. House, ranked as the Nationals’ No. 3 prospect and No. 88 overall, made his Major League debut on June 16. 

Could there be a shakeup at the top of the Draft board? MLB Pipeline updated its mock draft projections on Thursday, and there is a new player at No. 1 following a standout performance in the College World Series.

Jonathan Mayo wrote:

Nationals: Kade Anderson, LHP, Louisiana State (No. 2)

The Nationals haven’t whittled down their candidates list yet and are still doing their due diligence on seven or eight players. Without any inside information, it seems like the two most viable options are Ethan Holliday and Anderson, whose last impression sure was a good one. It appears more likely that Anderson won’t get past the No. 2 pick, while if Holliday doesn’t go here, he lands at No. 4 or 5.

…

Rockies: Ethan Holliday, SS/3B, Stillwater (Okla.) HS (No. 1)

If he doesn’t go to the Nationals, this continues to be the most likely spot for Matt’s kid. The Rockies could also consider Hernandez or Arnold here if they want to go with an arm.

• Tuesday: $5 Tuesdays

• Wednesday: Brady House T-shirt giveaway 

• Thursday: Freedom Fireworks

• Friday: Patriotic Series -- Independence Day

• Sunday, July 6: Story Time at Nationals Park; Kids Batting Gloves giveaway (ages 12 and under); Virginia Military Institute Day (special ticket required)

To subscribe to Nationals Beat, visit this page and mark "Nationals Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Nationals or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2025 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.