Welcome to the Spring Training 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. |
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Andrew Pinckney checked the Harrisburg Senators’ schedule. He wanted to be on the field every game, but he also had a very special reason to hope to be able to watch the Summer Olympics that night. Luisa Blanco, his girlfriend, was competing in Paris as the first gymnast in Colombia’s history to advance to the all-around finals.
“We get to the second inning, and it just starts pouring,” Pinckney, ranked as the Nationals’ No. 28 prospect, recalled. “I was like, ‘We might have a chance here.’ I run in there, I get on my iPad, I'm watching it, hoping that the game gets canceled. They ended up canceling it! I missed her first routine, but other than that, I watched everything else.”
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With Blanco’s vault already completed, Pinckney was able to see her balance beam, uneven bars and floor routines. “Making the finals in the Olympics is pretty sick,” Pinckney said. “She was going up against all the big names and she was doing it for Colombia, which is her home country. I was super proud of her, being able to be a fan, because she’s always a fan of me.” |
Pinckney and Blanco have been together since they were collegiate athletes at the University of Alabama. During that time, Pinckney was selected by the Nationals in the fourth round of the 2023 Draft and Blanco earned a spot in the 2024 Summer Games. Over the years, Pinckney has been able to learn from Blanco’s mental toughness. “In gymnastics, you pretty much have one shot,” he said. “You do the routine, and if you mess it up, then that's it. So I think for me, it's just being able to count your breaths and relax. Just know that your preparation is enough, because if I have like, four chances at the plate, I'll be alright. She only has one chance. That’s what I take from that.” |
Because the Olympics overlapped with the baseball season, Pinckney could not travel to Paris. (He has a keychain of the Eiffel Tower as a souvenir.) Blanco flew to Harrisburg for a Senators homestand after her return. “She doesn't like to brag about it, but I definitely do,” he said. “It’s super cool. I'm proud of her.” |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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As manager Dave Martinez evaluates potential lineups during Spring Training, he has solidified one spot in the batting order. “CJ’s going to lead off,” Martinez said on Friday. “The [Nos.] 3-4-5 will be kind of different a little bit. The [No.] 2 might be different at times. But we do know CJ’s going to lead off for us.” Abrams led off in 116 games last year. Martinez moved Dylan Crews into the No. 1 spot for 17 games at the end of the season after he debuted on Aug. 26. “After the first inning, you just become a hitter,” Martinez said. “... I want them to just be a part of one lineup, as opposed to, ‘I’m the leadoff hitter, I’m two, I’m three.’ The focus is just to get on base, drive in runs.” |
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