Nats focused on safety as title defense begins

WASHINGTON -- The words "Stay in the fight" have come out of Nationals manager Dave Martinez's mouth countless times. On Friday, that same phrase covered his mouth as he settled in for a Zoom call with reporters, a mask donning the mantra in capitalized red letters over his face.

For as much as the game of baseball will look different in a pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Martinez is keeping his mentality the same.

"True to form, I told the guys, 'Hey, look, our focus is on the now.' … We're going to try to go 1-0 every day," Martinez said. "With that being said, that's our mindset: Try to win the game at hand."

The first group of Nationals players reported for Day 1 of Summer Camp at Nationals Park on Friday for workouts that began in the morning and spanned through the early evening. The team was split up into groups for COVID-19 screening, and each member of the initial group had received negative test results. The team was awaiting the results of the second group Friday afternoon before those players could be cleared for workouts.

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Those who choose to sit out this season continued to be supported by the team. Catcher Welington Castillo joined Joe Ross and Ryan Zimmerman on the list of Nationals who have elected to not play in 2020.

"Those are tough decisions," general manager Mike Rizzo said. "Kind of courageous decisions, in my mind."

The new safety protocols were exhibited on the first day. Face masks were visible on the field during drills and batting practice. Players tapped elbows instead of traditional high-five or fist-bump greetings.

"We've got to be smart about everything," Martinez said. "I know [Angels manager] Joe Maddon said earlier today, if you can't follow protocol, maybe you should opt out. And I agree with Joe. This is going to be tough for everybody. You've got to be mentally strong. You've got to be prepared for things that we're not used to doing on a baseball field. Definitely going to be a work in progress, but I think our boys understand what's happening. The guys that are here want this to work, and we're going to do everything we can to make it work."

Without being able to hold team meetings, Martinez has had to alter how he delivers his messages to his players. He spoke to some of the veterans ahead of camp to share his perspective on the health guidelines. Martinez said he has been tested "a couple times," including upon his return to Washington from his farm in Tennessee.

"I know for me, I'm going to do everything I can to stay safe," he said. "I didn't spend three months isolated on a farm to come here and get sick. So I want to make sure I keep myself safe and I keep the coaching staff safe, the players safe and everybody else safe around me."

Rizzo said he has undergone three tests (all negative) in the last week and that he feels safe in "our little cocoon here of Major League Baseball." Not every game will be played at Nationals Park, though, and there will have to be concerted efforts made for safety outside of the stadium. He believes having a veteran-heavy roster will help spread the importance of staying safe and healthy.

"It goes further than that, when you go on the road and when you're taking the charter planes and you go to other cities," Rizzo said. "How do you conduct yourself as a team? I think that's going to be the key to being healthy throughout the season, is you really have to care for each other and make sure that we're all doing the right thing because if you get one person that steps out of line and does the wrong thing, it could infect a lot of people and your season is finished.

"We're going to impress on the players that this is a team thing. If we want to win, we have to stay together. That means on the road, no going out. Stay as safe as you can in those hotels and give ourselves the best chance to keep a safe roster, a healthy roster. And I think if we do that, we'll have as good a chance as anybody to win."

While the Nationals are focused on defending their World Series title, they are as much -- if not more of -- focused on defending themselves and each other.