Classic hero Meneses shifts focus to Opening Day

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Nationals designated hitter Joey Meneses is back with the club after a productive tournament with Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic.

Nats manager Dave Martinez didn’t waste time placing Meneses into the starting lineup in left field in the club's 5-2 win over the Yankees on Wednesday afternoon at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. He went 0-for-4 in his return.

Meneses was pleased to get playing time with Mexico before he returned to the Nationals. He said he is ready for Opening Day on March 30 against the Braves at Nationals Park.

“I feel like I’m ready to go for the season. [The Classic] is like playing the season,” Meneses said.

The World Baseball Classic was the talk before Wednesday’s game. By the sound of his voice, Meneses had a blast during the tournament, and for good reason. He was one of Mexico’s best players, going 10-for-27 with two home runs and six RBIs.

Meneses had some Classic heroics, especially on March 12, when he hit two home runs in an 11-5 victory over Team USA. The first long ball was hit off right-hander Nick Martinez in the first inning, a two-run shot to give Mexico a 2-0 lead.

Three innings later, the second bomb was a doozy off right-hander Brady Singer. Meneses watched the ball for a few seconds as it was going over the left-center-field wall, then he threw his bat in the air and celebrated as he rounded the bases for a three-run homer. Meneses’ two homers totaled a Statcast-projected 808 feet.

Meneses’ production helped Team Mexico reach the semifinal before losing to Team Japan in a nailbiter, 6-5 on Monday night.

“I think, as a team, we surprised a lot of people, because I don’t think a lot of the people expected us to be that good,” Meneses said. “It’s going to help the sport grow a lot in Mexico. We know the No. 1 sport in Mexico is soccer, but to have an event like this, where it was open on TV for people to see, I think [it] will help the sport grow a lot down there.”

Another highlight for Meneses was being a teammate of Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, who also swung a hot bat and played great defense in the Classic. Arozarena went 9-for-20 (.450) with one home run and nine RBIs.

“He is a funny guy. He is always trying to help other teammates. He is a star, he played like that,” Meneses said. “He brought good value to our team. He really helped the team. He is a great teammate, too.”

Regular-season lineup
For the first time this spring, the Nationals had their projected starting lineup go against the Yankees on Wednesday afternoon:

1. Lane Thomas, RF
2. Dominic Smith, 1B
3. Joey Meneses, LF
4. Corey Dickerson, DH
5. Jeimer Candelario, 3B
6. Luis García, 2B
7. Keibert Ruiz, C
8. CJ Abrams, SS
9. Victor Robles, CF

Martinez feels he has a balanced lineup and he is not worried that the team doesn’t have a lot of power. The skipper wants his players to hit the ball to the middle of the field and accept more walks.

“Like I said earlier, our at-bats have been way better as far as accepting walks, moving the baseball and staying in the middle of the field. That’s something that we preached this whole spring,” Martinez said. “I think the power will come for some of these guys. But if you don’t make contact, you are less [likely to drive the ball]. We are teaching these guys to stay in the middle of the field. Hit doubles. The rest will come.”