Ryan Zimmerman prefers to stay in left field
By Hayden Kane
The Washington Nationals are on track for a kind of bizarre Los Angeles Dodgers’ situation in their outfield as Bryce Harper gets ready to return from the disabled list. They face the options, then, of either allowing manager Matt Williams to shuffle playing time among a bunch of guys who want to play everyday or making a trade to free up the situation.
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Williams has already announced that Zimmerman will be moved back to third base once Harper returns. That leaves Denard Span in the everyday lineup and moves Anthony Rendon, the current third baseman, over to second. That closes the conversation for the most part, though it does not mean that the Nationals shouldn’t make a move.
And if the team did something to shift Zimmeran back to left field? It sure sounds like he would be good with that (quotes from Bill Ladson of MLB.com):
"“Going out to left field, gave us the best chance to win. It’s a good problem to have. Too many good players and not enough spots,” Zimmerman said. “I’ll see what happens. I’m pretty comfortable in left and I think Anthony is a hell of a third baseman. I think there is no doubt right now he is better over there than me. But you have to have your best players in the lineup somehow. Whatever [manager] Matt [Williams] needs me to do, that’s what I’ll do.”"
That’s not even the telling quote. The quote found below is the one that tells the whole story:
"“It’s fun out there. It has taken some of the burden off of what I was feeling at third base.”"
This is certainly a developing situation. Zimmerman, who is already struggling on offense to the tune of a .245/.299/.387 slash line. Now the Nationals are going to shift him back to a position that he considers a burden? Seems like an odd move for a contending team.