WaPo’s Chelsea Janes joined The Sports Junkies Wednesday to talk Nationals/Orioles MASN settlement and the Orioles’ ownership situation – and when she later joined BMitch & Finlay in the early afternoon, the topic was a little different: what exactly was the dust-up between MacKenzie Gore and Victor Robles in the dugout Tuesday night?
Gore and Robles were seen getting heated after a half-inning when Robles misplayed a ball that fell in front of him, which didn’t sit well with the hurler, and, well…it wasn’t a surprise to her.
“Gore is really competitive, one of those rare guys who comes up and thinks he’s the best pitcher in the game and acts like it – and I think that’s a good thing for the future of the Nationals,” Janes said. “Robles, either because he’s not fully healthy or just sometimes spaces out a little, didn’t charge a fly ball the way Gore thought he should, and he told him that in the dugout.”
Robles agreed after the game that he’s still adjusting and didn’t play it the way he should’ve, so Janes doesn’t see any issue with this moment going forward.
“I actually think it’s kind of a good sign. Not a lot of pitching prospects have come up through the Nats system that have that edge. I think it’s a growth moment, which we’ve seen a lot of this year, so it’ll be interesting to watch how it plays off. Gore is not the first person to be frustrated with Victor Robles at times, so I don’t think there are any real surprises on anyone’s part there.”
JP even said “I am so tired of Victor Robles,” who was supposed to be the jewel that Juan Soto turned out to be, and the Nats may just be waiting out his contract that expires after 2024 at this point.
“He’s just been maddening to them, because there are days you see it and understand why they thought he was a top prospect, and then days where you wonder if he’s learned anything,” Janes said. “He’s someone they’re just waiting out now; the development just hasn’t been what they wanted, and it shows you how frustrating that is when it happens on a guy you expect to be the jewel of the system. If he was the same way after 2019 as he was when he was starting for a World Series champion, maybe things would be different.”
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And, even though the Nats are skidding after a surprising start, there is still a lot to be optimistic overall.
“I don’t know; I think there’s a lot to be optimistic about though the direction has gone the way it has,” Janes said. “They can’t play the full nine innings and their depth just isn’t there, which is to be expected, but I think to this point they’ve done better than expected, in part because the starting pitching has been good. They’ve seen a lot of growth and there’s a lot to be optimistic about; the pluckiness is there, they just have to learn how to hold leads. But that doesn’t mean they’re not on the trajectory they need to be on.”
Listen to Janes’ entire convo with BMitch & Finlay above!
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