This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato's Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Spring Training is a time for building camaraderie. Players get to know each other over the course of six weeks, establishing a chemistry for the season ahead.
What if they could add a teammate from another sport? The Nationals shared which professional athletes they would like to play alongside them for a game.
Zach Brzykcy: “I’m a Bills fan, so Josh Allen is probably up there. He just seems so fun to be around, a great leader. … He throws one of the hardest footballs, I’d say he’d be a pitcher.”
Josh Bell: “You could throw Rafael Nadal at short and he probably could do it. Tennis is the most similar to baseball, I think. Rotational strength, he could probably throw and hit. It might take some time, but he could probably put the ball in play.”
Andrés Chaparro: “I’ve always been a big fan of Lionel Messi. I would like to play a game with him. I think he could play second base because he’s very agile.”
Dylan Crews: “Patrick Mahomes because he was a pitcher when he was younger. [His best pitch] would probably be a cutter. He’s always throwing a football and sliding off the side of the football, so I feel like he’s going to have a little natural cut to his fastball.”
James Wood: “LeBron James -- because he’s LeBron. He would be a coach. It has nothing to do with baseball, it’s just that he’s LeBron.”
Nathaniel Lowe: “I’d love to be teammates with Phil Mickelson for a day because I’m also a left-handed golfer and could probably pick up cues from him.”
Colin Poche: “Dirk Nowitzki seemed like a great teammate -- stayed with the Mavs his whole career, kind of took the discount to help make the team better. A guy like him seemed to put what’s good for the group ahead of what is maybe best for himself. So I think that’s probably the definition of a good teammate.”
Nasim Nuñez: “Allen Iverson in center field. He’s athletic. I’ll teach him everything else [laughs].”
Alex Call: “I’d like to see if Victor Wembanyama could throw a ball. Could you imagine that -- like, what would his extension be?”
Yohandy Morales: “I feel like the obvious answer would be LeBron. His leadership and what he’s accomplished in the game of basketball. He would be a coach, for sure.”