One of the labels attached to Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker is that he prefers veterans over young players. Baker has disputed this notion, noting he was once a young player thrust into key circumstances, so why wouldn’t he play young players as a manager? Toward the end of the regular season when discussing options for the National League Division Series, Baker went so far as to state that he’s “not afraid to run those young guys out there.”
He will have his chance starting Friday night in Game 1 of the NLDS versus the Los Angeles Dodgers.