It’s common during homestands to find Nationals players out and about in D.C., getting active in the community. The organization has been committed to giving back to the area for a long time, centered around its Youth Baseball Academy.

But the players don’t have to be at the academy to get involved in youth baseball around town. That’s why Dominic Smith and other Nats players found themselves in Livingston Park in Chevy Chase yesterday morning with a group of Capitol City Little League kids – my 8-year-old nephew Jack included – ahead of their late-afternoon game.

“I had a great time today,” Smith said Saturday before the Nats’ 5-2 win over the Tigers. “Over there, Capitol City Little League, got to see a bunch of different age groups from like 8 to like 12. And just to see them, see the energy that they brought, I kind of fed off of that and I had a great time. Those kids are very competitive. They got some really good coaches out there because some of those swings were really impressive, especially for the age groups. And it was just fun. It was a great day to just spend some time with them and get to show them who I am as a person because sometimes they don't get to see stuff like that.”

Smith and the kids went through typical baseball drills like hitting balls off a practice tee. It must feel good as a kid to get a couple of good hacks in and have a major leaguer be impressed by your swing.

And the kids should be impressed by Smith’s swing as of late. Before yesterday’s 0-for-4 outing, he had been hitting .343 over his previous 20 games to raise his batting average by 54 points.

The holidays have passed and the calendar has turned to 2021, but that doesn't mean one has to lose his or her spirit of giving. Especially during these uncertain times. Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin and his wife, Jen, certainly took that to heart as they recently surprised six families from the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy with a Macy's shopping experience via Zoom. In case you may have missed it or forgotten, the Youth Baseball Academy safely returned to play by opening a modified...

The

From the time they arrived from Montreal before the 2005 season, the Nationals have been a mainstay in the Washington, D.C., sports scene. But the Nats are also very active in the community, working diligently over the past decade to touch the lives of many in the region and proving that baseball has a further reach than wins and losses, balls and strikes, batters and pitchers. Each Thursday through mid-August, MASNsports.com's Byron Kerr will explore the Nationals' community outreach...

The Little League Anderson Monarchs, featuring 13-year-old Little League World Series pitcher Mo'Ne Davis, paid a visit to Nationals Park on Thursday for the Nationals game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Monarchs are a travel team, based out of Philadelphia, on a barnstorming tour across America as a tribute to Jackie Robinson, the Negro Leagues and the Civil Rights Movement. Anderson manager Steve Bandura said that his team was so excited to visit the Nationals and the Nationals Youth...

From the time they arrived from Montreal before the 2005 season, the Nationals have been a mainstay in the Washington, D.C., sports scene. But the Nats are also very active in the community, working diligently over the past decade to touch the lives of many in the region and proving that baseball has a further reach than wins and losses, balls and strikes, batters and pitchers. Each Thursday through mid-August, MASNsports.com's Byron Kerr will explore the Nationals' community outreach...

New Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred got an extensive tour of the Nationals Youth baseball Academy in southeast Washington on Wednesday and came away from the visit very impressed with its progress. "I'm always happy to be in Washington. Obviously, Washington is always a special market for us, the nation's capital," he said. "I appreciate the Nationals hosting me today. The visit here is really important to me. One of the things I hope to accomplish during my time as...

The Nationals have announced they will conduct batting practice for their March 29 exhibition game at Nats Park across town that morning at their new Youth Baseball Academy in Fort Dupont Park. Later that day, the Nationals and Tigers conclude their spring schedules in Washington at a 2 p.m. exhibition. The batting practice will be preceded by a ribbon-cutting ceremony involving special guests, including Nationals players and executives, local and federal government leaders, and the academy's...