Jeremy Hellickson got off to a late start last season, after he signed with the Washington Nationals in mid-March. He signed five weeks earlier this winter, returning to the Nats on another one-year deal, and the 31-year-old, nine-year veteran told reporters following his first outing of the Spring he should be better off this time around after he was behind a bit going into the start of the 2018 campaign in terms of his preparation.
“You can throw all the live sim games you want,” Hellickson explained last week, “and it just doesn’t compare to game situations, and the speed of the real game.