The Nationals hire a new medical staff:

After a season in which injuries undid a World Series-caliber lineup, the Nationals overhauled their medical staff. The team officially announced the moves Tuesday, presenting the changes as a restructuring of their entire approach to injuries, with emphasis on “a proactive model, with significant analytic input,” according to a statement released by the team.

The new structure will be headed by Dr. Harvey Sharman, nominally the Executive Director of Medical Services, formerly Director of Sports Medicine for Leeds Football Club. Sharman, who oversaw an injury reduction of more than 50 percent during his time with Leeds, according to the release, will work with a newly formed medical advisory board to oversee the health and conditioning of players in the organization.

I like this. The Nationals found someone that actually reduced injuries and gave him a chance to do the same for their team. We’ll see how it pays off, but it’s good the Nationals recognize that they need to do a better job of keeping their players healthy.