As Nationals spring training kicks off, F.P. Santangelo opens up about the team

Days before hopping on a plane down to the Washington Nationals spring training facility in Palm Beach, Florida, F.P. Santangelo, color commentator for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, sat down with me at a crowded coffee shop in Alexandria to chat about winning a World Series title, the upcoming 2020 season, and what kind of makeup he wears on TV.

The former MLB switch hitter turned broadcasting pro sported a scruffy face and black Nationals beanie as he leaned across the table to lament about the long line at the register, which curved down on a narrow aisle to the shop’s front door. “I’d get a coffee, but I don’t want to stand in that line,” he laughed, as onlookers in Nationals sweatshirts and baseball caps watched curiously.