Mar 8, 2013; Melbourne, FL, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop Zach Walters (60) celebrates with teammate Jhonatan Solano (23) after hitting a two run homerun scoring Chris Marrero (not pictured) during the bottom of the ninth inning of a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Pitchers Erik Davis, Ryan Perry and Yunesky Maya, infielder Chris Marrero, catcher Jhonatan Solano and outfielder Corey Brown were all sent to Syracuse. Pitcher Ross Ohlendorf and infielder Zach Walters, both not on the 40-man roster, were sent to minor league camp.

Later in the day it was reported that Chris Snyder was granted his release and he went on to sign a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

It was a good camp for Maya, Marrero and Walters in particular who showed that they can provide depth for the organization. For Marrero, he showed he is on his way back to being the player he was when he was the top prospect in the organization.

There are now 34 players in camp, and not many questions remain. Of the players not expected to be on the Opening Day roster only Christian Garcia, Cole Kimball and Carlos Rivero remain from the 40-man roster. Non-roster invitees that remain include Chris Young, Fernando Abad, Jeremy Accardo, Carlos Maldonado and Micah Owings. (Note that, at least by my calculations, the 33 men in camp also includes Roger

For the non-roster invitees, it is a chance to secure a job for Opening Day even if it isn’t with the Major League club.

The Nationals are going with a lineup full of regulars today against the Detroit Tigers, and with regulars expecting to play nine innings soon, the need for multiple backups is no longer present.

Mar 2, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Washington Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki (24) tags out St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday (7) at Roger Dean Stadium. The Nationals defeated the Cardinals 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday’s game was good for the Washington Nationals offense. They got good pitching from Gio Gonzalez for three innings after an iffy first inning and Ryan Perry had an outstanding performance over three innings after he struggled in his first appearance of the spring. Even Drew Storenpitched a scoreless inning against the team that plagued him in last year’s finale.

From an offensive standpoint, Chris Marrero and Anthony Rendon continued to hit the ball well. The wind was helping the offense but these are two players who are making the bench conversation very interesting, and even if they don’t make the opening day roster, they have a huge opportunity to be the first players called up – especially Rendon who has yet to make his Major League debut and may start in AAA like they did with Bryce Harper a year ago. Especially since there is no real place for Rendon to start at the Major League level. Marrero, who is listed as a first baseman but has played the outfield as well may be able to challenge for the Tyler Moore spot on the bench.

Today’s game sees the Nationals playing what could easily be a regular season lineup in an interleague game in a rematch against the St. Louis Cardinals. Ryan Zimmerman is making his debut of the spring as the designated hitter as he tries to redeem himself after suffering through an injury last season but not missing much playing time. An interesting aspect is that Harper is batting third and Jayson Werth is in the second spot as Davey Johnson continues to play with his batting order. Steve Lombardozzi is playing at third today, and Ross Detwiler is making his second start of the spring looking to build on his first start as he prepares for the World Baseball Classic later this week. Game time is 1:05 and again, no television for today’s game.

St. Louis Cardinals (4-3)
Shane Robinson CF
Adron Chambers LF
Matt Carpenter 2B
Ty Wigginton DH
Matt Adams 1B
Tony Cruz C
Pete Kozma 3B
Justin Christian RF
Ronny Cedeno SS
P: Jaime Garcia

Washington Nationals (3-3)
Denard Span CF
Jayson Werth RF
Bryce Harper LF
Ryan Zimmerman DH
Adam LaRoche 1B
Ian Desmond SS
Danny Espinosa 2B
Kurt Suzuki C
Steve Lombardozzi 3B
P: Ross Detwiler

February 28, 2012; Melbourne, FL, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Chris Marrero (14) during portrait day at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

How Marrero came to place on this list is a bit of an interesting situation. He was only ranked on one list, that being Michael’s, but he placed fifth there. That story is a great microcosm of how widely opinions vary on Marrero, and both sides have great points. His supporters will point to his pedigree: a high school teammate of Gio Gonzalez, he was the 15th overall pick in the 2006 MLB Draft. He hit a combined .275 between A and High A as an 18-year-old in 2007 with an .822 OPS, and jumped to #27 on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects, 17 spots ahead of Reds 1B Joey Votto. Here, however, is where his detractors will take over.

He had a bit of a precipitous decline after his categorization as one of the game’s top prospects. He hit .250 with a paltry .778 OPS in 70 games at High A in 2008 before a leg injury ended his season and he dropped all the way off BA’s Top 100, but held on as the #3 prospect in a very weak Nationals farm system. In the 2009 season, he had a .810 OPS between High A and AA, continuing to be just slightly worse than what everyone hoped. He was #6 in the system in 2010, but that drop may say less about him and more about the prospects who jumped him: Stephen Strasburg, Derek Norris, Drew Storen, Ian Desmond, and Danny Espinosa. The two prospects ahead of him on the 2009 list had already graduated to the MLB level: Jordan Zimmermann and Ross Detwiler. He was quickly becoming a middling player in a rapidly improving farm system. He hit .294 at AA in 2010, still only 21, but his power and on-base stats were lacking, as he hit only 18 home runs in 141 games, had an OPS of .800, and had a K/BB ratio of 2.37. He was just clinging on to the bottom of the Nationals’ Top Ten in 2011, at #9 and below guys like Cole Kimball and Eury Perez. His 2011 season was slightly more encouraging, but showed no changes in the major flaws of Marrero’s game. He hit .300 with a career-high .825 OPS in AAA as a 22-year-old, but a .825 OPS in the minors won’t cut it for a first baseman. Baseball America seems to have agreed with me, and dropped him from their 2012 Nationals Top Ten. Still, those offensive numbers could harbor hope for a somewhat-successful MLB career, especially given his age, but the 2012 season put a large dint in those hopes. Marrero tore his hamstring playing in the Dominican Winter League before the 2012 season and missed a large chunk of the year, playing in only 37 games at AAA, hitting .244 with a .640 OPS.

Verdict: As Michael said in his ranking, ” He hit .280 in his limited big-league at-bats that August, and there’s no reason why he can’t do it again. The key will be putting together a solid season in his first year back from injury. ” He may hit .280, but he won’t walk enough or hit for enough power to play first base every day. Coming back from his hamstring tear at 100% will be critical, but unless Marrero can recapture his 2011 form and use his high average to carve out a journeyman career, he seems doomed to years as a quadruple-A player, without the requisite power and plate discipline to play regularly in the majors.