Washington Nationals: Takeaways From First Ten Games Of Spring Training

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Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

With ten Washington Nationals spring training games in the books, here are some of our takeaways

Today, the Washington Nationals have the day off from games after completing their first ten games of the exhibition season (5-4-1). While the Nats won’t have a 19-4 record like they did last season, they are still off to a good start in 2017.

Yes, exhibition records do not mean much. However, consider this fact. Since 2005, the Nats have only been over .500 three times in exhibition play. In two of those seasons (2014 and 2016), they ended up making the postseason.

Of course, the big story for this spring training is the opening of the new facility the Washington Nationals play in, the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches down in West Palm Beach, Florida. In the first three games at the new facility, the Nats have hit five home runs as the ball has been carrying in left field.

With the World Baseball Classic this year, spring training is a lot longer than usual. But, while teams are losing players to the WBC (including the Nats), the Washington Nationals will eventually see catcher Matt Wieters and reliever Joe Blanton play in a curly W uniform for the first time.

Before the Washington Nationals play their next spring training game on Tuesday afternoon against the Boston Red Sox in West Palm Beach (1:05 p.m ET, MASN), here are a few of my takeaways from the first ten games. Feel free to share your thoughts on the Nats spring training so far in the comments section:

Other Catchers Stepping Up

While Wieters has yet to make his spring training debut, the other Washington Nationals catchers are off to good starts. They have shown that there is good depth across the organization at the position despite Spencer Kieboom being designated for assignment this week.

On the Major League level, Derek Norris is trying to make a case to be another team’s catcher in all likelihood. Despite being out a few days due to a sore back, Norris is 3-for-7 in four games, including a solo home run in Tuesday’s West Palm opener against the Astros.

Now, the big question for Norris is whether or not the Nats will trade him or release him? On Thursday, Jon Heyman wrote on Fanrag Sports that the team could release him if they can’t find a trade partner. If the team doesn’t want to pay the full $4.2 million, they would have to release him by next Wednesday (March 15).

During this spring training, one of my favorite stories has been the success of Jhonatan Solano. Solano will likely be at triple-A Syracuse to begin the year, but he’s hitting the ball well. In the five games that he’s had at least one at-bat, he is 10-for-12 with four RBI’s. Regardless of who puts up that kind of stat, that is tough to accomplish.

As for the other two catchers, Pedro Severino has only appeared in three games and has a RBI while Jose Lobaton is 2-for-11 in five games with a RBI. The two of them will get into more games eventually since Solano is going to the World Baseball Classic for Team Colombia.

Of course, as spring training goes on, Wieters is going to get his chance to play. But, when you throw in prospects such as Raudy Read, there is a lot of quality depth at catcher that the Washington Nationals have right now.

Starting Rotation Shutting Out Opponents

Right now, Max Scherzer has yet to appear in a spring training game because of his knuckle injury. However, he has been making bullpen sessions and using a three-finger grip for his fastball instead of his traditional four-finger grip.

While Scherzer has yet to take the mound, the other four projected starters are off to good starts. Stephen Strasburg, Joe Ross, Tanner Roark, and Gio Gonzalez have yet to give up a run in 15 combined innings.

Roark has thrown the most innings on staff because he will be pitching for Team USA on Saturday night against the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic (6:30 p.m ET, MLB Network). Last Monday, Roark faced the Cardinals and had four strikeouts over three innings. Then, yesterday, he shut out the Twins over four innings, giving up two hits, and struck out three.

Outside of Scherzer, the big story in the rotation is Strasburg’s new mechanics. He made his spring debut on Friday and was pitching from the stretch instead of out of the windup. He did strike out three over two innings. It will be interesting to watch this season whether or not pitching exclusively from the stretch will keep the right-hander healthy.

Right now, Gonzalez appears to be pitching with a lot of confidence. The left-hander has made two starts and has given up one hit in four innings. While spring numbers shouldn’t be taken too seriously, it would be good for him to go into the regular season on a high note.

Finally, Ross got to pitch last Wednesday against the Tigers. While he had a tough first inning, he did get out of his outing unscathed.

However, one starter who has struggled is A.J. Cole. Cole, who could be up at the big league level if Scherzer or any of the starters miss time, has given up eight runs (seven earned) in two starts. Right now, you could make the case non-roster invitee Vance Worley has the early lead in the long relief job over him.

If the Washington Nationals are going to accomplish their ultimate goal of a title, their starting rotation will have to be the star. So far, in camp, everyone is off to a good start.

Harper With A Keen Eye

The Washington Nationals have had a good spring training so far when it comes to their offense scoring runs. In their first ten games, the Nats have the third most hits in the National League (102) and are tied for ninth in runs scored (52).

Although Bryce Harper doesn’t lead the team in RBI’s or home runs, he has showed some good patience at the plate this spring. His home runs against the Mets and Astros were absolutely crushed.

But, just like during 2015 spring training, Harper is being more selective of what pitches he wants to hit. His three walks are tied for second on the team. Keep in mind that two years ago he walked 15 times (most on the team and in the entire National League).

If the injuries are truly behind Harper, the patience at the plate will only lead to him getting much better swings. He won’t have as much of a time reaching for the fastball away. Plus, he has done a much better job of hitting the ball to left field, including his RBI double last Tuesday.

Yes, six games can be a very small sample size and that doesn’t mean the trend will continue during the rest of spring training. But, it is good to see the right fielder go back to the style of hitting that he had in 2015 and early on in the 2016 season. The Washington Nationals will need more of that if they want to get past the first round of the playoffs in 2017.

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Non-Roster Invitees Making Good First Impressions

Every spring training, fans gather to watch both the major league player and the non-roster players. So far, top prospect Victor Robles has gotten the chance to play in a couple of games, which is only good for his development.

Right now, one of my favorites players to watch this spring has been outfielder Andrew Stevenson. Stevenson won’t get a spot on the Opening Day roster, but he is 6-for-17 with a home run and four RBI’s. Plus, he has played good defense both in center field and at the corner outfield spots.

Another outfielder to watch is Brandon Snyder. Snyder is 5-for-12 with four RBI’s. As I wrote early last week, he has the ability to play the outfield as well as the infield. As Dusty Baker said early this spring, Stevenson and Snyder have been two players that stood out to him.

On the mound, Erick Fedde has the chance to appear in two games. Against the Twins on February 26, he threw two perfect innings against most of the Twins regulars. He did give up a run in Jupiter on Friday against the Marlins, but that run was unearned.

Eventually, all of these players are probably going to be sent down to minor league camp to prepare for the season at their respective affiliates. But, for now, it’s good to see some of these non-roster invitees take advantage of their opportunities to make an impression on the big league coaching staff.

Taylor With Early Lead In Outfield Competition

With the depth that the Washington Nationals have on their roster, there isn’t much competition for a roster spot amongst position players. If you had to pick a position battle, it would be for the final outfield spot between Michael Taylor and Brian Goodwin.

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The competition isn’t over, but Taylor is off to a commanding lead. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when you consider the 25-year-old has hit the ball well in spring training each of the last two seasons.

It was an eventful last week for Taylor. On Tuesday, he crushed a walk-off home run to left field to secure the first win in the new ballpark. Then, against the Tigers one day later, he had a home run and drove in three runs. So far, he is 7-for-18 with two home runs and five RBI’s

As for Goodwin, he is just 1-for-13 with five strikeouts in seven games. If there is one positive to take away from his numbers, he does lead the team in walks with four. Only three players in the National League have more walks than him at this point.

Both of these players have one option left, so either one can go down to triple-A to begin the year. With that being said. Taylor has the potential to be a power hitter and has more Major League experience. Therefore, he already had the leg up going in.

Next: When Will We See Scherzer?

There’s never been any question that Taylor had talent. The question instead is whether that talent can shine when the lights shine the brightest in addition to the great Grapefruit League numbers he puts up.

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