Nationals: There was a time the NRI was the best part of spring

After days of anticipation the Washington Nationals finally released their list of non-roster invitees to spring training. I still am giddy each year when this list becomes public. However, the Nationals have spoiled me in this regard.

Let me explain.

Having grown up a Montreal Expos fan, there were only two times a year I really became excited. Spring training was one of them, obviously, the beginning of baseball season, where every team has a win-loss record of 0-0 and an equal chance at making the playoffs. And, the trading deadline. Figuring out which players I loved were going to be sold off, and hoping the prospects returned would some day lead the Expos to the postseason.

As a fan, when you get used to turnover on the roster, you come to expect it, year in and year out. Another reason spring training was very exciting was seeing the list of players who could make the team as non-roster invitees. Usually they were past their prime players, who were stars for other teams and on the back nine of their respective careers. If these players were any good, they would be on the 40-man roster. I was a kid, I didn’t know this at the time.

For example, I remember how excited I was when the Expos signed Mickey Morandini and invited him to spring training as a non-roster invitee. Now, one glance at his baseball-reference page and one would see there is nothing special about Morandini. He was a former Philadelphia Phillie, though. He’d played in the World Series. The Phillies always beat the Expos, and now my team had stolen one of their guys away. Morandini represented hope, and a new season, and a chance to win. No, not Morandini the player. The idea he stood for.

Jose Vidro beat him out for a job and the Expos sold Morandini back to Philadelphia.

There was a time when the Non-Roster Invitee list was the best part of the spring, before the Nationals spoiled me.

Recently, there have been no iconic names on the NRI list for the Nationals. Not often are there surprises either when the team is finalizing the final 25. This is a caveat for a franchise which wins regularly, spends money in free agency, and trades for talent rather than the other way around.

As Nationals fans we are spoiled with such great aspects of the game. The non-roster list is combed through to see which top prospects have been invited to camp, or which journeyman will be a midseason call-up in case of injury. Watching the competitions during spring training will still be exciting, and a player or two may sneak onto the roster and head north with the team. With the Nationals, said player won’t have an impact on the final outcome, however.

Would I rather have a couple has beens and some other franchises castoff on the NRI list, or some prospects and no names? I’d rather have the division titles and World Series, and that comes with the latter.