Changing roster leads to hope for the future
Age does not matter. The level of competition is irrelevant. When spring has finally arrived and Opening Day is here again, all baseball players react in the same manner.
“Since you were in Little League all the way to the big leagues it’s all the same,” said Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond, who will experience his second Opening Day as a major leaguer when his team hosts the Atlanta Braves on Thursday afternoon. “You’re excited to get out there and play, and you’re going to get the butterflies. But once the first inning — or even the first pitch — comes, you settle in and another year is underway.”
| No. 1 money for a No. 2 |
| The Nats paid $126 million to lure outfielder Jayson Werth from the Phillies during the offseason. But just because the organization shelled out big money doesn’t mean it feels compelled to use him in a conventional way. Werth will bat second in the order on Thursday. That might draw some funny looks from people around the game. Why pay that kind of cash for a No. 2 hitter? But manager Jim Riggleman thought about the move almost as soon as Werth signed in December. When general manager Mike Rizzo’s staff crunched the numbers, they also concluded Werth’s skills fit that spot. “The reason [Werth] is hitting second is because of his approach,” Riggleman said. “He sees literally more pitches than anybody in the National League. He likes to get the pitcher to show all of his weapons. That’s something you want your second hitter to do.” |
It is a year of transition for Washington. Mike Rizzo, the team’s general manager, has tried to remake his ballclub. Speed, athleticism and improved defense were the goals. The organization hopes that has happened with the signings of free agents Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche. There is more depth in the minor league system for when the inevitable injuries hit, and the bench is far deeper than last year’s unit. But whether any of that leads to a winning season is still up for debate. The Nats get an early taste when they face the Braves and veteran right-hander Derek Lowe on Thursday at Nationals Park.
| Nats notes |
| » Livan Hernandez started the first home opener for the Nationals in 2005 at RFK Stadium. The veteran Cuban gets the honor again in 2011 when Washington hosts the Atlanta Braves at 1:05 p.m. on Thursday. |
| » The weather forecast for Opening Day isn’t ideal. Temperatures are expected to be in the upper-40s with light showers during the day. Heavier rain will move into the area by late afternoon and into the evening. |
| » After the Atlanta series concludes, the Nats have a day off followed by six games in Florida and New York and another day off. They don’t return home to play four-time defending NL East champion Philadelphia until April 12. |
“I think the last couple of years we’ve been climbing a little bit,” third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. “We’re still waiting for that season where we get over the hump and take that next step. This offseason I think was the first step as far as acquiring personnel and other players. It’s exciting for us to see that happen.”
But this is far from a finished product. The organization is still waiting for pitcher Stephen Strasburg to rehab from his Tommy John surgery last September. At best their erstwhile ace would pitch the final month of this season. And Bryce Harper, last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, will begin his journey to the majors in low-A Hagerstown next month.
But those two are part of the team’s future. For now Washington is a mix of other promising youngsters — the middle infield combination of Danny Espinosa (second base) and Desmond, catcher Wilson Ramos — and veterans such as catcher Ivan Rodriguez and outfielders Rick Ankiel and Jerry Hairston. Slugger Michael Morse is also showing signs of becoming the late bloomer Werth was in Philadelphia. On paper, the Nats look like a team that will improve on its 69-win season a year ago — itself a 10-game improvement from two awful 59-win seasons in 2008 and 2009. Starting Thursday what looks reasonable on paper — or what happened during spring training — doesn’t matter at all.
“We’ve got a good team here. We’ve got a good group of guys,” said Werth, who signed a seven-year, $126 million contract in December. “I think Mike Rizzo did a great job of bringing in the type of personnel that this team needed.”
