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Washington Nationals

Featured Media Clips – 2015

Table of Contents

• Article #1 – again eager to prove he can stay healthy – James Wagner (Washington Post) – 2/19/15 • Article #2 – Janssen using spring to adjust to life in – Jamal Collier (Nationals.com) – 2/19/15 • Article #3 – starts to settle in – James Wagner (Washington Post) – 2/20/15 • Article #4 – Ahead of new season, keeps same approach – Chelsea Janes (Washington Post) – 2/20/15 • Article #5 – Drew Storen is ready to close again – James Wagner (Washington Post) – 2/20/15 • Article #6 – Coming off career year, Span seeks more – Bill Ladson (Nationals.com) – 2/22/15 • Article #7 – Matt Thornton finding new ways to keep in shape as career winds on – Tom Schad (Washington Times) – 2/24/15 • Article #8 – Harper’s confidence a good sign for Nats – Mark Zuckerman (CSNWashington.com) – 2/26/15 • Article #9 – Mike Carp sets sights on bench role – Tom Schad (Washington Times) – 2/26/15 • Article #10 – Heavy expectations, light hearts – James Wagner (Washington Post) – 2/28/15 • Article #11 – Nationals reliever Casey Janssen relies on guile, not velocity – James Wagner (Washington Post) – 3/6/15 • Article #12 – Have glove, will play (Kevin Frandsen) – Chelsea Janes (Washington Post) – 3/7/15 • Article #13 – Fearless takes the mound for Nationals – Chelsea Janes (Washington Post) – 3/8/15 • Article #14 – Max Scherzer has changed cities but is an unchanged man – James Wagner (Washington Post) – 3/10/15 • Article #15 – Werth's arrival pivotal to changing Nationals' direction – Bill Ladson (Nationals.com) – 3/14/15 • Article #16 – Injuries, talent give Michael Taylor an opportunity to make impact with Nationals – Todd Dybas (Washington Times) – 3/16/15 • Article #17 – Strasburg: ‘I love the city of D.C.’ – James Wagner (Washington Post) – 4/2/14 • Article #18 – Clint Robinson’s strong spring could land him on Nationals roster – James Wagner (Washington Post) – 4/2/14 • Article #18 – Yunel Escobar on playing third base: ‘I’m doing this for the team’ – James Wagner (Washington Post) – 4/3/14 • Article #19 – Uggla seeing offseason work pay dividends – Bill Ladson (Nationals.com) – 4/7/15 • Article #20 – How the Nationals found Clint Robinson – James Wagner (Washington Post) – 4/8/15 • Article #21 – In high-leverage situations, continues to impress – Tom Schad (Washington Times) – 4/8/15

Article #1

Wilson Ramos again eager to prove he can stay healthy

By James Wagner – Washington Post (2/19/15)

It feels like a rite of spring: Wilson Ramos, built like a tank and fresh off an offseason of training, reporting to camp healthy and declaring his desire to stay that way. But after recovering from a knee injury in 2012, the unlucky catcher suffered multiple hamstring strains in 2013 that made him miss significant time and then he broke his hamate bone and re-strained his hamstring last season. Ramos certainly can’t be faulted for a lack of resilience.

As and catchers officially reported to Viera on Thursday, Ramos, 27, again proclaimed his grand goals. He wants to catch 120-130 games, a bar he has yet to reach in the majors (113 is his career high, in 2011). “I think this is the year to do that,” he said. He believes he has found the right workout regimen to keep his legs intact.

“I’m working with my legs a lot,” he said. “The last three years I had problems with my leg. But this year, the offseason I worked a lot with my legs. I was really working on my agility. This year, I feel 100 percent. I feel like I’m running without problems. When I feel 100 percent when I’m running in the field, that’s when I don’t have any problems behind the plate. I ran 100 percent down in my country and it feels great.”

While rehabbing his hamstring last season, Ramos learned from team doctors that perhaps he was lifting too much with his legs and his muscles were too tight, which led to injuries when he ran. So he stopped trying to get his lower body so strong and instead more flexible. He did more stretching and agility training late in the season and even more in the offseason. He ran a lot, with cones, in zig-zags, sideways, backward.

Ramos said he still weighs the same — his upper body, however, looks stronger – but admitted his body and legs feel “a lot different right now.” Different for Ramos means better.

He still plans on approaching baserunning the same way: running 100 percent when needed but, if not, running casually down the baseline. “I have to play smart,” he said. As he always does, he played winter ball in his native Venezuela, mostly as a , and his legs responded well to running at full speed.

A highlight of playing in Venezuela for Ramos was being on the same team as his younger brothers David, 23, a pitcher, and Natanael, 21, a catcher. With their entire family watching, they all played in a game for the Tigres de Aragua. David pitched, Natanael started behind the plate and Wilson played first, a position he hasn’t played since a handful of games in 2006 in the low minors.

“That was a little bit scary, because I never played first base before, not since the [Gulf Coast League],” Ramos said. “That was a long time ago. It was good. I got two groundballs. That was fun. Easy position,” he added with a laugh.

From Venezuela, Ramos also followed news of the Nationals’ busy offseason, including the addition of Max Scherzer. Ramos said he was surprised at first at Scherzer’s signing but is thrilled to have the 2013 winner as a teammate. He hasn’t caught Scherzer yet so is the time to learn about each other’s’ tendencies.

“With this guy, it feels really good to have the best rotation in ,” Ramos said.

Article #2

Janssen using spring to adjust to life in National League

By Jamal Collier – Nationals.com (2/19/15)

VIERA, Fla. -- New Nationals reliever Casey Janssen reported to a new Spring Training home for the first time in his career, after spending his first eight seasons with the Blue Jays.

"I'm still learning names, stumbling over names, trying to figure out which field is which field," he said Thursday, the first day Washington's pitchers and catchers reported.

Janssen signed with Washington near the end of January to serve as one of the club's late-innings relievers, likely as a for Drew Storen. Janssen was enticed by the chance to join one of the favorites to win the in 2015.

"We've been offseason paper champs before in ," Janssen said. "I want to win and experience the postseason."

The Nationals will be a popular pick to win it all because of their stacked rotation and deep lineup, but their bullpen has some roles that are up for grabs. , last year's closer, decided to test free agency and , their setup man who became a fan favorite, was traded to the A's last month.

Janssen has been pegged as a likely replacement for Clippard, who posted a 2.18 ERA and 0.995 WHIP in 70 1/3 innings for the Nationals in 2014.

"Big shoes to fill if that were the case," Janssen said.

As Toronto's closer last season, Janssen finished with 25 saves and a 3.94 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 45 2/3 innings, but spent time on the disabled list with an oblique strain and lost nine pounds in one night after experiencing food poisoning.

"It's a clean slate over here," Janssen said. "It's a new league for me, so I've got to learn the hitters, but they're going to have to learn me a little bit as well."

Article #3

Max Scherzer starts to settle in

By James Wagner – Washington Post (2/20/15)

VIERA, Fla. — By Friday morning, most of the ’ rotation had been here for at least a few days. Doug Fister drove cross-country from in an RV earlier this week. Gio Gonzalez was bouncing off the clubhouse walls Tuesday. To escape the Wisconsin cold, came down weeks ago. Stephen Strasburg played catch on the main field Thursday. But the face everyone was eager to see arrived Thursday and made his first formal appearance the following morning.

At 9:34 a.m., the Nationals’ splashiest offseason addition sauntered into the home clubhouse at Space Coast Stadium. Max Scherzer, the $210 million hired gun the Nationals hope will help them win a World Series, had returned from his mandatory physical with team doctors. His oversize golf club bag and four suits were already waiting for him at his locker, which sits between Zimmermann’s and an empty one. The former Detroit Tiger changed out of jeans, a T-shirt and a white jacket and into a red Nationals shirt and shorts, his workout uniform for many years to come.

“It’s different,” Scherzer said with a smile a few hours later, in front of a horde of reporters and television cameras. “But it’s exciting at the same time. There’s a couple faces I know around here, but at the same time you get to meet whole new teammates. It’s just a fun day.”

Scherzer’s tenure as a Nationals player won’t feel real until he goes through his series of firsts on the field: first bullpen (Saturday morning at 10:45 a.m. in the area known as the “10 Pack”), first spring training start, first regular season game. But until then, Scherzer’s acclimation began in earnest Friday morning. Strasburg, who sits two lockers down, offered a hello and a handshake when Scherzer arrived.

“Excited to learn as much as I can from him,” Strasburg said later of Scherzer, the 2013 American League Cy Young Award winner.

On his first day in camp, Scherzer, 30, was pulled in many directions. He met many of his teammates for the first time. He chatted with Matt Williams, his former at Class AA Mobile in 2007 in the ’ minor league system. Reporters and TV cameras wanted some of his time. With Scherzer in the fold, the already lofty expectations for the Nationals only increased. The starting rotation has been dubbed a historic one.

“We’re as talented as anybody in the league right now, and on paper we look great,” Scherzer said. “But that doesn’t mean anything when you go out there during the season. Everybody’s going to be gunning for us and everybody’s going to want to take their best shot at us, so it’s a matter of what we do in response to that, how much harder we’re going to be at our best.”

In terms of major league service time and accomplishments, Scherzer instantly becomes the rotation leader. Even though much has changed around him — his bank account, team, perhaps even pressure — Scherzer insists he will be the same person.

“Trying to prove people wrong just doesn’t do it for me,” he said. “Going out there and competing against the other team and going out there and having to compete over 33 starts and trying to win every single time, that’s my motivation. That’s what makes me tick. That’s what makes me work hard is finding that way to compete against everybody.”

Scherzer is competitive off the field, too, and touted the fantasy sports pools he will bring to the clubhouse “that maybe they haven’t participated in before.” Asked what they were, Scherzer laughed: “I got a few tricks up my sleeve. We’ll leave it at that.”

On his first day in the clubhouse, Scherzer was instantly part of the group. After he played catch in the morning and did the mandatory pitchers’ conditioning, Scherzer stood near Matt Thornton’s locker, chatting and laughing with him, Drew Storen and others. Thornton and Scherzer spent the past three offseasons training at the Fischer Institute, a workout facility in Phoenix.

Thornton had a feeling Scherzer might sign with Washington when, after occasional broad questions about the Nationals, Scherzer’s tone change one morning in early January. As they stretched before workouts, Scherzer asked Thornton specific questions about the Nationals’ clubhouse, whether they had any fantasy sports leagues and played cards. Thornton didn’t bug Scherzer much about his highly watched free agency, but the questions were the biggest clue.

“I looked at him and said, ‘Okay, I gotcha now,’ ” Thornton said. “So I knew it was coming close.”

Thornton is a familiar face for Scherzer, but the biggest help in his transition has been clubhouse and equipment manager Mike Wallace. Scherzer has asked him everything from where to park to where the bathroom is.

“As soon as I got Wally’s number, I started texting him about everything,” Scherzer said. “He’s your best friend right now.”

In order to prepare for Scherzer’s arrival, Nationals pitching Steve McCatty called the starter’s former pitching coach, Jeff Jones of the Tigers, who also happens to be a former teammate of McCatty’s. The two are close friends and fellow Michiganders.

Jones filled McCatty in on Scherzer’s pitching style and his throwing schedule. A few days after Scherzer’s introductory news conference, McCatty got Scherzer’s cellphone number from a Nationals official and left him a message. Scherzer called back a few days later.

McCatty welcomed Scherzer to the Nationals, then he quipped: “I talked to Jonesie and know some of the things you do. I’ll make it comfortable and easy as possible for you because there are 210 million reasons I don’t want to make you mad.”

Article #4

Ahead of new season, Stephen Strasburg keeps same approach

By Chelsea Janes – Washington Post (2/20/15)

VIERA, Fla. — Stephen Strasburg said he took the same approach to this offseason as he has to previous ones. If you were in his Nike spikes, you probably wouldn’t change much either. Even the game’s most incessant tinkerers would likely repeat whatever winter processes yielded a 3.14 ERA over a career-high 215 , 14 wins and a league-high 242 .

“I just stuck to the program,” Strasburg said. “Tried to get better.”

As Strasburg worked out, threw, and spent time with his wife and daughter at his San Diego home, the Nationals’ rotation changed around him. Max Scherzer joined the starting five, bolstering its depth and expectations while blurring the line separating the team’s number one starter from the rest — but that line hardly matters aside from semantics, at least until October.

“Everybody wants to be that number one guy, everybody wants to be a leader,” Strasburg said. “I think that’s just the kind of guys we have in the clubhouse here. I’m not going to change how I go about my business, and I know everybody else is going to do the same, so I just have to do all I can to go out there and win as many games as I can.”

So far, the most games Strasburg has won in a season is 15, which he did in 2012. He was 14-11 last season, and given his excellent ERA, 5.6 -to-walk ratio, and high strikeout totals, 11 losses may seem like an unexpectedly hefty accumulation. But 13 starters struck out more than 200 batters last season, Scherzer (252) among them. Of those, six lost 10 games or more, many of them matched up most often with an opponent’s ace.

“I was happy to get the innings under my belt last year,” Strasburg said. “Hoping to just build off of that. From day one, I always wanted to come in here and be the same guy, good or bad, and be consistent out there on the field. So that’s just going to be the goal again this year.”

At 26, Strasburg is under team control for two more seasons. When he was drafted with the first overall pick of the 2009 draft, he was the presumptive ace of the future. Since his first full season in 2012, he’s been the consensus ace of the present. Strasburg said nothing has inspired him to change the things that propelled him to this point.

“I was never a good player growing up.” said Strasburg, explaining that whether the Nationals had one ace or not, whether he was that ace or not, does not matter to him. “I believed in myself. I wasn’t the number one prospect coming up at 12 years old like how they rank them these days. I always had to work really hard to get where I’m at, so I’m just going to keep doing that.”

Article #5

Drew Storen is ready to close again

By James Wagner – Washington Post (2/20/15)

VIERA, Fla. — Drew Storen walked into the clubhouse at Space Coast Stadium on Thursday morning, his Nationals duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He had just thrown his first bullpen session outside this year; winter months in Indianapolis are brutal. He plopped his bag into the empty locker to the right. A familiar face was missing to his left: Tyler Clippard, the team’s longtime setup man and one of Storen’s best friends.

“It’s really weird,” said Storen, who saw Clippard last weekend in Tampa before he left for his first spring training with the Athletics. “You just kinda assume his locker would be here.”

The absence of Clippard isn’t the only difference about this spring training for Storen. Last spring, he entered camp again as a setup man. But now that Rafael Soriano has departed the Nationals via free agency after two years as closer, Storen will return to his old role in the ninth inning. Storen took over as closer late last season and in the playoffs, but it is his job again from the start.

“It doesn’t feel any different, to be honest,” Storen said. “I think that’s a good thing. I’m not all geared up about this big job or anything. I’m going to do what I’m supposed to do and not try to do too much. That’s the way I look at it. Not trying to put too much pressure on myself because trying harder isn’t always trying better. I’m excited. Just do my thing and I’ll be good.”

Storen, though, has come full circle. He was the team’s closer in 2011 and saved 43 games. He got hurt in 2012 but returned as the closer late in the season. He stumbled in the playoffs and the Nationals signed Soriano. He struggled and went to the minors in 2013 but had his best season yet in 2014 by posting a 1.12 ERA. When Soriano struggled in the second half last year, Storen went 10 for 10 in chances. All those experiences over the years have molded Storen as a person and pitcher.

“When I started closing at the end of last year, I felt totally different closing games than even in ’11,” he said. “I was pitching more. I feel confident in what I’m doing. I feel more even keel. If you have a consistent approach and process, you’re going to have more consistent results. For me, that’s kinda the mindset I have. I don’t treat the ninth any different than the seventh.”

Storen used that approach as a setup man the past two years and found success. But, just like the Nationals, there are playoff demons. The Nationals have posted the best record in the National League twice in the past three years and been bounced in the first round. Storen, too, has had regular season success but twice stumbled in the postseason, including NLDS Game 2 last season. As much as the Storen and the Nationals want to move past their past playoff reputation, he believes he and the team can’t force the issue.

“You’re not going to be successful trying to prove people wrong,” Storen said. “That stuff takes care of itself if you do what you’re supposed to do. The same idea of dealing with expectations: just stay in your lane. If you worry about that stuff, you’re going to get off the path.”

Storen was thrilled to see the Nationals’ offseason additions, especially the signing of starter Max Scherzer. “You can never have too much pitching,” Storen said. With the losses of Soriano, Clippard and , the bullpen will take a slightly different form in 2015. Storen will cherish the time he and Clippard had together. Those two and Craig Stammen were bullpen teammates for the past five years in the majors, a rarity with such volatile positions.

“That doesn’t happen very happen,” Storen said. “We always took pride in that knowing it would come to an end at some point. It was cool. Especially as a reliever and so much turnover. We were thankful for that. I’m excited for [Clippard], though. He’s got a good opportunity.”

Article #6

Coming off career year, catalyst Span seeks more

By Bill Ladson – Nationals.com (2/22/15)

VIERA, Fla. -- Nationals Denard Span arrived in camp Sunday and announced that he has fully recovered from December hernia surgery. However, Span indicated that he would take it slow early in the exhibition season.

Span suffered the injury toward the end of last season, but it wasn't enough to miss any games, including the National League Division Series against the Giants. After the postseason ended, Span thought rest would help ease the pain. It didn't go away, however, after he started training for the 2015 season.

"I'm not in a rehab mode. So I've been working out. I've been hitting, throwing, fielding. I've been doing everything," Span said. "From what has been communicated to me, we are going to take it slow, just be smart and realize that it's a long camp."

Span is coming off one of his best seasons, leading the Nationals in batting average (.302) and setting career highs in hits (184) and stolen bases (31). He said he has more to accomplish. Span wants to become an All-Star for the first time and steal more bases.

"I have to do better. I'm shooting for 32 stolen bases," Span said. "I don't like putting caps on my own ability. We'll see. I said 32. To me, I want to do better than last year. I want to improve on every facet of my game."

Manager Matt Williams said that Span is valuable in every aspect of the game. Williams went so far as to call Span a leader with a strong work ethic.

"He is the one that makes our team go. He is a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder, who throws well, who understands how to the bases," Williams said. "He makes it comfortable for our pitching staff to go ahead and challenge a guy and know it will be caught when it's out there."

Like three of his teammates -- Ian Desmond, Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister -- Span could become a free agent after the 2015 season. Span said he thought about his contract situation during offseason, but believes once the season starts, he will not have time to think about free agency. His focus will be on winning the World Series.

"I worked my whole career to get to this point to become a free agent," Span said. "I'm excited about it, but at the same time, I'm concentrating on trying to do the best that I can to help this ballclub win. I feel if that happens, I do my job and we all do our jobs collectively, I'll get compensated. Everything will fall into place."

As of now, the Nationals have not approached Span about a contract extension. His future in D.C. could depend on outfielder Michael Taylor. If the prospect can be productive at the plate and cut down on his strikeouts, he could be a starting outfielder by 2016.

"The one thing we can control is that we have a Washington Nationals uniform on. I'm going to go out there and give it my all. That's all I can do," Span said.

Article #7

Matt Thornton finding new ways to keep in shape as career winds on

By Tom Schad – Washington Times (2/24/15)

VIERA, Fla. — An hour before the sun rises, Matt Thornton is already on the table.

On a Monday in January, at the Fischer Institute in southern Phoenix, Thornton lies on a training table to begin his meticulous morning regimen. For the next hour, Brett Fischer stretches or massages Thornton's arm, elbow, shoulder, hips, legs, back, or whatever else might be sore at the time. There's an order to the treatment, a tangible consistency.

"I try to stay ahead of the curve," Thornton said. "And I work out. I don't miss workouts in the offseason."

Thornton's winters require a little more work now than they used to. At 38, he is in line to be the oldest player on the Washington Nationals' roster and one of the oldest players ever to suit up for the franchise. Only five other players have taken the field for the Nationals after their 38th birthdays, and none of them had a critical role like Thornton, who is expected to work the seventh or eighth inning for a team considered the favorite to win the World Series.

The Nationals signed Thornton in August after he had been waived by the , and he went on to allow 10 hits in 11 1/3 scoreless innings over the final two months of the season. The 6-foot-6 left- hander only allowed one with Washington all year: In the seventh inning of Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the Giants.

In the clubhouse at Space Coast Stadium late last week, Thornton joked that he never knows which year will be his last, when that significant injury will occur or his body will finally give out on him. He sure doesn't think it's this year. His arduous offseason workout training program has helped make sure of that.

"I've continued to have that fire and passion to work out in the offseason," Thornton said. "I've seen guys that start coming toward the end and start lacking in the work ethic. And if that's ever the case for me, I'll hang it up. I enjoy the workouts. They suck at the time, but they pay dividends over the course of the season."

After taking a few weeks off at the end of the season, Thornton starts heading to the Fischer Institute to receive daily treatments. A few weeks later, he begins his regular workout regimen, spending about four hours at the facility per day, seven days per week.

"It is extremely rare that he misses a day," said Thornton's trainer, Chip Gosewisch. "I don't even know if he took a vacation this year."

A typical morning workout goes something like this: By 6:30 a.m., Thornton is on the training table. At 7:30, he plays catch for 12 to 15 minutes. Then a five-minute break. Then the formal workout begins.

Thornton sticks to a pitching-specific workout plan designed by Gosewisch, who played baseball at Arizona State and spent two years in the Angels' farm system. On Mondays, for example, Thornton works on his legs, going through a series of squat, press and lunge exercises designed to maximize his explosiveness. On other days, he targets his arms, back and various other muscle groups.

"It's building the important pieces for chucking the ball 60 feet, six inches. That's what the focus is," Thornton said. "It's not me being able to go out and run seven miles in 45 minutes or something like that. It's about me throwing the baseball."

The weightlifting portion of the workout takes about an hour. A hurdle routine, to strengthen the hips, follows. Then stretching, hand-eye coordination exercises, and, perhaps most importantly, core exercises.

Gosewisch describes pitching as a transfer of energy, beginning in the legs and traveling to the arm, which makes the core a critical transfer point.

"It's the leaky hose analogy," Gosewisch said. "In Arizona, you leave a hose out there in the summer, in that sun and heat, and the hose will dry up and crack and start getting little leaks, so the water pressure that comes out the end isn't as efficient. Now, if you've got a brand-new hose and you hook it up, and you turn that on, you're getting a lot more efficient flow out of that hose."

With that in mind, Thornton does four different core exercises every day during the offseason, strengthening the muscles from every possible angle. Then he goes through a series of agility drills and, finally, running.

The entire process, from preventative treatment to the final stride, goes from before dawn to just before lunchtime.

"I'm bringing a snack, bringing some drinks and stuff like that," Thornton said. "I enjoy it."

Thornton has been working out at the Fischer Institute for six years. This past winter, he regularly worked out with another Nationals pitcher: Max Scherzer, who signed a seven-year, $210 million contract in late January.

"He keeps up with the young bucks," Scherzer said with a smile. "He doesn't sit there and complain about being 40 years old. He's there, going out and still working as hard as everyone else. That shows you how much heart he has for wanting to compete out there."

Thornton is entering his 12th major-league season and 18th year of . He has played with five big-league teams and pitched against three current major-league managers: Detroit's Brad Ausmus, Tampa Bay's Kevin Cash and St. Louis' Mike Matheny. He even faced current bullpen coach Matt LeCroy once, striking him out in 2005.

Thornton's workouts have changed noticeably in the years since. When he turned 32 or 33, he realized he could no longer do what his 22-year-old self could do. Today, he works through the same workouts as other pitchers but with slight modifications, like less weight or a longer break between exercises.

Given his age, Thornton knows there are times when he has to take his foot off the gas pedal and let his body rest. He admits that's easier said than done. "I have a hard time not working out," he said.

Manager Matt Williams understands that feeling all too well, having gone through the same process late in his own playing career. But he said Thornton's success stems from a self-control and body awareness that only comes with time.

"For Matt, what I think he understands is himself," Williams said. "He knows what he can do and can't do on an everyday basis to go out there and compete and get guys out. It doesn't hurt that he throws the ball at 97 mph, from the left side. That does not hurt. But that being said, he understands himself first and foremost."

Only 25 players over the age of 38 participated in a major-league game in 2014, and this year, Thornton will in all likelihood join that group. His determination has helped him get to this point, but his offseason training regimen will help him get through the upcoming season.

"I'm not trying to build strength through the season; I'm just trying to maintain what my offseason was," Thornton said. "Everyone's got their own place, and everyone's got their own ideas and stuff. Everyone's different, so it's just about finding what works for you."

Article #8

Harper’s confidence a good sign for Nats

By Mark Zuckerman – CSNWashington.com (2/26/15)

VIERA, Fla. — The clubhouse at Space Coast Stadium this morning was alive for the first time this spring, with pitchers, catchers and position players all together at last, chatting and laughing in advance of the Nationals’ first full-team meeting and workout.

One of the TVs happened to show footage of ’s epic media session from Wednesday afternoon. The sound was off, but a couple of players noticed it. Their reaction: Big smiles.

If anyone out there is worried Harper’s words will lead to any problems inside the Nationals’ clubhouse, don’t be. And if anyone is worried Harper just set himself and his team up for disaster … well, obviously you never know what may happen over an entire baseball season, but let’s just say the vibe around here Wednesday evening and this morning was decidedly positive.

In fact, you could argue this was a great sign of things to come for Harper.

For those who may have missed it, here are the two most notable things the young outfielder said during his first interview with reporters since October…

— On his reaction to finding out the Nats added Max Scherzer to their star-studded rotation: “To be able to have a guy like Scherzer come in? I just started laughing. I was like, ‘Where’s my ring?’ You know what I mean? It’s stupid. It’s absolutely stupid how good our staff is.”

— On his relationship with GM Mike Rizzo and the Nationals after a salary dispute this winter: “I absolutely love this organization. I love the city that I play for. And I’m not done here. Like I said before, five years ago when I first signed here: I’m going to bring back a title to D.C., no matter what. I’m getting chills thinking about it. I mean, I absolutely want to do that for this city, this town, and I don’t care how long it takes me. I’m going to stick and do what I need to do to help this organization win.”

Those comments immediately went viral and were met with plenty of disdain and mocking from all corners of the Internet (especially Atlanta, which has had an unhealthy obsession with Harper for at least two years now). But that mostly came from those who simply read Harper’s words, without much context, and without seeing or hearing him.

Now, watch the video of those same remarks and pay attention not only to what Harper says but how he says it and how he looks when he says it…

Whatever you think about the guy, you have to admit he’s genuine. That wasn’t an act. That was him telling you exactly what he thinks, no filter getting in the way.

We’ve seen that side of Harper in bits and pieces the last two years, but we haven’t really seen him exuding that kind of complete confidence in himself and his team since his rookie season. Now, think about how Harper played that year, the energy he brought to the Nationals every single night, the chaos he caused on the bases, the chances he took in the field, the ferocity with which he swung his bat.

He was a 19-year-old kid on top of the world, healthy and believing he was invincible.

Now he’s 22, but the way he spoke Wednesday, you get the sense he again is 100 percent healthy (after battling a knee injury in 2013 and a thumb injury last season) and again believing he’s invincible. And that can only be considered a good thing for the Nationals.

The club is trying to downplay it, but make no mistake: This is an important season for Harper. As good as he’s been at times since reaching the big leagues, he has yet to put it all together over a full year and take his game to a level everyone has anticipated since the day he was drafted.

With Adam LaRoche gone, Harper is the lone left-handed power bat in the Nationals’ lineup. This team needs him to be a force in the heart of the lineup, somewhere in between , Jayson Werth and . And everyone believes he will be that guy this season, despite all the pressure and spotlight that follows him everywhere he goes.

“That spotlight’s really bright,” manager Matt Williams said Wednesday. “We all know that. And the expectations are high, as they are for all of our team. But I see the guy who is the first one to the ballpark, works really hard and wants to be good, has desire to become a great player. And he’s willing to work at it, which is great. So all of those things combined will allow him to be as good as he can be. He doesn’t slack off in that regard. He works. And has great desire to be a great player in this game. And I think he will be.”

Every great athlete shares a common trait: Confidence, the belief he or she is better than anybody else who steps onto the field.

Some of them don’t put that on public display the way Harper did Wednesday. But make no mistake, they feel it.

And if Harper really is feeling it the way he appears to be feeling it, that can only be interpreted as a good thing for the Nationals.

Article #9

Mike Carp sets sights on bench role

By Tom Schad – Washington Times (2/26/15)

VIERA, Fla. -- Hitting off the bench is one of the most difficult roles in baseball. The unpredictable nature of the job makes it difficult for players to establish a rhythm at the plate, and limited opportunities add an extra level of pressure. It's not for everyone.

Mike Carp said he has succeeded in that role because he's embraced it. At various points over the course of his major league career, he has been asked to come off the bench and make an impact. He's confident he can do the same in Washington, if such an opportunity presents itself.

"It's pretty tough to do in the American League and [I] had some success over there," Carp said. "To come over to the National League, it's more my style of play, more opportunities to come up. Whereas in the American League, you might get one pinch-hit at-bat a week, whereas here, you'll probably get one almost every game. So hopefully the opportunities will be there and [I can] hopefully capitalize on them."

The 28-year-old was drafted by the but made it to the big leagues in the AL with the . He was later traded to the and served as a backup and outfielder on the 2013 team that went on to win the World Series. Last season, after being designated for assignment by Boston, he was claimed off waivers by the Rangers.

Carp hit .175 in 149 plate appearances in 2014 while spending time on the disabled list with a fractured right foot. He described the season as "up and down" and said he was simply never able to get his swing on track.

"Just kind of a bummer of a year," Carp said. "I'm excited to be here and get after it again and get back to winning."

Carp decided to sign with Washington because he played under manager Matt Williams in the and knew there would be opportunities with the Nationals. "They have a need for a left-handed bat, a bench guy, and that's what I do," he said.

The California native considers himself a first baseman primarily, but he also has the ability to play outfield. Williams said Carp will play both positions this spring and receive ample at-bats so the team can see what he's capable of doing.

"He handles himself well at the plate," Williams said. "He's got a good knowledge of the strike zone and can put together that [quality] at-bat for you. And he knows that that's kind of where he's at right now and he works on that. He takes his batting practice and his work very seriously and understands that on any given day, he may get one shot and he needs to make it count. So he works hard at that."

Carp said he spent the offseason "clearing the head" and getting healthy. His wife also gave birth to the couple's second daughter this winter, so he spent a lot of time just being a dad.

Carp was not heralded as a major signing when he joined the Nationals in January, but he would fill an obvious need on the roster. He could back up Ryan Zimmerman at first base and provide a left-handed complement to Zimmerman there. His ability to play the outfield only strengthens his case.

In the end, Carp's chances of making the Nationals' 25-man roster will largely depend on his ability to hit off the bench. Fortunately for him, that's a role he has long been comfortable filling.

"I've been fortunate to be with a lot of great players that filled that role, Jonny Gomes being one of them, trying to watch what he does every day," Carp said. "And just sort of embracing that role really helps, too. Like I said, any time I get the opportunity, I'm waiting for it, I'm itching for it and hopefully I can capitalize and succeed in that moment."

Article #10

Heavy expectations, light hearts

By James Wagner – Washington Post (2/28/15)

VIERA, Fla. — Everyone deals with pressure differently. And this year, the Washington Nationals, pegged as the World Series favorites, face plenty of it. Some players love the sky-high expectations. “Embrace it,” utility man Kevin Frandsen said. Added outfielder Bryce Harper: “I’m going to bring back a title to D.C. no matter what.” Others are more subdued. “You can’t control what people are going to say about you, good or bad,” starter Stephen Strasburg said. Added rotation-mate Gio Gonzalez: “The best way is to stop listening to it.”

For catcher Jose Lobaton, the best way was to buy a golden cat figurine. Last October in San Francisco, when the Nationals faced a do-or-die game against the Giants in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, Lobaton stumbled upon the left-handed cat whose left arm swung like a pendulum. This Japanese token, called a Maneki-neko, is supposed to bring good financial fortune.

The Maneki-neko — nicknamed Gatito, which means “little cat” in Spanish — is back, and Lobaton hopes it will bring more than just good fortune. He wants laughs. Until the Nationals get past the first round of the playoffs, where they have lost two of the past three seasons despite owning the National League’s best record, questions about their ability to handle the big stage will linger. With the winter addition of Max Scherzer to an already talented team, the scrutiny will only grow. The season is long and the pressure high, so why not ease it with some levity?

“If people in the clubhouse can relax, they’ll go out onto the field more relaxed,” said Lobaton, seated on a stool in front of his stall, the Maneki-neko waving quietly from the top shelf of the locker. “During the playoffs, there’s more pressure and guys get tight. You need guys to relax.”

The Nationals can’t claim inexperience anymore. In 2012, most of the roster was new to the postseason. After a disappointing 2013, they returned to the top of the NL in 2014 but were again bounced in the NLDS. Their bats went silent. They made costly mistakes. The Giants, the second wild-card team, topped them en route to a World Series title.

“We’ve dealt with [pressure] now for the past couple years,” right fielder Jayson Werth said. “Expectations have been there. [Former manager] Davey [Johnson] threw out the ‘World Series or bust’ thing a couple years ago and that didn’t go so well. We’ve had expectations. The more times you go through things, the more times you’re able to learn and be able to deal with it. But I don’t think it’s really a big deal. It’s no secret. Teams have been gunning for us. We know who we are, they know who we are, so that’s part of it.”

To help deal with pressure, the Nationals can lean on their mix of serious and goofy players. Gonzalez is always smiling and yapping. Jordan Zimmermann has a dry sense of humor. Werth cracks jokes. is happy-go-lucky. Craig Stammen and Drew Storen dump Ga-tor-ade on teammates on the field during television interviews after big games. Frandsen brought a smoke machine and disco ball into the clubhouse.

“With the fog machine, it was about embracing that we bust our butts everyday all day,” said Frandsen, who checked with Werth before adding the party machines. “I was getting sick and tired wherever I was, it was, ‘Ho hum, you won a game.’ Should you expect to win a baseball game? No. I don’t think so. You should want to win a baseball game. When you have a team that all wants to, why not celebrate it? Celebrate like a Game 7? Absolutely not. But it’s, ‘Hey, at the end of the day, the whole goal is to win.’ If you achieve that goal, why not embrace that?”

Gatito, the smoke machine and the disco ball aren’t about superstitions. Players know they don’t actually play better because they ate their favorite sandwich before a game, a figurine cat waved its left arm or they took the same route to the stadium. It’s about a frame of mind.

“Whatever makes you feel like you can do something works,” Manager Matt Williams said. “This game is so negative. We talk about it all the time: Three out of 10 you’re pretty darn good, so you’re going to fail seven times. Whatever helps us get through those moments and enjoy the good ones is all the better.”

The Nationals are 1-1 since Gatito came aboard, winning Game 3 of the NLDS but losing Game 4. Gatito, however, shouldn’t shoulder the blame.

“We just didn’t do our jobs,” Lobaton said. “You know how sometimes people say, ‘I just needed a bit more luck?’ You’re always looking for things. Some people pray. Others do other things. I actually heard there’s a difference between the cats waving their left arm and the right arm. They mean different things. I bought the first one I saw. So really, it’s just a motivation for my teammates to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got some good luck.’ Maybe it changes people’s attitude. That’s why I bought it. And coming here for spring training, I thought maybe it’d do the same. It’s something positive. I just want the guys to be happy.”

Reminded of Gatito’s record, Lobaton was unconcerned.

“That’s okay,” he said with a straight face. “As long as he’s working, I’ll keep bringing him. If he isn’t, maybe I won’t bring him anymore. If I don’t smash him to pieces, maybe someone else here will. If he behaves well, he’ll stay. I’ll give him a good chance. Just like anyone who needs a bit of a chance at first. He’ll get one, too.”

On a recent morning, Lobaton was scheduled for a photo and video shoot for the Nationals’ publications and Jumbotron videos. Because Lobaton had to lug his catching gear, he asked a team employee to carry Gatito. So as Lobaton walked through the hallways of Space Coast Stadium, Gatito followed right behind.

A few days later, Lobaton agreed to another photo shoot with Gatito because the cat “needed to go for a walk outside.” Lobaton hid Gatito in his cap when he walked through the clubhouse. “To protect him,” Lobaton said, laughing.

“The cat is hilarious,” reliever Aaron Barrett said. “It just says Lobaton all over it. Hopefully it has a bit of good luck for us in there this year.”

Article #11

Nationals reliever Casey Janssen relies on guile, not velocity

By James Wagner – Washington Post (3/6/15)

VIERA, Fla. — Over the past five years, Casey Janssen has been among the steadiest relievers in baseball. The former closer had a 2.99 ERA and 83 saves pitching in the bandboxes of the . He accomplished this without an overpowering arsenal of pitches. His has never averaged more than 92 mph for an entire season, most often sitting at 90-91. Yet in an era in which pitchers are throwing harder than ever, Janssen has found his niche.

“They said I topped at 95 once,” Janssen said. “I joke that it was probably downhill and downwind.” Actually it was 97 mph once — in 2007, his second year in the majors. That year, his fastball averaged 91.7 mph.

“He’s certainly not overpowering, but he has fastball command,” pitching coach said. “He can locate his fastball with the best of them.”

The Washington Nationals hope Janssen’s savvy and guile will help solidify the back of their bullpen as the likely successor to longtime setup man Tyler Clippard. Janssen, 33, is coming off his worst season since 2009. A bad second half (6.46 ERA) and food poisoning he contracted during the all-star break undermined his dominant first half (1.23 ERA). The right-hander signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with a mutual option for 2016 with the Nationals.

Janssen may be at the age of decline — his fastball averaged a little more than 89 mph last season and his strikeout rate fell to 5.5 per nine innings — but his command and smarts have helped him evolve.

“A lot of times when you’re the best, it’s at that point when you start to decline at your strength and conditioning,” Janssen said. “The mental side of the game takes way over. You learn it’s about being efficient. It’s about setting up hitters. You’re not as stubborn. The whole thing of ‘I wish I knew then what I know now’ is true. You learn the hard way. If you actually learn from those experiences, you can stick around in this game a long time.”

Janssen has flourished most of all because of his command. In 50 appearances last season, he walked only seven batters. During his three years as Toronto’s closer (2012-14), he posted a walk rate of 1.7 per nine innings.

“When you don’t throw hard, you pretty much have to be perfect with your command,” he said. “It’s not ‘here it is, hit it.’ There’s a reason behind it and a high level of execution that’s necessary.”

At Fountain Valley High in Orange County, Calif., Janssen threw between 86 and 88 mph. At UCLA, Janssen’s fastball ticked up to 88-91 mph. He first reached the majors in 2006 as a starter with the Blue Jays. When he was converted full time to a reliever in 2010, he could throw harder because he didn’t have to save himself for so many innings per outing.

His time as a starter taught Janssen how to pitch. He learned how to attack hitters and disrupt them with location and timing, and he fine-tuned his command. His stint as a part-time position player in college also taught him how to read swings. He looks for even the slightest of flinches from the batter to gauge what his next pitch will be.

“I have a nice ability to read that stuff and to understand what hitters are trying to do,” he said.

Janssen has several philosophies that have helped him, too. He loves the bottom of the strike zone. As a result, Janssen’s career groundball percentage is 47.1 percent, including last season’s career low of 34.4 percent. “I don’t want anything higher than the knee unless it’s intentional,” he said.

Janssen also swears by the first-pitch strike. “Best advice I got was from B.J. Ryan: ‘You’re a boxer, and you want to be the guy throwing the haymakers,’ ” Janssen said. And part of that is pace. Janssen has averaged about 23 seconds between pitches in his career.

“What I loved about him when I was a shortstop and he was pitching, he worked quickly,” said Yunel Escobar, who was teammates with Janssen in Toronto from 2010 to 2012. “He doesn’t let the batter think. Sometimes when you take your time getting into the batter’s box, you almost have to ask for time from the umpire because he doesn’t let you get settled.”

Janssen has many ways of attacking hitters: He throws a fastball, , cutter, change-up and ; the first three are his best pitches. “He confuses you at the same time with movement and with his pitches,” Escobar said. His cutters in and on the outer edge of the plate have helped him neutralize left- handed batters (.689 career OPS) as well as right-handed batters (.692).

The bullpen will take a slightly different form in 2015 with Janssen in the fold. He may not carry Clippard’s workload — Clippard averaged 79 innings the past five years; Janssen averaged 57 innings in that span. But Janssen believes he is ready to pitch more this season and prove he is still effective. As he has most of his career, Janssen has found a way.

“The game is always evolving, and you want to be a step ahead on the mound as well,” he said. “As long as you can do that, velocity is secondary to the mental side.”

Article #12

Have glove, will play

By Chelsea Janes – Washington Post (3/7/15)

VIERA, Fla. — On the morning of the Washington Nationals’ spring training opener, Kevin Frandsen’s name was written on the lineup card pinned up in the clubhouse: designated hitter, batting ninth.

Not long before the game, Manager Matt Williams redrew his lineup. Frandsen, still batting ninth, became the second baseman. When a new lineup card was posted the next morning, Frandsen’s name was there again: left field, batting second.

Other than the fact that he was fairly quiet in the clubhouse before boarding the bus to Friday’s game — because “sitting quietly” is one position Frandsen rarely assumes — those 36 hours were typical of the life of the Nationals’ utility man, who only recently became comfortable with that title.

Re-signed in November to a one-year deal, Frandsen is “an asset that every team needs,” as Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond put it, “that selfless guy who will do whatever it takes for the team.”

Frandsen was not always that guy. Drafted out of San Jose State, he came up as a second baseman in the organization and played 109 games in the big leagues in 2007, splitting them among second, third, shortstop and the corner outfield positions. Groomed as a second baseman, Frandsen was gunning for the starting job ahead of the 2008 season. Then he tore an Achilles’ tendon and the situation changed.

“I knew at the time, based on what they were saying, that I was probably going to be in that [utility] role,” Frandsen said. “I never accepted it because I always wanted to be the everyday guy, because I always believed that I was going to do it.”

Tim Flannery, the Giants’ third base coach and a former for San Diego, told Frandsen the secret to the job: Accept it.

“If you accept the role of being the utility guy, then sky’s the limit,” said Frandsen, recalling Flannery’s message. “Your hunger is always gonna be there to play. Your hunger never goes away; it’s that point where you step back and say I’m all for what I can do to help the team today.”

Six years after receiving that advice, Frandsen says, he was finally able to adopt it — “a wide gap,” he admits.

“It’s weird how long it took to accept. I really felt, I always still feel that I can play every day,” Frandsen said. “But my whole goal is for this organization to get to the top. If I’m a little bit of a piece of a puzzle being one day in left, one day in right, one day at third, one at second, two days at first, then I’m in. ”

Last season, Frandsen played 21 games in left field, 16 games at third base, 13 games at second base and nine games at first base. Williams jokes that Frandsen politely declined the chance to catch bullpens this spring; he is also technically the Nationals’ emergency catcher — though he prefers the term “third string.”

“Everyone calls it the emergency catcher,” he said. “Why would you do that? Why would you demean yourself?”

Levity is part of Frandsen’s role, too. He rarely pauses from his running clubhouse commentary, once chatting with such vigor that reliever Matt Thornton jokingly asked him to please be quiet — just not in those words. Frandsen hid in his locker, mask over his mouth, for a solid 15 minutes before bursting across the room to tell Thornton he could not take it anymore.

Frandsen is also responsible for frequent “thwaps” echoing around the lockers as he sits on his stool breaking in gloves with whacks from a ball on the end of a stick. After all, he has five gloves — an outfielder’s glove, a smaller third baseman’s glove, an even smaller glove for second base, a first baseman’s mitt and a catcher’s mitt — and only so many opportunities to break them in.

During the season, Frandsen balances his work by taking early groundballs at second and third, then taking throws at first during infield. He picks up flyballs during batting practice. He works on his catching skills less often.

“I think what makes him successful is he’s got that little bit of an edge,” Desmond of Frandsen’s belief that he could play every day. “I don’t doubt that he could. To have that passion inside, kind of shelve it, and do the best of your ability at doing the team role, it’s important.”

So Frandsen will spend the spring toiling not-so-quietly all over the field, hoping to play a key, if unpredictable, role, preparing to play somewhere every day, while staying confident he can play every day somewhere.

Article #13

Fearless Aaron Barrett takes the mound for Nationals

By Chelsea Janes – Washington Post (3/8/15)

TAMPA — That right-handed pitcher pummeling the corners of home plate with on a sunny March afternoon at George M. Steinbrenner Field is Aaron Barrett.

He is the man in the No. 30 Washington Nationals jersey, slinging the slider with the nearly untouchable trajectory, the same man whose errant fastball cost the Nationals a run and Game 4 of the National League Division Series five months ago.

You would not recognize him as that player now, throwing his fastball to tight spots without concern and working confidently, if imperfectly, through the eighth inning of the Nationals’ 3-2 loss to the New York Yankees.

“It’s going to be a little bit of a monkey on his back for a little bit, but he’s already had one outing,” Nationals pitching coordinator said. “If you were going to see any signs of it, you would normally see them quite early. Even though it’s still spring training, it’s still a big league situation.”

He has never shied away from that moment, standing and answering for the fastball that fell short at the worst possible moment. He answered for the loss of command immediately after the game, then again at FanFest in December — and countless other times. Until that October night, the only thing Barrett had to account for in 2014 was an improbable rise to big league reliability.

“It was a great year. A crazy year but a great year. Obviously the last outing of my year didn’t go the way I wanted,” Barrett said this past week. “I had many ups and downs in the year, but I think that’s part of life and part of baseball. It tells you the character of somebody after their failures. My failures are a testament to how I’m going to react and how I’m going to come back.”

Barrett was just another of the Nationals’ young and powerful arms in spring training last season, unlikely to make the team, hoping to make an impression. He became the spring surprise who made the opening day roster, then compiled a 2.66 ERA over 402/3 innings. He struck out more than a batter per inning and was called on to face right-handed behemoths like Andrew McCutcheon and in crucial situations.

“He’s fearless,” Nationals Manager Matt Williams said. “He understands that he can get people out. I think he got that experience last year in the situations we put him in.”

With Tyler Clippard, Rafael Soriano and Ross Detwiler gone from the Washington bullpen, Barrett is pitching this spring with an opportunity to seize a late-inning role. His fastball averaged 93.5 mph last season and sometimes spiked higher, and everyone in the Nationals’ clubhouse calls his slider “wipeout.” That makes him powerful with a punch-out pitch — the stuff late-inning relievers are made of.

“He’s fearless,” said fellow young reliever Blake Treinen, who said no one thinks about that rough October inning now until an outsider asks about it.

“He doesn’t let the situation dictate how he’s going to perform. He just pitches aggressively. . . . Against him, I don’t think there’s really a comfortable at-bat because he’ll bust it in on you and then snap a slider.”

Barrett did not always have the slider he was throwing Sunday afternoon or the velocity to pound hitters inside. He could never master the traditional slider grip when he was young, the one with fingers close together on the seam. When he was 16, his junior varsity pitching coach told him to throw his two-seam fastball, one finger on each of the parallel seams, but to snap it at the end.

As for his mid-to-high 90s fastball, that arrived in 2013. Barrett was in Class AA Harrisburg at the time, throwing in the low-to-mid 90s.

“One outing, I was just sitting 95. Everyone was like, where’d that come from?” Barrett said.

He did not have an answer since he had not made any mechanical changes. He speculates added work and more leg drive might have contributed. It was a welcome bump for the former starter, who became a reliever after a bout with those maddening and undefinable baseball “yips” when he was in the rookie league with Vermont in 2010.

“It was exciting because he’s such a great kid,” said Menhart, who was his pitching coach at the time. “ . . . He’s a real salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. You always, not necessarily root harder for those guys, but you do get an extra kindling when they do kind of get it.”

On Sunday afternoon, Barrett pitched the eighth inning of a tie game, his second outing of the spring. He missed inside a few times with his aggressive fastball. He hit a man with that running slider, still honing his feel. He has not reconsidered his approach, still backing hitters off the plate, still throwing that slider low with runners on.

“I definitely feel more confident,” Barrett said. “Just from going through my big league camp, then obviously the ups and downs of my first big league season. I don’t want to say I’m comfortable, because I’m not comfortable. I’m still fighting for a spot. Nothing’s given. But I just kind of know what to expect.”

Nationals teammates and coaches watch Barrett — six months removed from the kind of outing that has derailed careers before — seal a scoreless eighth inning with a strikeout. Having seen who Barrett was before that night and who he is after, they expect nothing less.

Article #14

Pitcher Max Scherzer has changed cities but is an unchanged man

By James Wagner – Washington Post (3/10/15)

VIERA, Fla. — Before receiving the most lucrative contract in Nationals history, Max Scherzer flew to Washington for a physical exam, standard practice to make sure his body and his $210 million right arm were healthy. A few days later, after signing, Scherzer met with the media to explain his burning desire to win, and why he chose the Nationals. But when he returned home to Arizona, something was bothering him: He hadn’t worked out in five days.

“He wasn’t happy,” said his wife, Erica May Scherzer. “He works hard and does things a certain way. If he misses two days of training, it’s a big deal.”

Few would fault Max Scherzer for taking a few days off to celebrate the biggest contract ever awarded to a right-handed pitcher. But Scherzer, 30, is an unrelenting high achiever.

Even though much will be expected of him this season, Scherzer insists it won’t change him. This is a man who brings a glove and ball on vacations to play catch to keep his arm fresh. He once set a goal of running a strenuous 1.4-mile trail up Camelback Mountain outside Phoenix in 45 minutes, and once he achieved it, set a new goal of 40 minutes, then 35 minutes, until he did it in 30 minutes this offseason.

“Having success on the mound is my number one motivation and, for the most part, my only motivation,” Scherzer said over lunch — a sandwich, chips and water — last week. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep having that success and having more success.”

Although the desire was there, Scherzer wasn’t always successful. The Chesterfield, Mo., native grew up adoring the St. Louis Cardinals and dreamed of being a shortstop like Ozzie Smith. But because he had such a good arm, he mostly pitched. As a top recruit at , about 90 minutes from home, Scherzer posted a 5.85 ERA as a freshman.

“He had such an electric arm,” said Tony Vitello, then Missouri’s pitching coach who is now assistant coach at Arkansas. “Everything he did was explosive. We knew he was going to be special. He just needed some development.”

Even though Scherzer was Big 12 pitcher of the year as a junior and taken 11th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2006 draft, his development took time. He made his first major league appearance in 2008, retiring 13 straight batters, a record for a relief debut. His next game was a start.

Scherzer’s next three years were a mix of good and bad: progress, a 2010 trade to the , a brief demotion to the minors, improvement, complacency and his worst professional season in 2011.

Before the 2012 season, he vowed to improve his slider, which he felt was the key to success. Even though his ERA that season was 3.74, his strikeout rate jumped from 8.0 per nine innings to an American League- leading 11.1. A slider paired with a change-up and a mid-90s fastball, delivered from his distinctive three- quarters arm slot, were a deadly combination.

“The biggest thing you notice when you watch him pitch is all the swings and misses he gets on his fastball,” Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones said.

That summer, after the left-handed-heavy hit him hard again, Scherzer again sought a way to improve. His sliders, normally about 85 mph to the outside of the plate, kept breaking in to lefties’ swings. During a bullpen session, Jones persuaded Scherzer to throw the pitch more slowly. He did and hit the catcher’s mitt. Jones told him to do it again but even slower. He did, turned to Jones and smiled: He had a curveball.

“Once I worked on this a couple more times, I took it to the game and saw the results instantly,” Scherzer said.

In 2013, with an improved curveball, Scherzer had his finest season yet: a 21-3 record, 2.90 ERA, 240 strikeouts, 2141/3 innings, an All-Star Game start and the AL Cy Young award .

Despite Scherzer’s career year, the Tigers lost in the American League Championship Series. In fact, from 2011 to 2014, the Tigers averaged nearly 92 wins a season, reached the playoffs four times, including the World Series in 2012, and didn’t win a ring. Scherzer and his teammates had a feeling the nucleus of the team couldn’t stick together with many players approaching free agency. Before his final season in Detroit, he turned down a six-year, $144 million offer.

At the advice of his agent, Scott Boras, Scherzer took out an insurance policy to protect himself against injury. If he got hurt, preventing him from receiving a better offer than the one he turned down, Scherzer would receive a tax-free $40 million payout. It cost $750,000.

“It was peace of mind,” said Scherzer, who was an all-star selection again in 2014. “From a financial standpoint, I was going to be comfortable no matter what happened. I didn’t have to sit here and think I had to pitch for a contract or pitch better for this. I had one singular goal when I walked into the clubhouse and that was to win.”

This spring, he is working on yet another new pitch, a cutter, which he may or may not use during the season. Former Arizona teammate (and former National) Dan Haren once told Scherzer it took him three years to master his cutter. Scherzer doesn’t like talking about the pitch because he doesn’t know yet if it will be good enough to use, but Haren’s words resonated with Scherzer: “Keep experimenting and find a way to get better.”

“My goal is to win,” he said. “To do that, I need to be healthy. I know what I need to do to keep doing it. I’m not going to go out there with the mentality ‘I have to prove everybody wrong’ or ‘Am I worth this contract?’ No. It takes you away from what you’re doing on the mound. That’s not baseball. That’s contract. My motivations are strictly baseball and winning. Nothing is going to deter that.”

In the clubhouse, Scherzer has been the same as always. Teammates see him as intelligent. He studied finance at Missouri and runs the clubhouse fantasy sports pools. “He’s a nerd at heart because he’s all about numbers and stats,” Tigers catcher Bryan Holaday said.“He loves anything that involves that.” Scherzer is also intense. He was known to swear loudly at himself during bullpen sessions. “The smiley guy on interviews is not Max on game day,” Vittelo said. “He’s looking to gut you.”

But more than anything, Scherzer is known as a goofy guy who likes to have fun. Within days of reporting to Nationals spring training, he had already pranked Manager Matt Williams with bulletin board material involving a photo from “Dumb and Dumber” and Williams in an embarassing pose. Scherzer designed it himself. No one is spared from his teasing: his family, his wife’s family, her friends. He’s even working on a rap about Jayson Werth and his reckless driving conviction.

“He puts so much time into busting everybody’s [chops] and wanting to have fun with everybody. He’s a little [pest] but he’s such a fun one,” Erica said. Secretly, she said, she hopes one of her husband’s new teammates gets back at him. “He really brings in such a team feel when he does that. He can be so serious on the mound and so intense. And then he gets off the mound and he’s this easygoing, fun guy who you can kick back and drink a beer with and hang.”

Beneath the goofiness is sincerity. On a recent afternoon, Scherzer was part of three different conversations within 30 minutes. One moment, he was chatting with a group of relievers at one end of the clubhouse. The next, he was regaling catchers Sandy Leon and Jose Lobaton with stories about former Tigers teammate Miguel Cabrera. And before he left for the day, he overheard a reporter interviewing reliever Jerry Blevins about his interests and plopped down on a nearby stool to listen because he wanted to learn about his teammates.

That is what defines Scherzer. He is restless. A new team is fun, a new league of opponents is a test and a new city is exciting. He is ready for the challenge.

“In sports you never stay the same,” he said. “You either get better or you get worse, and I’m focusing on ways to get better.”

Article #15

Werth's arrival pivotal to changing Nationals' direction

By Bill Ladson – Nationals.com (3/15/15)

VIERA, Fla. -- Nationals left fielder Jayson Werth is working hard to get ready for the 2015 season. The question is, though, will he be ready for Opening Day against the Mets on April 6 at ? Werth is cautiously optimistic.

Werth had arthroscopic surgery on his right AC joint last January, and he has yet to play in an exhibition game because of the procedure. But as of Friday morning, Werth was in right field playing catch with first- base coach Tony Tarasco. Werth threw from 60 to 90 feet and threw the ball pretty well. "Surprising," Werth said Saturday morning. "Not that I didn't think it was possible. It's just that [the strength] has come pretty quick. It's like the third time I've thrown and it feels really good. During normal Spring Trainings, I don't throw a whole lot before I get here. … The shoulder is really strong and I'm in a good place."

Werth is in his fifth season with the Nationals, and it's safe to say that it was worth giving him the seven- year, $126 million contract after the 2010 season. It seems like yesterday when the Nationals received a lot of criticism for giving Werth that amount of money. But in order to get a player like Werth, the Nationals gave him the years he wanted.

The Nationals saw a guy who had been in the postseason five times before joining them as well as being an above-average player. Werth is a good baserunner and quality defender, and he's not bad with the bat either.

Talk to principal owner five years later and he doesn't have any regrets giving Werth the long- term deal.

"It's hard to overstate the impact Jayson Werth has had on the Washington Nationals" Lerner said. "Our growth as an organization over the last 10 years originates in many places. But when you think of the day we signed Jayson, and all that has happened since, it's hard not to associate that day with so much of our progress. From his play on the field -- which has been all we expected and more -- to his leadership in the clubhouse, he has been exactly the player we'd hoped for when we committed to him. If we knew the day we signed him what we know now, we'd do the deal all over again -- in a heartbeat."

During the first four years of the contract, Werth had a .282 batting average, .375 on-base percentage with 66 home runs and 253 RBIs, while the Nationals were in postseason contention in three of those four years.

His best game as a member of the Nationals occurred in Game 4 of the 2012 National League Division Series against the Cardinals. The game was tied at 1 in the ninth, and Werth -- leading off in the bottom of the inning -- battled Cards reliever , hitting the 13th pitch of the at-bat over the left-field wall for the 14th postseason of his career.

But numbers don't tell the whole story when it comes to Werth and his time with the Nationals. Before he arrived, the players were not in unison. Werth changed things, and it started during his first Spring Training with the club. It showed in mid-March of 2011

Then-Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan found himself in a confrontation with Werth for not doing enough sprints on the warning track at Space Coast Stadium. Before Spring Training ended, Morgan was traded to the Brewers for infielder Cutter Dykstra.

Werth was among several players who helped improved the quality of food in the clubhouse. Werth said teammate Ian Desmond has been a guy who would put a bug in his ear to speak up and stand up for what's right.

"It's not a problem for me. I want to win. If you want to win, things have to be right," Werth said. "It has to be right from the moment you step in the door, to the food you eat to the Presidents race to the final out of the game. You are here every day, we are a family."

Werth is also quick to say he wasn't the only one to change the culture in the clubhouse.

"It wasn't just me. [] Mike Rizzo has done a great deal to get the right personnel in here, get the riff-raff out," Werth said. " jumped on board as a manager for a couple of years. He was just a bigger part as anybody changing the culture. I just happen to be at the right place at the right time. … Here we are, going into the fifth year, I'm on top. I went from the top in Philly and made a prudent career move and here I am. I remain on top."

With three years left on his contract, Werth wants to help Washington win its first World Series title since the Senators won the title in 1924.

Werth believes with the team currently in place, this could be its last chance to win a title. After the season, players such as Desmond, center fielder Denard Span and right-handers Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister are free agents.

"There is a possibility this team will be totally different next year," Werth said. "Now I'm starting to think this is this group's last chance to win. That's why I felt it was important. We have a lot of homegrown guys, four guys up for free agency and this is the group I came in with essentially. This was the group I was sold with that was capable of winning. They could sign everybody back, but I think that's an outside shot."

Article #16

Injuries, talent give Michael Taylor an opportunity to make impact with Nationals

By Todd Dybas – Washington Times (3/16/15)

VIERA, Fla. — Michael Taylor stood in the middle of the mania last September in Atlanta. The Washington Nationals had clinched the division title on the field of their nemesis and were about to soak the visitor's locker room, providing a drenching powerful fans were not a match for the next day.

The 24-year-old Taylor had just 17 at-bats after being called up Aug. 10. Taylor spent most of the season in Double-A Harrisburg before a brief stop in -A Syracuse. Taylor had just 44 at-bats with the Chiefs. It was a rapid trip from the southeast of Pennsylvania to the center of a celebration.

Now in mid-March, Taylor has another opportunity. Injuries to center fielder Denard Span and Jayson Werth have put Taylor into center field with a strong chance to be an Opening Day starter. He spent the last two days as the Nationals' leadoff hitter. He has every chance to have a strong role early on.

"It's always good to get a player's feet wet in a little less impactful situation that he was brought into last year in his first taste of the big leagues," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said. "We brought him up and there wasn't a lot of pressure on him to play every day or perform every day. He was a guy that we could ease into the situation.

"I think he'll learn from that, build from that, the places that he's been, it will be a more comfortable environment for him. Players talk about that second-deck syndrome, where in a big-league stadium you have the second deck. It didn't affect him last year and he'll feel that much more comfortable this year."

Being in the majors at the end of last season allowed Taylor to start his offseason work with a well- preserved body. He began working out three days after arriving home in Fort Lauderdale. Two weeks later, he began to hit at a facility in Sunrise, Florida. That work continued through what passes for winter in Florida's Broward County.

"I like to hit all the way through," Taylor said.

One thing Taylor did not do was golf. When he was younger, Taylor would often head out to the golf course. But the torque from swinging puts his baseball body at risk, so he gave it up. Instead, he fishes. His time is filled with trying to hook bass. He is not good at it.

"Uh, no," Taylor said. "No. I'm a patient fisherman."

During the winter, before the injuries, Taylor tried to stay away from what his role may be in 2015. His time in Triple A was so limited that there would be a chance he ends up back there. Or, he could have a bench role in the majors. He wanted to stay away from the what-ifs.

"I really wasn't trying to think too much about that because you can kind of get caught up in where guys are at, who's going where," Taylor said. "I just wanted to come in in the best shape I could and as ready as possible and play the game."

When with the team last season, Taylor realized he could play at the level he had watched all his life. He didn't feel pressured by the "second-deck syndrome" that Rizzo referenced. The space in center field was larger, and the ball was driven well more often, but he felt those were minor differences from the minor leagues.

"Other than that, I don't think it's too different," Taylor said.

He was drafted in 2009 as a shortstop out of Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale. The Nationals moved him to the outfield by 2011. He has played in center field for 416 of his 495 career games in the minor leagues.

Taylor said he is more comfortable in center field than the corners. He also laughs about being a shortstop at one point. "Those days are behind me," he said.

The Nationals have used Taylor as a leadoff hitter before and that was his role the past two days. Without Span, who is expected to miss Opening Day because of surgery to repair and slight tear in his abdominal wall, the Nationals are searching for a leadoff hitter and center fielder. Those may not be the same person.

Manager Matt Williams said Monday that third baseman Anthony Rendon is a consideration to hit first. He even mentioned Werth as a possibility. The trouble with those options is both are hurt. Rendon is expected to be ready for Opening Day, though he continues to sit out because of a sprained MCL in his left knee.

"Anthony's a really good on-base guy," Williams said. "Good knowledge of the strike zone. Good hitter, as well. So, he's an option. Michael has been hitting leadoff a lot because we want to get him at-bats because he's going to get the majority of playing time in spring in center. He hit there a little bit last year. That being said, we want to get him accustomed to that spot in case we need to do that."

Taylor has hit .294 this spring. He also has seven strikeouts in 17 at-bats.

"He's a young player," Williams said. "He's also got the ability to have an at-bat like he did against [New York Mets pitcher Jacob] deGrom where he took a slider and lined it to right-center field. Those types of at- bats can happen too. [We're] making sure he gets a sense of all the frontline starts we see during spring training. A lot of them are within our division, so we want to get him multiple at-bats against those guys and make sure, if he's on our club and playing, it's nothing new for him."

The Nationals are built for and hope another fall alcohol dousing arrives. Taylor has a chance to help them start in the right direction. It will at least give him a chance to put off what would likely be an unproductive fishing career.

Article #17

Strasburg: ‘I love the city of D.C.’

By James Wagner – Washington Post (4/2/15)

VIERA, Fla. — San Diego is heaven. Beaches, sun, good Mexican food, beautiful golf courses. Well, if that’s your thing. And for Stephen Strasburg, it is. So when the Washington Nationals drafted him first overall in 2009 out of San Diego State, it was a “very scary idea” to move across the country as a 20-year- old, away from the comforts of his home town and family. “It was something like, ‘Wow, I’m going to another world,’ ” he said.

But Strasburg has found that Washington isn’t what he first thought. As the Nationals have changed, so has he. Now 26, Strasburg is a central figure in the team’s rise, its upcoming season and its future, and he has developed deep connections with the club he considers family and the city he calls home during the season.

“I’ve grown up a lot through this organization,” he said. “I love the city of D.C.”

That’s not easy for Strasburg to say. Washington is so different from San Diego: weather, history, culture, sports, cityscape. “Everything is smaller and jammed together,” he said. But Strasburg has come to enjoy the changing seasons, and while he shuns attention, he loves the passion that comes with playing in a bigger market.

“The fans, East Coast sports, they’re so much more die-hard,” he said. “Kind of being there from Day 1, with this new team’s resurgence, winning games and the way the fans have really attached and made us their team. It’s just a great feeling. As a baseball fan growing up, you never really saw that in San Diego. It was kind of like, ‘What do you want to do Friday night? Saturday, during the day, you want to go to the beach? Want to go to a Padres game?’ I feel like it wasn’t the number one thing to do. But that’s kind of what Nationals games have become, especially in the summer.”

Strasburg is two seasons from free agency, making this a prime time for the Nationals to field trade offers or consider an extension. His agent, Scott Boras, believes in having his clients test the market, and the Nationals have a crop of talented pitching prospects that could be pushing toward the majors by then.

“The thought [of my future] has crossed my mind,” he said. “But there’s still a lot of unfinished business here. Two years is a long time. I can’t really worry about that too much. I’ve got to worry about what I can provide to this team the next day. I can’t think too much about my future. A lot of things happen. Even looking back on my first year, I was expecting to at least finish the year, but I ended up blowing out and missed a year. I learned from that experience to take it one day at a time. All that stuff will take care of itself.”

Strasburg still lives in San Diego during the offseason, but in Washington, he has found comfort. He likes Nationals Park and the home clubhouse. “First class,” he said. He has developed a strong bond with the teammates he came up with, players who married and started families at similar times. Strasburg has grown close with Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann, said he has learned a lot from Jayson Werth and is grateful for Ryan Zimmerman’s kindness off the field. “He’s always made a point to include myself and my family,” Strasburg said.

“He loves it [here],” Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty said. “I don’t know if he enjoys me. But he loves his teammates. To the person on the outside, he probably doesn’t seem that way. But he is that way.”

Strasburg knows the current roster won’t be together forever. He said he would “absolutely” like to stay in Washington beyond 2016. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that,” he said, but added that the subject hasn’t been broached by either party.

“From a personal standpoint, I don’t think I’m at where I want to be as a pitcher,” he said. “I feel like that’s always going to be a work in progress. I think the biggest thing is to get that validation from this organization, and that’s winning a World Series. That’s not only our goal here but every other team’s goal going into the season. That’s why you play the game. I think it’ll always be unfinished business until we get one.”

Washington fits Strasburg because he loves the history, museums and monuments. “I’ve pretty much done everything,” he said. He feels a connection to the military men and women he meets who were stationed in San Diego, a city with a large Navy presence, and because family on both sides served in the Air Force. He enjoys the perks that come with being a well-known athlete in the nation’s capital. He has been on a private tour of the White House. Last season, he went to the CIA.

“That was awesome,” he said. “I’m not big into the whole touristy, a bunch of people, but if anybody is willing to let me see some behind-the-scenes stuff I’m all for it.”

Strasburg lives in Virginia with his wife, Rachel, and 1-year-old daughter during the season. They have a favorite Italian restaurant in Clarendon and a sushi spot in Alexandria. His father visits, as do his wife’s parents and sisters. Strasburg has even grown to like hockey and the Capitals.

“I still don’t know the rules,” he said. “But I’ve gone to a couple games and love it. Granted, I’ve been pretty spoiled because I’ve been on the glass a couple times, but I enjoy that. I just try and follow the puck.”

Playing in Washington has allowed Strasburg to reconnect with family on his mother’s side from Waynesboro, Va., about two hours away. Before Strasburg was drafted, he last saw that branch of his family when he was 8 years old. Now he sees them often.

“It’s nice,” he said. “It makes you feel at home. Growing up in San Diego, there’s a lot of people that aren’t from San Diego, so I grew up around that. D.C., in a sense, is a lot like that. It’s very easy to fit right in.”

And every so often during the season, Strasburg is reminded of what — the best part, in his mind — he likes about the city with which he has built a relationship.

“When we have a day game and the sun is kind of setting and you’re staying out near the Potomac and it’s nice and cool, you take the dog for a walk, just relax and watch the boaters go by,” he said. “There’s nothing like that. I love being near water. I think that’s always great to be near. Just the beauty of nature and, at the same time, being so close to the city.”

Article #18

Clint Robinson’s strong spring could land him on Nationals roster

By James Wagner – Washington Post (4/2/15)

VIERA, Fla. — When spring training started, Clint Robinson was just one of the many players in camp vying for a job on the Nationals bench, here on a minor league deal with a big league camp invite. He is 30, has only 13 major league at-bats to his name, has spent more than three seasons of his career at Class AAA and possessed little positional flexibility. Nearly six weeks later, and with four days left before the season begins, Robinson is still standing.

“It’s a 50-50 shot,” he said. “You either make it or you don’t. Trying not to think about it. It’s part of the game. That’s how it goes. You can’t let it get in your head because if you do you’re going to press and then you don’t play to your full potential. I’m going to go out and do what I always do and just let whatever happens happens.”

Robinson, an Alabama native drafted in the 25th round in 2007 by the Royals, has been one of the surprises of camp. Spring training results are taken grain of salt until they’re not. And in Robinson’s case, his .327/.389/.592 line with eight extra-base hits isn’t a mirage. As Manager Matt Williams likes to say, Robinson has a “short, repeatable” swing that’s attractive. Robinson has a .302 career minor league average over eight seasons but has gotten few big league shots.

“Some guys are late bloomers,” one team official said.

In Robinson, the Nationals may have discovered a small gem, a needed left-handed hitter, to stash on the opening day roster — or at Class AAA Syracuse for depth should anything arise. The final spot on the big league bench appears to be down to Robinson and Mike Carp. Both offer the same skill set: lefties who are primarily first basemen but can play some left field. Carp has the major league track experience but Robinson is having the better spring at the plate.

“Nothing special,” Robinson said about his spring. “Just go out and see the ball and hit the ball. Just trying to slow the game down as best I can and just go with it.”

Robinson has never been in this position before. This is the latest into big league camp he has been in his career. His big league experience was as a brief in-season call-up for the Royals (2012) and Dodgers (2014). He is 3 for 13 with two RBI in his limited chances in the majors. He believes he can hit off the bench if needed for the Nationals.

“That’s all I’ve ever done in the big leagues,” he said. “I think I’ve got 13, 14 at-bats, and I think 10 or 11 of them are pinch hitting. I’m perfectly fine doing that.”

As players around him are sent to minor league camp or cut, Robinson is still standing. He sees it but tries not to let it affect his performance.

“I’ve been around it quite a bit,” he said. “It’s part of the game. You can’t try and play GM because when you do that it never goes the way you think it’s going to. The best you can do is that as long as you have a locker and a uniform is just go out and play the game. You can’t stress yourself out too much because you’re not going to get the best out of yourself if you do that.”

So far this spring, Robinson has been all over the field. The Nationals have played him 11 times in right field, nine times at first and three times in left. In the minors, Robinson had played only 10 of his career 657 games in the outfield, most in left. He worked with Nationals coaches in camp at learning right field.

“This if the first time I’ve played this much outfield and actually enjoyed myself quite a bit,” he said. “…I came in, learned a new position, worked hard at that. I feel pretty comfortable out there. I don’t feel like I’m a liability so much out there anymore. I’m not Denard Span or Bryce Harper or anybody. I’m going to make the routine plays. It’s a great group of guys and coaching staff. They run a really good camp. I’ve tried to approach it like every spring training: just go out and try to win a job.”

Article #19

Yunel Escobar on playing third base: ‘I’m doing this for the team’

By James Wagner – Washington Post (4/3/15)

VIERA, Fla. — Imagine this situation for yourself: you’ve been a shortstop your entire life, and shortstops are proud people. Then, you land with a new team in a trade, and they ask you to play second base. You balk at first — who wants to change positions? — but oblige after a meeting with the team’s brass assuages your concerns. You work in spring training to learn the new position. But this all changes when the team’s third baseman hurts his knee and will be out for a while, and the team asks you to change positions yet again.

This has been Yunel Escobar’s spring.

The Nationals will open their highly-anticipated 2015 season on Monday in Washington, and Escobar will likely be at third base. Anthony Rendon’s sprained MCL needs plenty of rest and rehab. Not long ago, the Nationals put third base novice Danny Espinosa at hot corner, thinking he could be fill in. Not that he can’t but, as Rendon’s injured knee began to appear like a longer injury, the Nationals switched plans.

They told Escobar earlier this week that they needed him at third base. It wasn’t easy news to take for Escobar, who had said he made it a goal to become an all-star second baseman. Escobar, 32, has logged only 22 games at third base in his career, but that was his rookie season in 2007. He has played 963 games at shortstop since — with advanced defensive metrics noting that Escobar’s production at shortstop had declined over the past two years.

“They told me from the first day I got here I was going to play second base,” Escobar said. “But with time, things got more complicated. They think I’ll make a good transition to third base because I’ll be more comfortable at third base than second base.”

When Manager Matt Williams explained the move the other day, he said Escobar “came to us and said, ‘Listen, if there’s a need for me to play third, I’d be happy to do it.’ That’s great. That’s a great attitude to have.”

Escobar, however, said it wasn’t his idea. He said he was told this is what was needed from him. So far, he has played two games there, logging 11 innings, assisting on two plays and turning one double play. The Nationals believe he has the hands and feet to handle the position.

“Almost like a shortstop,” Escobar said. “But I need to play. You have to adapt to it. You can’t do this in a day. It’s a transition. I’m not for being moved around from here to there. In my career, I’ve been a shortstop. I didn’t play any other position. But this, I’m doing this for the team.”

Article #20

Uggla seeing offseason work pay dividends

By Bill Ladson – Nationals.com (4/8/15)

Entering Spring Training, second baseman Dan Uggla was a long shot to make the Nationals' Opening Day roster. Yunel Escobar was expected to be the everyday second baseman, but an injury to Anthony Rendon has Escobar playing third base.

Believed to be well past his best days, Uggla went 12-for-46 (.261) with two homers and six RBIs in Grapefruit League play. It helps that he can see the ball much better after addressing his oculomotor dysfunction, an eye-tracking issue that was inhibiting his ability to focus on one object.

Today, Uggla is Washington's starting second baseman. MLB.com caught up with Uggla recently to talk about his comeback, the Nationals and the Braves.

MLB.com: Entering Spring Training, you were considered a long shot to make the big league club. What did you do to prove everybody wrong? Dan Uggla: I worked hard this offseason. I had an opportunity to play a lot this spring, and I put together a decent spring. I felt like I was continuing to make improvements, getting the timing back. It's just a matter of taking advantage of an opportunity.

MLB.com: When did you realize you were back to being the hitter that you were in the past?

Uggla: It's still early, because there is still a lot of work to be done. We have a long season ahead of us, but as far as feeling the way I was feeling … I started hitting a few balls the other way. I hit a couple of homers. I was like, "All right, you are hitting balls solidly and spraying the ball around the field a little bit." That let me know that I was getting back to where I was.

MLB.com: We all know about the vision problems you had. Did your vision this spring make you realize that you were back?

Uggla: Yeah. Being able to track the ball all the way into the hitting zone has made a world of difference. I haven't been able to do that in two years. It's a good feeling. But like I said, it's still early. It's an ongoing process of doing the work, being productive and going into the right direction every day.

MLB.com: How great was it to have manager Matt Williams and general manager Mike Rizzo in your corner?

Uggla: It helped a lot. I heard so many great things about Matty. I knew him a little bit just by being in the Diamondbacks organization. I've known Mike Rizzo a little better. Those guys made it real easy on me to come in and just worry about playing, worrying about getting my work in. There wasn't any pressure. It was a nothing-to-lose-type thing. There was a small crease to be on this team. I found it, and those guys were a huge help.

MLB.com: Talk about your teammates. How much did they help you out?

Uggla: They are awesome, man. I got to meet a lot of new people. I've been playing against [Jayson] Werth, [Ryan Zimmerman], [Ian Desmond] and all these guys for a long time. To hear their excitement when I signed over here just as a Minor League invite, that was cool.

MLB.com: How shocking was it to see the Braves make so many moves before the start of the season?

Uggla: They obviously have a plan over there. … I'm happy to see them go in the right direction. They have good people there now. I'm excited for them. I'm happy to see Freddie [Freeman] has a big power guy [in Nick Markakis] to hit behind him. I know [Freeman] lost a lot of friends to trades this offseason. He'll be fine. I grew up a Braves fan. I hope nothing but the best for them, except when they play us, of course. I met a lot of great people in that organization. I'm happy to see they are getting back on track.

MLB.com: What is the goal for Dan Uggla for this season?

Uggla: Get better every day and do something every day to help this ballclub win. That's the goal for me. I want to keep these guys happy. I'm going to be the same guy every day in here. I'm going to play my butt off out there and do something every day to help this team win.

Article #21

How the Nationals found Clint Robinson

By James Wagner – Washington Post (4/8/15)

Before he became the feel-good story of the spring, a darkhorse candidate that was the last man standing, Clint Robinson was a minor league free agent. The 30-year-old spent the previous season with the ’ Class AAA team in Albuquerque. In 119 games, he hit .312, par for the course of his career. In 921 career minor league games, Robinson is a .302 hitter with 141 home runs. He once won a triple crown At Class AA Northwest Arkansas in 2010. As far as minor league hitters go, Robinson was among the most accomplished available.

Robinson, with only 13 major league at-bats to his name, just needed an another opportunity. So one December day, he opened his inbox and found an e-mail out of the blue from Nationals director of player development Mark Scialabba. The Nationals, in search of left-handed hitters, told Robinson they thought he could be a fit and wanted to talk to his agent.

After a chat with the Nationals, Robinson’s agent called to tell him to call Doug Harris, the Nationals’ farm director. The two talked — “a good conversation,” Robinson said — and, soon after, Harris finalized Robinson’s minor league deal with his agent.

Teams sign many minor league free agents every winter and few make the big league team. After the 2014 season ended, Harris, Scialabba and Nationals officials put together a list of minor league free agents to target based on scouting and advanced statistics reports. They wanted a left-handed bat to complement as the Nationals’ major league team is heavy on right-handers.

“His track record stood out against the rest,” Harris said. “He was very highly-ranked on our list.”

Harris had seen Robinson play before but in the lower levels of the minor leagues. Other Nationals minor league coaches knew a lot about Robinson, who was a 25th round pick out of Troy University by the Royals in 2007 and spent six years in that system. The Royals scouting director who drafted Robinson? Former Nationals’ special assistant Deric Ladnier, who was hired by the Diamondbacks this winter after Robinson signed with Washington.

Minor league coaches Mark Harris, Jeff Garber and Patrick Anderson had coached in the Royals’ system and spoke highly of Robinson’s left-handed swing and character. Doug Harris, too, was a former Royals farmhand in the 1990s.

Robinson said he received mild interest from the Dodgers after the season ended but their front office changed this winter. The Twins, White Sox and Reds called, too, but the Nationals showed the strong interest and first, too. A former Albuquerque teammate, Brock Peterson, a former Washington farmhand, spoke highly of the Nationals. Robinson thought he had a good chance of making the Nationals because of the departure of left-handed first baseman Adam LaRoche.

“And then all the other moves happened and I was like, ‘Oh well,'” he said.

Robinson wasn’t disheartened. After all, he hit .333/.404/.608 with nine extra-base hits in 51 spring at-bats. Primarily a first baseman, he worked diligently in the outfield as the Nationals asked. And after Saturday’s exhibition game, Manager Matt Williams called Robinson into his office to tell him had made the team. Before Monday’s season opener, Robinson was beaming as he walked through the clubhouse and chatted.

“The simplicity in his approach allows him to hit each and every pitch,” Harris said. “He’s always hit but now he’s so simple, and that helps put him in a position to hit a lot off different types of pitches. It’s gratifying to see him make the most of his opportunity.”

An opportunity that started with an email.

Article #22

In high-leverage situation, Blake Treinen continues to impress

By Tom Schad – Washington Times (4/8/15)

In the bottom of the seventh inning Wednesday night, left-hander Xavier Cedeno started warming up in the Washington Nationals bullpen. Right-hander Blake Treinen began throwing on the adjacent mound. Then Cedeno sat down. Treinen kept throwing. The eighth inning would be his.

Manager Matt Williams had planned to use Treinen in this situation before the game. And even though the New York Mets were due to bring their two best left-handed hitters to the plate, he stuck to it.

Treinen gave up a one-out single to but snagged a comebacker from Lucas Duda in the next at-bat, rifling the ball to first to end the inning. Drew Storen picked up his first save of the season with a clean ninth, and the Nationals won, 2-1.

Though Ryan Zimmerman's two-run home run and Jordan Zimmermann's six strong innings were the game's major storylines, Treinen's appearance was noteworthy. The 26-year-old had never faced a situation in the majors like the one he encountered Wednesday when he entered a one-run game in the eighth inning. And with Casey Janssen recovering from rotator cuff tendinitis in his right shoulder, Treinen could see plenty of those situations in the near future.

"The situation is what it is," Treinen said after the game. "It's something new for me. I haven't really had too many opportunities to pitch out of the 'pen in a close game. I loved it. It was a blast. I was glad I was able to do my job to get to the ninth for Drew."

When Tyler Clippard was traded to the Oakland Athletics this winter, he left a significant void in the Nationals' bullpen. In the eighth inning of a tight game, Williams can no longer hand the ball to an unshakeable right-hander who is just as effective against lefties.

In spring training, he floated the possibility of letting matchups dictate whether Janssen, left-hander Matt Thornton or another reliever precedes Storen. Playing that matchup game will only work for so long, however. Finding a suitable fill-in while Janssen recovers would be preferable, and Treinen might be the best option to step into that role.

"He's running the ball in there at 98 miles an hour with some good sink," Williams said. "I'm happy with the way he went about it tonight. [There will] certainly be more opportunities for him."

Treinen continues to leave positive impressions on his teammates as well. Storen described the 26-year- old's repertoire as "big-time stuff." Zimmerman said he has "all the talent in the world."

"He's throwing 98-mph bowling balls up there," Zimmerman said. "Unfortunately, we've got a couple guys injured that have pitched back there, but those guys obviously have the talent and the experience to do it and I think we'll be just fine."

Treinen made 15 big-league appearances last season, including seven starts, and posted a 2.49 ERA. Though he was primarily a in Washington's minor-league system, he has the combination of velocity and sinking movement that befits a late-inning reliever. He is highly-regarded within the organization and could become a long-term staple in the bullpen.

Whether that proves to be the case, or whether Treinen continues to work the eighth inning specifically, won't alter his approach.

"I'm not going to speculate on whose roles are what," Treinen said. "Everybody in the 'pen down there can be an eighth-inning guy, seventh, eighth inning guy to get to Drew. There are so many talented pitchers on this staff. I'm just going to pitch whenever they call my name and tell me to go in. If this is what it is, I'll be more than happy. If it's not, then whenever my opportunity is called out there I'll give it my best, just like anybody else on this staff."