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| For the Nationals, expectations are lower — but will that translate into results? | For the Nationals, expectations are lower — but will that translate into results? |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| VIERA, Fla. — From the outside, Space Coast Stadium looked quiet Wednesday afternoon. Officially, it opens for business Thursday, when Washington Nationals pitchers and catchers must report to camp. Unofficially, it has been open for weeks because players get antsy for baseball, too. | |
| The February sun is more trustworthy here than in the baseball-starved tundra up north — as warm as it is bright — and on Wednesday it toasted sidewalks that soon will be trafficked by golf carts shuttling players from workouts to their lockers. | |
| Those sidewalks were empty Wednesday. They wound through uninhabited fields waiting patiently for the beginning, some with batting cages set up, some with tarps tossed aside, some with baseballs and weighted balls left lying in the grass. Shawn Kelley, Lucas Giolito and Tanner Roark were among the pitchers who threw Wednesday morning in preparation for their first official workout with the catchers this weekend. | Those sidewalks were empty Wednesday. They wound through uninhabited fields waiting patiently for the beginning, some with batting cages set up, some with tarps tossed aside, some with baseballs and weighted balls left lying in the grass. Shawn Kelley, Lucas Giolito and Tanner Roark were among the pitchers who threw Wednesday morning in preparation for their first official workout with the catchers this weekend. |
| [Dusty Baker survived ruin. Can he go out on top with the Nationals?] | [Dusty Baker survived ruin. Can he go out on top with the Nationals?] |
| Battery-mates must be in Viera on Thursday. That’s the first official deadline of this season, which will begin without suffocating expectations but with plenty of potential for redemption. The Nationals will be different this time around, for better or worse, and those differences will be noticeable soon. | |
| Homegrown staples Drew Storen and Jordan Zimmermann will not report to Viera. They are replaced by questions only players such as would-be setup man Kelley, now-fifth starter Roark and other relative unknowns can answer: | |
| Can the Nationals’ reconstructed bullpen be more reliable than last year’s? Can Roark and Joe Ross and even Gio Gonzalez — sporting flowing curls in a half ponytail as he played catch Wednesday — complete a good enough rotation behind Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg? If any of those pitchers do not perform well, could Giolito — considered the most sure-thing starter since Strasburg — save the day? And what about Jonathan Papelbon? | |
| Answers did not arrive Wednesday. By midday, the pitchers were gone to the showers. The pop of the catcher’s mitt was replaced by the crack of the bat, which had lured a small group of fans to Field Three. | Answers did not arrive Wednesday. By midday, the pitchers were gone to the showers. The pop of the catcher’s mitt was replaced by the crack of the bat, which had lured a small group of fans to Field Three. |
| Clint Robinson, who has been here since the first of the month, hammered line drives to the outfield before he slid out of the cage. Florida native Michael A. Taylor took his hacks next. Bench hopefuls Matt den Dekker and Reed Johnson joked and smiled while they waited for their turns. | Clint Robinson, who has been here since the first of the month, hammered line drives to the outfield before he slid out of the cage. Florida native Michael A. Taylor took his hacks next. Bench hopefuls Matt den Dekker and Reed Johnson joked and smiled while they waited for their turns. |
| Trea Turner, tasked with gaining weight this offseason but still undeniably slight, shagged balls between laughs before heading to the cage himself. Turner is widely considered one of the game’s top 10 most promising prospects, and General Manager Mike Rizzo said he would be willing to make him an everyday shortstop at 22 — provided he proves himself the best shortstop in camp, which begins next week for position players. | |
| Danny Espinosa is hungry for his first chance at regular shortstop duty without Ian Desmond in his way and will be eager to fend off Turner. When will the rookie officially arrive? How will the Nationals’ infield shape up defensively with offensive-minded Daniel Murphy at second and steady Anthony Rendon back home at third? | |
| Those pressing questions will be answered in time. Nothing much felt pressing Wednesday. After his workout, Turner headed out of the dugout and signed a few autographs before heading back to the stadium — all with three gloves balancing on his head. | Those pressing questions will be answered in time. Nothing much felt pressing Wednesday. After his workout, Turner headed out of the dugout and signed a few autographs before heading back to the stadium — all with three gloves balancing on his head. |
| Throughout the session, hitting coach Rick Schu, one of two survivors of the reconstruction of the Nationals’ major league coaching staff, paced around the cage. He teased returning batting practice pitchers Ali Modami and bullpen catcher Sam Palace, who have little immunity against sore spring training arms. Former bench coach Randy Knorr, shuffled into a role as a senior baseball adviser when the coaching staff turned over, leaned behind the plate like he always has, elbows on the cage, one knee up. | Throughout the session, hitting coach Rick Schu, one of two survivors of the reconstruction of the Nationals’ major league coaching staff, paced around the cage. He teased returning batting practice pitchers Ali Modami and bullpen catcher Sam Palace, who have little immunity against sore spring training arms. Former bench coach Randy Knorr, shuffled into a role as a senior baseball adviser when the coaching staff turned over, leaned behind the plate like he always has, elbows on the cage, one knee up. |
| [Stephen Strasburg enters crucial season] | [Stephen Strasburg enters crucial season] |
| But familiarity will give way to uncertainty when everyone arrives, which will happen over the next week or so before the first full-squad workout a week from Thursday. Instead of immutable Matt Williams, there will be never-mute Dusty Baker. Free spirit Mike Maddux will direct the pitching staff instead of straightforward Steve McCatty. Hard-nosed base running guru Davey Lopes will replace soft-spoken jokester Tony Tarasco at first base. | |
| Will new coaches bring progress? Can an infusion of new blood on the coaching staff and the roster heal wounds cut by the Nationals’ 2015 disappointment? Are these Nationals, without leaders such as Desmond and Zimmermann, but still formidable around their 23-year-old MVP Bryce Harper, built to contend? And if so, for what: a playoff berth? A division title? More? | |
| Those answers will come in time but probably no time soon. By mid-afternoon Wednesday, most players had wrapped up light workouts and wandered the path back to sleepy Space Coast Stadium, which will not be dormant much longer. | |
| Note: The Nationals will have another intriguing bullpen option to consider over the next few weeks after agreeing to a minor league deal with veteran right-hander Matt Belisle. Belisle, 35, was 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA last season for St. Louis after spending much of the season on the disabled list with elbow inflammation. |