Nationally, Training has Sprung

Harper and Strasburg pose awkwardly
Courtesy of Nationals PR

Baseball is under way once again, and all 30 teams have started playing exhibition games and imitating Tim Kurkjian.  I for one am more excited about the Kurkjian imitations, but hey, that's just me.  The Washington Nationals have been playing in the wonderful Viera, Florida where Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg are garnering most of the attention.  The Juggernats eeked out a victory against the collegiate Hoyas of Georgetown and took two losses to the woeful Astros.  Fear not Nats fans, for these are merely exhibition games and the Nationals also now have NATITUDE.


Despite the early losses, there has been far more good than bad this spring for the Nationals.  Before Spring Training games started, Ryan Zimmerman signed a six-year extension that will keep Zim in town through multiple presidential elections.  The deal also guarantees to bring Zimmerman back to the organization in some capacity for two years, after his retirement.  Everyone throughout the ball club was  excited to get the deal done and many of Zimmerman's teammates showed up to support him at the official press conference.  Phenom Bryce Harper said of Zimmerman's deal, "It's very nice to see guys locked up for five or six years like that."

As far as quotes go, that has been one of Harper's mildest while in camp.  After meeting with management advisors, Harper closed his Twitter account, which had been causing quite a ruckus.  Earlier in camp, Harper stated that he wanted to be like Joe Namath, bringing further attention to himself.  His teammates played it off well, adorning his locker with a "Joe Namath 12 nameplate."  This nameplate was far nicer than the "Bitch Boy" one teammates gave him last year according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo.  It seems the Nationals' players have opened up to Harper though, which is good news, figuring they could be seeing a lot more of him this year.  On the field Harper has been stellar so far, batting 4-for-7 through Monday.  There was one ball Harper misplayed off the bat of Brian Bixler (remember him!), but Manager Davey Johnson was not worried about the error and was pleased with Harper's effort.

One guy who hasn't had any trouble fitting in in the clubhouse is Stephen Strasburg.  Teammates all reportedly love him, despite the mammoth space in between he and Harper in the lead picture.  Strasburg pitched 2 2/3 innings against the Astros surrendering two runs while striking out three.  Not the magical stuff from his inaugural performance in Washington, but fine for the first Strasmas of the year.  Strasburg's arm felt fine after pitching and he said he could have pitched a few more innings easily.  After pitching five games at the end of last season Nationals' fans should be confident that Strasburg will meet his 160-inning quota with no problems.

After Strasburg finished up his outing however, Tom Gorzelanny came in and had the worst Spring Training performance to date for the Nationals.  Gorzelanny allowed seven runs in one inning of work with a couple of 3-run home runs given up and a wild pitch to boot.  Gorzelanny is vying for a coveted spot in the bullpen and did nothing to help his cause Sunday.  In other pitching news, Edwin Jackson was... well, Edwin Jackson.  Jackson didn't allow any runs in two innings but walked a pair of batters and only threw 12 of his 28 pitches for strikes.  In the tiny sample size we have, it appears the Nationals are getting what they ordered with Jackson; someone who has great stuff, but trouble commanding his pitches.

Anthony Rendon
Courtesy of Jonathan Newton

Jayson Werth has also paralleled his play of last year thus far, striking out once and popping out to second with two outs and a runner in scoring position.  Unlike last year, Werth started off getting accustomed to centerfield in case he needs to play there with Bryce Harper on the roster.  Elsewhere, top draft pick Anthony Rendon has been turning heads in practice but has not matched his play in the exhibitions.  With no real chance of making the roster, Rendon is just looking to gain experience at different positions and soak up the wisdom his teammates and coaches have to offer.

We now have under a month to go before Opening Day and the Nationals are looking like good despite their results in games.  With an additional playoff spot available for each league, who knows what's in store for these Juggernats?