21 Mar 2012

The Game: Filling out the infield

Photo by Claudia Holwill

by Richard Holwill

At Spring Training, you see major-league quality ball for the first four to five innings.  After that, management wants to look at the minor league players and prospects who might make the team on opening day or be brought up during the season.  So you are seeing AAA-ball around the 6th inning and — based on some amateurish base running in the 9th inning — we’d call it AA- or A-ball at the end of the game.

Notwithstanding sloppy play at the end of the 9th, much of the infield looks great. Ryan Zimmerman is at third and is the unquestioned face of the franchise with a long-term contract, a gold glove and boyish charm.  Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa at short and second are set to turn the double-play relay.  Each has credible batting averages for skill players. 

First base is an open question: Adam LaRoche isn’t yet back.  He says the shoulder injury that benched him early last season is better; however, according to hitting coach Rick Eckstein, LaRoche “has this foot thing going on.”  LaRoche has one year to go with the Nats on a two-year contract that will cost them $7 million in 2012.  This is one reason why the Nats were looking at other free-agent first basemen in the off-season.

Last year, Michael Morse moved in from the outfield to play first base but was replaced toward the end of the year by 23-year-old Chris Marrero who hit .381 last year.  Before you say “Wow,” remember that he had only 12 at-bats.  Thus, while the numbers are promising, they could be a statistical anomaly.  Marrero is out for a couple of months with a pulled hamstring.

We didn’t see LaRoche or Marrero play on Saturday or Sunday in Viera.  Instead, Chad Tracy was on first on Saturday against the Miami Marlins and had a shot at impressing management at the start of the game.  He went 0 for 4, which didn’t excite anyone.  On Sunday, Tyler Moore was on first and had 2 hits for 4 at-bats.

The race to fill out the 25-man roster will include at least two utility infielders, one of whom will rotate to the outfield on occasion.  Marrero’s strong showing last year makes him an obvious candidate in a couple of months.  In the interim, Steve Lombardozi looks good.  He got two hits against the Yankees on Friday night and played second base very smoothly in his several outings with the Nats.

Still, Mark DeRosa may have a lock on being the utility infielder.  DeRosa is 37 and has the maturity to warm the bench while waiting to get into a game.  Eckstein told me to keep an eye on him and, indeed, he is worth watching.  He hit .294 last year and is hitting over .400 in Spring Training this year.  Manager Davey Johnson has said he likes to have strong bats on the bench.  DeRosa gives him that with Lombardozi looking strong as well and Marrero, once he is well, as a mid-season addition.

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