Rizzo addresses Nats' OF, rotation, more as camp opens
This browser does not support the video element.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Heading into Spring Training, we took a look at the biggest questions facing the club. There are position battles, roles to be filled and prospects on the rise, all of which will be addressed over the next six weeks in camp.
On Thursday, following the Nationals¡¯ first full pitchers and catchers workout, general manager Mike Rizzo spoke on the season ahead.
Starting pitching
Right-handers Jake Irvin, Michael Soroka and Trevor Williams, and left-handers MacKenzie Gore, DJ Herz, Shinnosuke Ogasawara and Mitchell Parker will compete for five spots in the rotation. (The Nationals will not pursue a six-man rotation.) Gore and Williams threw a bullpen session on Thursday.
¡°Usually the hitters will let you know who's pitching the best, who's going to make the team,¡± Rizzo said. ¡°Track record and history and that type of thing. Believe me, the biggest decision we have won't be that we have too many good starting pitchers. Nobody's got enough. We've got the deepest group that we've ever had at the high-Minor League and Major League level, which is a credit to the way we built this thing.
"We've got a good young core of guys already in camp. We've sprinkled in some veterans. We've taken some chances on players that we think have a great chance of rebounding to become a force for us.¡±
? What could the Nats' Opening Day roster look like?
Closer role
The Nationals have to identify a closer after non-tendering All-Star right-hander Kyle Finnegan, who recorded 38 saves for Washington last season. While Rizzo said they have talked with Finnegan during the offseason, there is a possibility they fill the role internally with back-end relievers in camp.
¡°I think we¡¯ve got several guys who have experience doing it,¡± Rizzo said. ¡°We don¡¯t have a proven commodity at that position, but if the season started today, we would have a guy that we would say would be our ninth-inning guy. I don¡¯t know who it is yet. It could be [Jose A.] Ferrer. It could be [Jorge] L¨®pez. [Derek] Law could have some leverage innings. And it could come from somebody that we haven¡¯t thought about yet.¡±
Fourth outfielder
The Nationals are locked in with the young outfield trio of James Wood (left field), Jacob Young (center field) and Dylan Crews (right field). There is a competition for the fourth outfield role, and several factors could go into the final decision.
¡°Those are questions that [manager Dave Martinez] and I talk about all the time. ¡ What does he need as the fourth outfielder?¡± Rizzo said. ¡°Sometimes there's a speed component that you want. Sometimes there's a defensive component. Sometimes you want a guy who can pop it as your extra guy. So we're going to kick that around through all Spring Training.
¡°We do have a lot of good candidates in-house already that can do a lot of things. Alex Call, Stone, [Nationals No. 13 prospect Robert Hassell III] -- all these guys possess tool packages and skills that'll help the team win games. So we feel pretty good about where we're at.¡±
This browser does not support the video element.
Impact of injuries
As starting right-hander Cade Cavalli (the Nationals¡¯ No. 8 prospect) works his way back from undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2023, the Nationals plan to manage his workload on the front end of the season so he is ready to finish out the year in the Majors. Cavalli is participating in Spring Training, and he threw a bullpen session on Thursday.
¡°When you see him throw and he's healthy and in the right frame of mind and the right shape, the sky's the limit for that guy,¡± Rizzo said. ¡°His first bullpen today was terrific, and we¡¯re just going to take it slow with him. But to have him healthy and pitching like he's capable of is exciting to me.¡±
The Nationals also would have had another heat-thrower in camp if not for a recovery period. Righty Travis Sykora (the Nats¡¯ No. 2 prospect, No. 70 overall) underwent a minor labrum surgery in his hip this winter. The 6-foot-6 20-year-old is projected to return to game action in May.
¡°Sykora would have been here if he didn't have the hip issues,¡± Rizzo said.