Good morning, and wow look at all these questions! I'll do my best to catch up and answer as many as I can, starting with this one ...
I think the hopeful answer to this question is Dylan Crews. Everybody -- and I mean everybody -- with the Nationals really wants him to break out and be the player he's supposed to be. If he does, it probably makes more positive difference for the team than anybody else. Of course, we need to actually see evidence of it happening, and so far we have not seen it. Fingers remain crossed.
On the pitching side, I am really excited to see what Cade Cavalli can be now that he's healthy and ready to face MLB lineups every five days. So far, he looks great. We need to see how that translates to the regular season, and if he's able to keep his arm healthy, but it does feel like he's poised to ascend to the top of the rotation.
It is very different. Obviously, when you overhaul the front office and coaching staff, it's going to feel different. But these new groups are so different than the former groups, it feels like an even more dramatic change. Now, a word of caution: That doesn't necessarily guarantee better results. We simply don't know yet what this is going to translate into on the field. But the mood around camp has been more upbeat than it's been in several years, and the players seem to have fully bought-in to the new staff.
I don't think anyone is reading anything into this first week of exhibition games. Crews is 0-for-6. That's the equivalent of 1 1/2 full regular-season games. Would you panic if he went 0-for-6 over the course of 14 innings in May? No.
Now, that said, of course at some point we need to see Crews' performance match the hype. And to date, we haven't seen that in the big leagues. He knows it. They know it. There's as much spotlight on him this season as anybody else on the roster.
I wouldn't say their presence at spring training has been noticeably different than in the past. Mark Lerner has been around most days, which has been typical over the years. I've also seen other members of the ownership group, including Bob Tanenbaum and Alan Gottlieb. Again, not unusual. I will say that I've heard ownership has basically stayed out of Paul Toboni's way so far. They're letting him do his thing without real interference. Obviously, they've given him financial parameters under which he must work. But I don't get the sense they've tried to influence the way he's gone about building the roster or structuring the front office and coaching staff. Which is nice to see.
I mean, it's still really early, and we've only seen a handful of games (which is the best way to evaluate players), so I don't want to make any sweeping declarations yet. I will say that I've had a chance to talk to both Eli Willits and Gavin Fien (the top prospect acquired in the MacKenzie Gore trade) and came away impressed by both. Willits, we already knew was talented and mature for his age. But I've got to tell you, I was blown away with how mature Fien came across. He's not yet 19, and if you didn't know you'd swear he was already 23. Both physically and emotionally. I have no idea if he can play -- the belief is that he's going to be a big-time bat who may wind up playing one of the corner positions -- but he was a tremendous interview and is someone I'll be watching closely over the next couple years.
Yes. This was one of my biggest questions entering camp. Would players be skeptical of the new administration, especially given their age and inexperience? And it's been clear to me from the beginning, they have bought into the plan and to the people themselves. Now, again I have to include this all-important caveat: It's easy to buy in to the staff in February, because everyone's in a good mood anyway. The real test will come in April, May, June and beyond, especially if (when) this team is losing way more than it's winning. I will be very interested to see how everyone deals with that when the time comes.
My pal Al Galdi asked me this same question yesterday when we recorded the latest episode of the Nats Chat podcast -- Cheap plug! Download the episode and subscribe at https://www.natschatpodcast.com/ -- and I'll tell you what I told him. I don't get the sense they're likely to add more free agents at this point. They've signed a veteran starter in Miles Mikolas. They've signed two veteran relievers in Cionel Perez and Drew Smith. They haven't signed a first baseman, but I think they're content to go with what they have there, otherwise they would've already signed someone else by now. Maybe if the team suffers an injury, or it becomes clear the guys in camp aren't going to be good enough, they could change course. But my guess is the Opening Day roster will come from the players already here.
I think Mark mentioned the other day, that his schedule lines up that it would be his turn to pitch on the 26th opener at Wrigley. Lots can happen in 4 weeks, but that seems like it was deliberate when they set his GFL debut start.
Luis Garcia Jr. has yet to make his game debut because of a minor hamstring injury (I believe he should be playing tonight, stay tuned), so we haven't seen him at first base in games yet. (Though I think he'll only be at second base for the first week or so before they give him a look in a game at first base.) So for now, we've seen Andres Chaparro, Abimelec Ortiz and Matt Mervis. Chaparro homered yesterday off a lefty, which was good. Ortiz looks like a potent left-handed bat, but we need to see evidence of that in games. Mervis has been shakier in the field. He's also leaving to play for Israel in the WBC in a few days, so that will delay his opportunities to play in camp (though perhaps there are conclusions to draw about how he does in the WBC against top competition?).
The stars do seem to be aligned for Cade Cavalli to start Opening Day at Wrigley Field, but there's still plenty of time for them to adjust the schedule. Let's just hope you didn't create that Jump to Conclusions mat after suffering the same kind of injuries poor Tom did in Office Space!
Yes, if it's a 1:05 p.m. game, you should start to see guys trickle out onto the back fields around 9 a.m., and they'll be out there until maybe 11:30 a.m. or so. Usually, the MLB players are working out on Field 1 and 2, with minor-leaguers on the cloverleaf (Fields 3, 4, 5, 6). One word of caution: They did drills and took BP inside the ballpark prior to one game this week, and unfortunately fans weren't allowed inside that early. Don't know if that will become a regular thing or not.
If it's a 6:05 p.m. game, the routine is the same, just pushed back. So, guys start heading out there around 2 p.m. And even if it's a road game, they'll do their pregame work in West Palm Beach before getting on the bus for Jupiter or Port St. Lucie closer to gametime.
There are very few givens for position players right now. The debate about CJ and what position James Wood will man are interesting but the biggest questions are still First and Catcher. Any thoughts or insight for them?
I've discussed first base a bit already, so let's focus on catcher here. In theory, it's an open competition between Keibert Ruiz and Harry Ford (plus Drew Millas and Riley Adams, if you believe Blake Butera). In reality, I have a suspicion Ford is going to begin the season at Triple-A. Just because he's barely played in the majors at this point, he's new to the organization and he might be better served being the No. 1 catcher in Rochester than splitting time in D.C. That would give Ruiz the opportunity to re-establish himself, and would allow Millas to back him up. At some point, if/when Ford is performing well and if/when Ruiz is struggling, they could make the move and promote Ford to get real playing time in the majors.
Now, I'm not saying that's set in stone. It's really just speculation on my part. If Ruiz doesn't look good this spring, or if Ford just looks fantastic, maybe that changes the dynamic. But I just have this feeling they're not going to rush Ford and will only put him in the majors once he's made it clear with his performance he's ready for it.
This might be more of an answer based off last season than this spring, but since it's only been a couple weeks and there's only so much to base evaluations off ... Nasim Nunez's growth from his rookie year until now has been remarkable. I'll admit when I first saw him in 2024, I thought to myself: This guy is never going to do enough at the plate to justify keeping him in the big leagues. Well, he has come so far since then, and all the credit goes to him for that. I don't know if he's progressed enough to believe he can be a regular big-league player offensively, but I'd sure like to see him get a shot. Because the defense is off-the-charts good, and we've seen enough glimpses of his offensive improvement to believe there's a chance it's legit.
I feel like just about anybody who makes the bullpen could be considered a dark-horse candidate, right? But seriously, after watching Riley Cornelio for the first time the other night, I was suddenly having visions of him making the Opening Day bullpen. It very much reminded me of Brad Lord last spring. Now, I did float that idea to Blake Butera, and he laughed and said they're committed to Cornelio as a starter for now. So maybe he's destined for the Rochester rotation. But if he were to keep this up this spring ...
With the log jam of outfielders on the Major League team and quite a few prospects that seem to be ready / almost ready to be on the big league club. Do you think they will end up moving one of them for a position of need or kick the can down the road and enjoy the depth for the time being? Thanks!
I think for now everybody remains in the outfield (or DH). They aren't just going to convert a young guy to first base because of an organizational logjam. That would potentially come a year, two or three down the road. I do think, though, the new front office is going to need to really evaluate which of these outfielders they believe are part of the long-term plan and which ones are not. Because at some point, they've got to trade from that surplus in order to bolster other positions of real need.
Hi Mark, I'm just curious as to what you think will get the 1st base job. It remains the major hole in the infield. If you think about it, Adam LaRoache was the last really good 1st baseman they had.
More and more, I get the sense they're perfectly content (and maybe even prefer) to have a timeshare at first base. That could be Luis Garcia Jr. or Abimelec Ortiz from the left side and Andres Chaparro from the right side. This may apply to a few other positions as well, but definitely to first base. They're going to play matchups, and that may not just be game-to-game, but within games at well. If, say, Garcia starts a game at first base against an opposing right-hander, I could see Butera pulling him for Chaparro later in the game if the other team brings in a lefty reliever. I think we need to stop thinking about first base in the old-school, one big-name slugger who starts every day way, because I don't think that's the way this group is thinking about the position.
Which player are you most bullish on heading into the 26 season?
Good morning, and wow look at all these questions! I'll do my best to catch up and answer as many as I can, starting with this one ...
I think the hopeful answer to this question is Dylan Crews. Everybody -- and I mean everybody -- with the Nationals really wants him to break out and be the player he's supposed to be. If he does, it probably makes more positive difference for the team than anybody else. Of course, we need to actually see evidence of it happening, and so far we have not seen it. Fingers remain crossed.
On the pitching side, I am really excited to see what Cade Cavalli can be now that he's healthy and ready to face MLB lineups every five days. So far, he looks great. We need to see how that translates to the regular season, and if he's able to keep his arm healthy, but it does feel like he's poised to ascend to the top of the rotation.
Great to see you doing this again, Mark! How do you compare the overall “vibe” at camp compared to years past?
It is very different. Obviously, when you overhaul the front office and coaching staff, it's going to feel different. But these new groups are so different than the former groups, it feels like an even more dramatic change. Now, a word of caution: That doesn't necessarily guarantee better results. We simply don't know yet what this is going to translate into on the field. But the mood around camp has been more upbeat than it's been in several years, and the players seem to have fully bought-in to the new staff.
how concerned are they on Crews sluggish start after last year?
Wood and Lile are also 0-for-Spring, don’t think anyone is concerned about them. They’ve all hardly gotten any ABs
I don't think anyone is reading anything into this first week of exhibition games. Crews is 0-for-6. That's the equivalent of 1 1/2 full regular-season games. Would you panic if he went 0-for-6 over the course of 14 innings in May? No.
Now, that said, of course at some point we need to see Crews' performance match the hype. And to date, we haven't seen that in the big leagues. He knows it. They know it. There's as much spotlight on him this season as anybody else on the roster.
Has ownership presence been any different than years past?
I wouldn't say their presence at spring training has been noticeably different than in the past. Mark Lerner has been around most days, which has been typical over the years. I've also seen other members of the ownership group, including Bob Tanenbaum and Alan Gottlieb. Again, not unusual. I will say that I've heard ownership has basically stayed out of Paul Toboni's way so far. They're letting him do his thing without real interference. Obviously, they've given him financial parameters under which he must work. But I don't get the sense they've tried to influence the way he's gone about building the roster or structuring the front office and coaching staff. Which is nice to see.
Mark, which prospects at each level have stood out in camp to you and the team?
I mean, it's still really early, and we've only seen a handful of games (which is the best way to evaluate players), so I don't want to make any sweeping declarations yet. I will say that I've had a chance to talk to both Eli Willits and Gavin Fien (the top prospect acquired in the MacKenzie Gore trade) and came away impressed by both. Willits, we already knew was talented and mature for his age. But I've got to tell you, I was blown away with how mature Fien came across. He's not yet 19, and if you didn't know you'd swear he was already 23. Both physically and emotionally. I have no idea if he can play -- the belief is that he's going to be a big-time bat who may wind up playing one of the corner positions -- but he was a tremendous interview and is someone I'll be watching closely over the next couple years.
Do the players seem to be buying into Blake and Paul’s approach?
Yes. This was one of my biggest questions entering camp. Would players be skeptical of the new administration, especially given their age and inexperience? And it's been clear to me from the beginning, they have bought into the plan and to the people themselves. Now, again I have to include this all-important caveat: It's easy to buy in to the staff in February, because everyone's in a good mood anyway. The real test will come in April, May, June and beyond, especially if (when) this team is losing way more than it's winning. I will be very interested to see how everyone deals with that when the time comes.
Any potential late free agent signings (particularly first base or pitching) or do you get the sense they are going with who they have in camp?
My pal Al Galdi asked me this same question yesterday when we recorded the latest episode of the Nats Chat podcast -- Cheap plug! Download the episode and subscribe at https://www.natschatpodcast.com/ -- and I'll tell you what I told him. I don't get the sense they're likely to add more free agents at this point. They've signed a veteran starter in Miles Mikolas. They've signed two veteran relievers in Cionel Perez and Drew Smith. They haven't signed a first baseman, but I think they're content to go with what they have there, otherwise they would've already signed someone else by now. Maybe if the team suffers an injury, or it becomes clear the guys in camp aren't going to be good enough, they could change course. But my guess is the Opening Day roster will come from the players already here.
Compared to recent years under Davey, what are some interesting differences you've seen in person at Spring Training this year?
The most noticeable differences ...
1. There's way more technology all over the place, especially in the bullpen area.
2. There are more coaches than there used to be, and that's not only at the MLB level but at the minor-league level as well.
3. I keep confusing many of the coaches for active players, because they're so young. That didn't happen in the past.
4. There's way more talk (both directly with players and with reporters) about data than in the past.
Mark - thanks for the chat. What are your early impression on how first base is handled? Chaparro vs. Ortiz and does Garcia play there any?
Also, Cavalli your opening day starter? I’ve got my jump to conclusions mat out Office Space style myself.
I think Mark mentioned the other day, that his schedule lines up that it would be his turn to pitch on the 26th opener at Wrigley. Lots can happen in 4 weeks, but that seems like it was deliberate when they set his GFL debut start.
Luis Garcia Jr. has yet to make his game debut because of a minor hamstring injury (I believe he should be playing tonight, stay tuned), so we haven't seen him at first base in games yet. (Though I think he'll only be at second base for the first week or so before they give him a look in a game at first base.) So for now, we've seen Andres Chaparro, Abimelec Ortiz and Matt Mervis. Chaparro homered yesterday off a lefty, which was good. Ortiz looks like a potent left-handed bat, but we need to see evidence of that in games. Mervis has been shakier in the field. He's also leaving to play for Israel in the WBC in a few days, so that will delay his opportunities to play in camp (though perhaps there are conclusions to draw about how he does in the WBC against top competition?).
The stars do seem to be aligned for Cade Cavalli to start Opening Day at Wrigley Field, but there's still plenty of time for them to adjust the schedule. Let's just hope you didn't create that Jump to Conclusions mat after suffering the same kind of injuries poor Tom did in Office Space!
We are visiting spring training next week. Is the daily schedule similar to the one previously used?
Yes, if it's a 1:05 p.m. game, you should start to see guys trickle out onto the back fields around 9 a.m., and they'll be out there until maybe 11:30 a.m. or so. Usually, the MLB players are working out on Field 1 and 2, with minor-leaguers on the cloverleaf (Fields 3, 4, 5, 6). One word of caution: They did drills and took BP inside the ballpark prior to one game this week, and unfortunately fans weren't allowed inside that early. Don't know if that will become a regular thing or not.
If it's a 6:05 p.m. game, the routine is the same, just pushed back. So, guys start heading out there around 2 p.m. And even if it's a road game, they'll do their pregame work in West Palm Beach before getting on the bus for Jupiter or Port St. Lucie closer to gametime.
There are very few givens for position players right now. The debate about CJ and what position James Wood will man are interesting but the biggest questions are still First and Catcher. Any thoughts or insight for them?
I've discussed first base a bit already, so let's focus on catcher here. In theory, it's an open competition between Keibert Ruiz and Harry Ford (plus Drew Millas and Riley Adams, if you believe Blake Butera). In reality, I have a suspicion Ford is going to begin the season at Triple-A. Just because he's barely played in the majors at this point, he's new to the organization and he might be better served being the No. 1 catcher in Rochester than splitting time in D.C. That would give Ruiz the opportunity to re-establish himself, and would allow Millas to back him up. At some point, if/when Ford is performing well and if/when Ruiz is struggling, they could make the move and promote Ford to get real playing time in the majors.
Now, I'm not saying that's set in stone. It's really just speculation on my part. If Ruiz doesn't look good this spring, or if Ford just looks fantastic, maybe that changes the dynamic. But I just have this feeling they're not going to rush Ford and will only put him in the majors once he's made it clear with his performance he's ready for it.
Which player has surprised you the most in terms of growth and performance?
Or maybe impressed you is a better word?
This might be more of an answer based off last season than this spring, but since it's only been a couple weeks and there's only so much to base evaluations off ... Nasim Nunez's growth from his rookie year until now has been remarkable. I'll admit when I first saw him in 2024, I thought to myself: This guy is never going to do enough at the plate to justify keeping him in the big leagues. Well, he has come so far since then, and all the credit goes to him for that. I don't know if he's progressed enough to believe he can be a regular big-league player offensively, but I'd sure like to see him get a shot. Because the defense is off-the-charts good, and we've seen enough glimpses of his offensive improvement to believe there's a chance it's legit.
Do you think the club would consider starting Nasim Nunez on Opening Day at 2B or SS or do his hitting issues relegate him to a utility role?
He hit 2 HR in one game last year. I expect him to hit at least 300 HR this year. ;)
Good timing! See the above question/answer!
Good morning, Mark.
Do you have any dark horse candidates to make the opening day roster?
I feel like just about anybody who makes the bullpen could be considered a dark-horse candidate, right? But seriously, after watching Riley Cornelio for the first time the other night, I was suddenly having visions of him making the Opening Day bullpen. It very much reminded me of Brad Lord last spring. Now, I did float that idea to Blake Butera, and he laughed and said they're committed to Cornelio as a starter for now. So maybe he's destined for the Rochester rotation. But if he were to keep this up this spring ...
With the log jam of outfielders on the Major League team and quite a few prospects that seem to be ready / almost ready to be on the big league club. Do you think they will end up moving one of them for a position of need or kick the can down the road and enjoy the depth for the time being? Thanks!
I think for now everybody remains in the outfield (or DH). They aren't just going to convert a young guy to first base because of an organizational logjam. That would potentially come a year, two or three down the road. I do think, though, the new front office is going to need to really evaluate which of these outfielders they believe are part of the long-term plan and which ones are not. Because at some point, they've got to trade from that surplus in order to bolster other positions of real need.
Hi Mark, I'm just curious as to what you think will get the 1st base job. It remains the major hole in the infield. If you think about it, Adam LaRoache was the last really good 1st baseman they had.
Ryan Zim did OK, we won a WS with him.
Yes, but he was moved there towards the end of his career.
More and more, I get the sense they're perfectly content (and maybe even prefer) to have a timeshare at first base. That could be Luis Garcia Jr. or Abimelec Ortiz from the left side and Andres Chaparro from the right side. This may apply to a few other positions as well, but definitely to first base. They're going to play matchups, and that may not just be game-to-game, but within games at well. If, say, Garcia starts a game at first base against an opposing right-hander, I could see Butera pulling him for Chaparro later in the game if the other team brings in a lefty reliever. I think we need to stop thinking about first base in the old-school, one big-name slugger who starts every day way, because I don't think that's the way this group is thinking about the position.
Thanks Mark. I'm enjoying the new page.