It appears that Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche, Jayson Werth, Craig Stammen, and Tyler Clippard took the afternoon off to attend the Daytona 500. The below picture was shared on Twitter by Getty Images Manager Mike McCarthy. 

Hardly the most flattering picture of Ryan Zimmerman in the world, but I don't think we'll start hearing the "fat rumors" that came out when similar pictures of Derek Jeter and Chipper Jones emerged last year. The above photo was taken on "Victory Lane" following Jimmie Johnson's victory. 

Craig Stammen also has been live tweeting his visit at Daytona:

In front of the Tony Stewart #14 pit trying to ask them all if they've heard of North Star, OH and @eldoraspeedway twitter.com/cstammen35/sta…

— Craig Stammen (@cstammen35) February 24, 2013

It was a glorious day for baseball fans everywhere. After four cold, depressing, baseball-less months, there were live games on TV again.

Though the Washington Nationals lost their first game of Spring Training to the New York Mets, 5-3, it allowed us to see what kind of shape each player (and his facial hair) was in coming out of the offseason.

Only four regular season, everyday players for the Nationals got in the game: Denard Span (CF), Bryce Harper (LF) and Ian Desmond (SS), plus pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Craig Stammen.

Span had a relatively non-descript outing, although he tweeted that he’s liking how he looks in Nats red. 

Harper went 1-for-3 with a single, and he was hitting balls with a vengeance, smacking the first pitch of his first at-bat so hard down the foul line you couldn't help but gasp a little. Harper also put on a juggling show in left field during the third inning when the ball he was attempting to catch bounced off his glove, then his leg, before he snatched it out of the air. Classic Harper.

Desmond continued his tradition of eagerness, swinging at his first spring pitch for a single to left. In the words of the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore, Desmond "is still on pace to take zero pitches in 2013.” Also, his mustache is in mid-season form. 

Strasburg was less successful in his first outing, but nothing so dramatic as to stir up the tired shutdown conversation again. He threw 42 pitches in two complete innings, struck out one and earned two runs. After giving up a two-run homer to Ruben Tejada in the first inning, he settled in during the second. Overall he was pleased with his performance and his ability to adjust, despite calling the first inning a “debacle,” according to the Nationals website. Strasburg said he usually takes a while to get back into the rhythm of things, and that is what Spring Training is for anyway. 

Lots of new faces made it into Saturday's game as well. Prospects such as Matt Skole, Anthony Rendon, Chris Marrero, and  Zach Walters all saw time, and contributed with a walk and two hits between the four of them. 

The Nationals will play their first home game of the spring tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. against the Miami Marlins. 

The Washington Nationals signed right-handed starter Chris Young this week to a minor league deal in an effort to add more depth to a pitching staff that is already the deepest in baseball. 

Young, 33, started 20 games for the New York Mets last season, marking the first time he had managed to pitch 100-or-more innings since 2008. The six-foot-ten hurler posted a 4-9 record with a 4.15 ERA overall for the Mets, not a bad total considering the former All-Star had failed to make more than four starts in either 2010 or 2011. 

At one point, Young was considered one of the more promising young starters in the game. In just his second full Major League season he posted an 11-5 record with a 3.46 ERA in 179.1 innings pitched. That performance helped him earn an All-Star nod, representing the San Diego Padres. The next year he posted a 9-8 record for San Diego while recording a 3.12 ERA in 173 innings pitched. 

Unfortunately. A subsequent series of arm injuries forced him to miss the better part of the next four seasons. 

The good news is that despite his imposing frame, Young has never at any point in his career thrown what anyone would consider hard. Even in 2006, at the age of 27, Young’s fastball averaged just 89.0 miles per hour. That’s extremely slow for any right hander, much less one that had logged just 380 total Major League innings. In 2012 his fastball was one of the slowest in the majors, averaging just 84.6 miles per hour. That would be a death sentence for most pitchers but the fact that his fastball velocity had dropped just over four miles an hour made the adjustment relatively minor. 

What’s yet to be seen, however, is whether Young will be the next Zach Duke, a former All-Star the Nats took a flyer on and turned into a valuable asset...or if he will be the next Brad Lidge, a former star that Washington took a chance on in the bullpen but had to let go of early on in 2012. Like Lidge, though, there is little to no risk here for Washington. Young will not be asked to fill a rotation spot. The Nats will only look upon him to make emergency spot starts if he is healthy. 

Nats GM Mike Rizzo has been all about organizational depth since Day 1 at his reigns in Washington, and Young is a prototypical Rizzoian no-risk, high reward, diamond in the rough. 

The Washington Nationals bullpen has been a strength of the team for the last couple seasons, but they have had some issues with guys getting burnt out by the end of the season. Tyler Clippard is a prime example of this, throwing 72.2, 88.1, and 91 innings in each of the last three seasons.  However, the Nats padded their 'pen a bit more by adding one big name this offseason, Rafael Soriano, to help take pressure of the other relievers and the starters who may not pitch deep into games.

Here are the seven guys I expect to be in the bullpen on Opening Day, assuming health, with an honorable mention at the end.

1. Rafael Soriano – Soriano was acquired this offseason on a two-year deal for one purpose: to close baseball games. He has pitched consistently over the course of most of his career, with the only exception being 2011, when he dealt with some elbow issues. Other than that one season, Soriano has never had an ERA above 3.00 in a season where pitched in enough innings to qualify. That is extraordinary, and it’s exactly why he has a lock on the closer’s role.

2. Drew Storen – After about the worst ending to a season you could imagine for a pitcher, Storen has said all the right things and has done all the right things, as is evident in Jayson Stark’s article on ESPN.com. It’s easy to focus on NLDS Game Five and not focus on how he’s been an elite reliever since being called up. As Stark writes, “Over the last two years, Storen has allowed opposing hitters to compile just a .570 OPS. Among relievers with at least 40 saves and 100 innings pitched, that ranks fourth in baseball, behind only Craig Kimbrel, Fernando Rodney and Jason Motte.” That’s some company. Storen will sit in the eighth inning role with an occasional jaunt into the ninth inning to give Soriano an off day.

3. Tyler Clippard – As mentioned at the top of this post, Clippard has thrown a lot of innings in the last couple years, so the improved bullpen should allow him to pitch less frequently and hopefully keep him fresh down the stretch. Clippard clearly burnt out toward the end of last season when Storen retook the closer’s role. I expect another solid season from Clippard with an ERA somewhere around 3.00, but I wouldn’t expect him to get many save opportunities unless Storen or Soriano get hurt.

4. Ryan Mattheus – Mattheus role with the Nationals is extremely underrated. Despite having no save opportunities during his two seasons with the Nats, he’s had ERAs of 2.81 and 2.85 in 2011 and 2012, respectively. He’s capable of pitching late innings when guys need days off, and he has a live fastball that he throws up to 95 mph. He’ll be a valuable member of the 2013 bullpen, but most of his work will be in the sixth and seventh innings.

5. Craig Stammen – It was finally a real breakout season for Stammen who, like Ross Detwiler, have finally started to realize their potential. Stammen was once a starter during the not-so-good years for the Nationals, but he’s definitely found a place for himself in the bullpen as a long and middle innings reliever. The bullpen is so stacked at this point at the back end, I think Stammen will primarily be used in long relief, but he certainly has the stuff, including a devastating tight slider, to get some middle to late inning appearances. He could also be used in a very similar way to Ryan Mattheus.

6. Henry Rodriguez – Oh, Henry. The potential of the fireballing righty keeps bringing him back into the bullpen, despite a disastrous 2012 season before missing the rest of the season with an elbow injury. That same injury is plaguing Rodriguez in spring training right now, but he’s expected to throw off a mound early next week. If he’s healthy, he’s out of options and he’d be snatched off of waivers in a millisecond, so that means he’s in the bullpen. Hopefully he’s recovered from his injuries, and that allows him to reign in his control. Otherwise, that experiment may not last long.

7. Zach Duke – Duke was a feel good story in 2012, so it’s only fitting that he signed a major league deal this past offseason to be the Nats lone lefty in the bullpen. Duke’s primary role will be long relief, and he’d definitely be the spot starter in an emergency, but he should also get some lefty on lefty action as well. Hopefully, Duke is able to replicate his impressive September 2012 performance.

Honorable Mention: Christian Garcia – The Nationals have shown interest in stretching out Garcia into a starter, which seems like a curious decision for a guy who had two Tommy John surgeries before his 23^rd birthday. Now, complicating matters, he’s had a forearm strain already in Spring Training. Personally, I’d like to see the Nats put Garcia back in the bullpen where he could keep his innings down, especially considering his injury history. I think that’s exactly what will happen eventually, especially if any injuries occur to the seven guys listed above.

Next edition: Catchers and Infield

(Image via @Nationals Twitter account)

This is a segment that I’ve called “predictions” in previous seasons, but there really aren’t any questions about the Washington Nationals 25-man roster going into 2013. We’ll take a couple of posts to remind you who the key players are to the Nationals upcoming season what they’ll need to do to be successful. We start today with the starting pitchers, because if the Nats are going to be successful, it all starts here.

Last season, the starting pitchers avoided a single injury to the core rotation, which is unbelievably uncommon. Statistical probability says the team won’t be quite so lucky this year. However, if they’re able to stay healthy, this is undoubtedly the best rotation in baseball once again.

1. Stephen Strasburg – Strasburg is, without question, the ace of this rotation. He’s coming off of an extremely solid season with a 3.16 ERA, an even more impressive 2.82 FIP, and a 4.3 WAR. The one issue was his innings, obviously, considering his much-discussed shutdown in mid-September. The Nationals have publicly said he won’t be on a limit this year, but I do expect they will be a bit cautious. Don’t expect Strasburg to throw many, if any, complete games unless he’s pitching historically well (see: no-hitter, perfect game), nor should you expect him to wind up with 240 innings. I do expect his numbers to be at least as good as last season, though.

2. Gio Gonzalez – By all indications from ESPN’s Outside The Lines report, Gonzalez did not receive PEDs from Biogenesis and Dr. Anthony Bosch, so the Nats can look forward to putting this nasty matter behind them once they get official word that MLB’s investigation didn’t turn up anything. The team can lock in Gio as their starter for Game 2 on April 3. They’ll hope to get similar production from him, and his 2.89 ERA, 2.82 FIP, and 5.4 WAR are definitely great numbers to strive for.

3. Jordan Zimmermann – One of the team’s most underrated players, Zimmermann finally got some recognition in mid-to-late summer when he posted some truly ludicrous July numbers: 0.97 ERA, 2.09 FIP, and 0.84 WHIP. His end-of-season numbers weren’t too bad either: 2.94 WHIP, 3.51 FIP, 3.5 WAR. Zimmermann finally had a chance to put in a full season’s worth of innings after he recovered from Tommy John surgery, and it’s clear how valuable he has become to the team.
He’s among the best number three pitchers in the game, and he signed a nice one-year/$5.35 million deal for 2013 to avoid arbitration. You’d expect the Nationals would like to try signing him long term, but it’s becoming more and more clear that JZimm may make some serious dough in free agency considering recent deals like the one Zack Greinke signed with the Dodgers. The team may have some trouble getting a hometown discount for the Wisconsin native, especially considering his added experience should make 2013 a very good year for him.

4. Ross Detwiler – Detwiler was widely regarded as the best number five starter in baseball in 2012, so he’ll have a lot to live up to this season, especially since he’s moving up in the rotation. Moving Detwiler to the number four is the right move given his recent performances at the MLB level. I expect Detwiler to continue challenging hitters with his fastball like he did last season, and his 3.40 ERA to be about the same and his 4.04 WHIP to come down a tick to below 4.00.

5. Dan Haren – Haren’s acquisition this offseason was yet another shrewd move by Nats GM Mike Rizzo. Haren had back problems last year with the Angels, which caused him to put up career-worst numbers since he became a full-time MLB starter in 2005. If he’s healthy, however, Haren is a top-of-the-rotation pitcher. In the five seasons before his down, and injured, 2012, Haren posted a cumulative 3.33 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 8.1 K/9. If the Nats get anywhere near that with Haren throwing against other number five pitchers, the team will be in excellent shape. It all depends on his health, which Haren claims is a non-issue entering this season.

This team has very few weak links, but the success of the team will largely depend on the health of these five players.

Next edition: Bullpen preview

This is the first podcast since Gio Gonzalez was tied to a clinic that allegidly provided performance-enhancing drugs, so we address that issue before we get into spring training. We explore if the Washington Nationals have any real roster battles, and we evaluate the NL East competition a bit, focusing on the Atlanta Braves offseason moves.

The 2012 Washington Nationals season ended in about the worst way possible, but that’s all over starting today. The 2013 season is finally underway. Pitchers and catchers are required to report to the Washington Nationals Spring Training facility in Viera, Florida by today, though many like Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, and Zach Duke have already reported.

There will be a lot of energy focused on Gio Gonzalez in the first couple of days, but don’t get caught up in that. Enjoy that we can start talking about real baseball, and the first spring games are less than two weeks away. Happy Pitchers and Catchers, everyone!

Thanks for your patience, readers. This is the last installment of the 2012 Player-By-Player wrap up. (photo: The Washington Post)

Henry Rodriguez is the ultimate “pitcher with potential.” He has potential because he can hit triple-digits on the radar gun with his fastball on command. The problem: he rarely knows where it’s going. His only truly decent season was his 2011 campaign where he had a 3.56 ERA in 65.2 innings. Unfortunately, he also had a 1.508 WHIP and led the National League with 14 wild pitches.

In 2012, his potential earned him a few games as the Nationals' closer. Unfortunately, he blew 25% of his save chances before he was removed from the role in favor of Tyler Clippard. In just 29.1 innngs because of a back injury, Rodriguez still finished third in wild pitches in the National League and finished with a 5.83 ERA.

There was a Nationals Classic on MASN the other day, and Henry Rodriguez was on the mound. It is easy to forget how terrifying it was to watch HRod pitch. When he’s on, he is absolutely untouchable with his fastball and an occasional changeup. When he’s not on, it’s worse than a train wreck. The catcher’s mitt could be a mile wide and he couldn’t hit it.

Next year: It’s hard to imagine how Rodriguez cracks the 25-man roster this season because of the team’s depth there, but if he doesn’t, he’s out of minor league options which would put him on the open market. If he becomes available, some team will pick him up, seeing the same potential in him that the Nationals did when they acquired him in the Josh Willingham trade.

Next up: Some 2013 season previews