Team: Washington Nationals Location: Viera, Fla. Date: March 19, 2008 Burning Question Is Chris Marrero, the club's top pick in 2006, in a position to be nurtured or pushed as the 2008 season approaches? Well, both actually. The hulking Marrero -- he's nearly 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds -- is coming off about as good a first full pro season as one can possibly have. He split time last season between Hagerstown of the Class A South Atlantic League and Potomac of the Carolina League, displaying the power and savvy that the Nationals expected when they made him the 15th overall selection in the 2006 draft. Marrero combined to hit.275 with 23 homers and 88 RBIs. He did appear to run out of steam toward the end of the season but considering this was his first full year of pro ball, the teenager did all right for himself. He hit .218 in August and September but he showed considerably more patience at the plate once he reached Potomac, drawing 32 walks -- more than double the total he had in a similar amount of time at Hagerstown. "His physical tools are as good as anyone's in the organization," Washington Assistant General Manager Mike Rizzo said. "To me, he's a guy that really should be recognized as one of the real guys, not only with the Nationals but in all of Minor League Baseball. Mentally and physically, he can handle everything we throw at him. It's not like we have to baby him because he's a phenomenal talent. "He has a work ethic that is second to none. He's driven and he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder and wants it as much, or more, than I've seen any Minor Leaguer want it. He's a great candidate for a guy who can escalate through the Minor Leagues. His toolbox is unlimited." One of the tools Marrero will be employing is a first baseman's mitt. While he played exclusively in the outfield last year, the club moved him over to first base during the instructional league and has continued working with him there this spring. The switch to the infield will be of benefit not only to Marrero but to the club as well, according to Rizzo. "We think he's at the point where the decision making is based on what's best for him long term and you're making those decisions because he is such a good prospect and so close to the Major Leagues," Rizzo said. "We think first base may be the best defensive position for him. It allows him to relax and just think about hitting. He's going to be a middle-of-the-lineup bat, like a Derek Lee-type of performer, and he's athletic enough to play the position. #ques_include {width:300px;float:right;margin-left:5px;} #ques_content {border-top:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;padding-left:5px;} .ques_schedule {margin-top:5px;font-size:11px;} .ques_dates {font-size:11px;font-style:italic;color:#999;} 
"We have [Wily Mo] Pena, [Lastings] Milledge and [Elijah] Dukes to form a young outfield if that works out. They are all going to be in the lineup at the same time and [first basemen] Nick [Johnson] and Dmitri [Young] have one year past this year. So it's kind of a good time frame. Putting Marrero at first base does a lot for him. It relaxes him and allows him to concentrate on his offensive game." Marrero will begin the season back at Potomac but Bobby Williams, the club's director of player development, said that Marrero would likely have the chance to be at Double-A Harrisburg by mid-season. "He's been looking good out there at first," Williams said. "He's adjusted to the position switch quickly. He made a lot of improvement since the instructional league. And he's got some good hands over there." While the Nats don't seem inclined to retard his development by pushing him too fast, they also aren't ready to keep him on a short leash, either. The youngster -- he won't turn 20 until July -- seems perfectly capable of pushing himself. Other News of the Day Adrian Alaniz, the right-hander whom the Nats grabbed in the eighth round last year from Texas, has looked very sharp this spring. His latest outing was in a Minor League game Tuesday at Viera and Williams raved about his performance. "He threw very well and commanded his fastball on both sides of the plate," Williams said. He's also got a sharp breaking ball that he threw for strikes. He looked good. If we could push him a little, I'd like that, too." It's still undecided where Alaniz, who was 8-2 with a 2.39 ERA for Vermont last year, will begin the season. Williams said the subject is still under discussion. ... C Derek Norris, a Kansas prep star who was chosen in the fourth round last year, has also impressed Williams, who said the youngster has "improved defensively and is gaining confidence blocking the plate." Norris also has a plus arm but hit only .203 in the Gulf Coast League last year. While no decision has been made, he could start the season in extended Spring Training. ... Last year's top pick, LHP Ross Detwiler, is scheduled to start Friday in a Minor League game at Viera. He's going to start the season at Potomac with Marrero. ... 3B Steve Souza, a third-rounder last year, struggled in his GCL debut (.194 in 144 at-bats) but has come back strong this spring. Williams said Wednesday afternoon that the Washington State native has been "a pleasant surprise" this spring. "He's been swinging the bat well, he's been playing well defensively and his throwing has improved," Williams said. "We did a lot of work with him defensively during the instructional league and he obviously did some this winter. He took our instruction, worked at it and came into camp in great shape and with a little different attitude. I think he matured some." ... OF Justin Maxwell is back in Minor League camp after experiencing big-league camp for the first time. He said the difference between the two is obvious. "Over there, they just expect you to do your job," Maxwell said. "On the Minor League side they stress more of the fundamentals. Over there, they do it for a few minutes but here they do it repetitively, over and over." Maxwell, who appeared in 15 games with the Nats last year, will begin this season back in the Minor Leagues and he's okay with that. "Some people wouldn't be patient," he said. "But last year was my first full season. I could see how I need more experience. Everything will work out. It's not on my time, though, it's on God's time." ... Williams also added that outfielders Jake Smolinski and Stephen Englund arrived at camp in great shape and have continued to be impressive throughout. Five Questions with Adam Carr MiLB.com: If you could have dinner with anyone in history, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why? AC: It would have to be Pete Rose. I loved how he played hard. I'm not a hitter but I really admire what he did. He played to the fullest, every game from the first to the last. I looked up to him and that style of baseball. MiLB.com: Is there one thing you're working on improving this spring? AC: Yeah, trusting my changeup and throwing it more. Also, throwing my fastball in the zone more, plus some mechanical stuff. It's not that I didn't trust my changeup in the past. But I would try to manipulate and push it rather than just throw it like a fastball. I'm more consistent with it this year than I was last year. MiLB.com: What would you be doing right now if you weren't playing baseball? AC: I'd probably be going back to school and getting my teaching credentials. I'd still be working with baseball and coaching, but I'd probably be teaching history. I love history. I just enjoy it a lot. With everything that goes on in our world, it's just a point of interest. MiLB.com: Of what accomplishment are you most proud, either on or off the field? AC: Just being able to play the game every day. I get to come out and play every day and not everyone can say they do that. I can still play it and enjoy it like a kid. MiLB.com: So what's it like playing in Harrisburg? AC: It's actually a nice place and there's some stuff to do. It's a good place to play. And in the short time I was there last year I met some good players and faced some good competition. It's also a pretty area. I enjoy it there." Lasting Impression The 2007 season didn't go exactly as infielder Stephen King planned it. A third-rounder from the 2006 draft, King made his debut last year, hitting a collective .227 at three different levels. He struck out 105 times in 313 at-bats and sported a .296 on-base percentage. Yet, he hit 11 home runs, demonstrating that he has some pop and could be a 15-to-20 homer player if he can get all the working parts in order. To that end, he's been working on staying focused at the plate this spring, worrying less about the long ball, confident that this approach will yield better results and more homers in the long run. "For me it's been all mental," King said. "I've struggled with that in the past. I've really been trying to keep things clear at the plate. Oh yeah, I think I could hit 15-20 homers without a doubt. I just have to keep driving the gap and the homers will come. When I try to hit the homers, that's what causes problems. "It's been a little problem that started in my senior year in high school [2006]. Instead of just playing ball and having a good time, I was trying to hit home runs. Scouts were coming around and everyone was watching. This year I went into the offseason with a totally different attitude. It's been working very well for me." Williams agreed with King's assessment that if he simply starts hitting line drives, the home runs will come. King, who hit .180 in 128 South Atlantic League at-bats last year, will be back in Hagerstown this season. "You have to beat the league so I'll definitely be back there," King said. Parting Shots Washington has begun a turnaround in the National League akin to the renaissance that is taking place in American League cities like Tampa and Kansas City. While the Nats may be a few years behind their junior circuit rivals they are headed on the same path, thanks to the work done by general manager Jim Bowden, Rizzo and the rest of the front office. Several shrewd moves -- Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge -- could pay off large in the long run and thrust Washington into the upper echelon of the division. First in war, first in peace and perhaps some day soon, first in the National League East.
Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs. |
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