Tommy John rehab complete, Skole healthy and excited to be back in camp

Tommy John rehab complete, Skole healthy and excited to be back in camp
VIERA, Fla. - It's a really foggy morning down here in Viera and more rain might be on the way throughout the afternoon, but the Nationals will try and get in a full workout today despite the conditions. Players were required to report before 7 a.m. today for photo day, in which they move from station to station and have their picture snapped by various outlets as well as team photographers. The area atop the morning schedule that usually holds Matt Williams' daily motivational quote...

Reviewing some of the new replay rules

Reviewing some of the new replay rules
VIERA, Fla. - After he was done running Friday's workout and taking part in all of his normal daily meetings with his coaching staff, Nationals manager Matt Williams took the hour-long drive to Kissimmee for another meeting. This one was with Major League Baseball officials, and was held to instruct Williams as well as a few other managers on the new video replay rules that will be put into place this season. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, Astros manager Bo Porter and Tigers manager Brad...

Fister, Rendon, Ramos and Williams discuss Fister's live BP session

Fister, Rendon, Ramos and Williams discuss Fister's live BP session
VIERA, Fla. - As spring training progresses, we'll slowly be able to learn more and more about the new players that are in Nationals camp. Doug Fister looked sharp and shown impressive command down in the zone during his three bullpen sessions coming into today. And with hitters stepping into the batter's box against Fister for live batting practice for the first time, we got a little more information on how Fister likes to approach spring and what he brings to the table. For example,...

Harper lands one in the lake, Clippard gets a rest (plus more workout notes)

Harper lands one in the lake, Clippard gets a rest (plus more workout notes)
VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals got lucky today, and Matt Williams knows it. The rain just started coming down pretty hard here, only a couple of hours after the Nats finished their workout on the back fields by the minor league complex. It was sunny and breezy during the workout, and now it's pouring. In the second day of full-squad workouts, Danny Espinosa was right back at shortstop, backing up Ian Desmond in the first drills run this morning. This marks the second day in a row Espinosa began...

Williams: Trust the process, focus on fundamentals, improve defensively

Williams: Trust the process, focus on fundamentals, improve defensively
VIERA, Fla. - Anytime a new manager or coach takes the reins of a team, the early stages of his tenure will be carefully analyzed to see how he handles his players and runs the ship. We've discussed how Matt Williams' first week running the Nationals has been very detail-oriented and planned out. There's a structure in place for how Williams wants things to go, and on the first day of full-squad workouts, his players got a good feel for the pace and focus with which drills will be run this...

Espinosa primarily sees time at shortstop during today's full-squad workout

Espinosa primarily sees time at shortstop during today's full-squad workout
VIERA, Fla. - When position players got into the first drill of the first full-squad workout of Nationals camp, Danny Espinosa didn't receive the first reps at second base. He didn't actually line up at second base at all. Instead, Espinosa was set up as the second shortstop to get infield work, backing up Ian Desmond in this morning's early drills. Anthony Rendon was the top second baseman in the drills - which included bunt plays and standard infield work - with Jeff Kobernus working...

Zimmerman to begin getting playing time at first base this spring

Zimmerman to begin getting playing time at first base this spring
VIERA, Fla. - The chatter about Ryan Zimmerman eventually moving to first base has been going on for some time now. And while we don't know where Zimmerman will be playing the majority of his games two years from now, we do know that he'll get at least a little bit of playing time at first this season. New Nationals manager Matt Williams told Zimmerman this offseason that he wanted him to get a first baseman's mitt in preparation for this spring, where Zimmerman will get some work on the...

Harper does some hitting, Soriano throws his first bullpen session

Harper does some hitting, Soriano throws his first bullpen session
VIERA, Fla. - All 62 players on the Nationals' spring roster have reported to camp, according to manager Matt Williams. Reporters haven't seen Jayson Werth to this point, but that means nothing. Werth has apparently reported to people who actually matter, unlike myself, and he'll take part in player physicals tomorrow. Bryce Harper will meet with reporters tomorrow after he takes his physical. Today, Harper tossed on his Nationals red and blue pullover, laced up his cleats, shagged some...

Hearing from the skipper after Day 3 of workouts

Hearing from the skipper after Day 3 of workouts
VIERA, Fla. - Yesterday, I mentioned that manager Matt Williams and new third base coach Bobby Henley were seen practicing signs in an empty Space Coast Stadium about two hours after nearly all the players had left the facility for the day. What exactly were Williams and Henley doing? Why couldn't they just practice those signs over dinner or in a meeting room? Turns out, Henley wanted to make sure that he had a good view of Williams from the third base coach's box here at Space Coast...

LaRoche on his beard, his health and his experiences with Williams

LaRoche on his beard, his health and his experiences with Williams
VIERA, Fla. - You can add Adam LaRoche, Denard Span, Tyler Moore, Eury Perez, Mike Fontenot and Will Rhymes to the list of position players who have arrived to camp early. The left side of the Nationals' clubhouse - the side occupied by the position players - is slowly starting to fill up. LaRoche strolled into the clubhouse early this afternoon with a lengthy beard on his face and his son Drake right on his heels. The LaRoche boys are back in town. The beard, which features a grey patch...

Fister, Solis impress; Jeroloman almost ready for workouts

Fister, Solis impress; Jeroloman almost ready for workouts
VIERA, Fla. - There's only so much you can take out of bullpen sessions early in spring. There's no one standing in the batter's box. There's no umpire. There are only a couple dozen people watching on instead of 30,000. And, well, pitchers are throwing in a bullpen that has nine other mounds, and typically four other pitchers getting in their own work. That said, you can't help but try and pull something substantive from these sessions, as hard as that can be sometimes. That's what we...

More on the "open competition" at second base, Carroll excited to compete

More on the "open competition" at second base, Carroll excited to compete
VIERA, Fla. - Matt Williams' comments yesterday about the Nationals having an "open competition" this spring between Anthony Rendon and Danny Espinosa for the team's starting second base job seemingly drew a lot of attention from fans. Rendon came up as a rookie last season, adapted on the fly to a position he had barely played since Little League, and fared pretty well. He improved at second base as the season went on and showed some offensive promise, despite the fact he made his big...

Williams wants his infielders to be dancing machines

Williams wants his infielders to be dancing machines
VIERA, Fla. - It wasn't all that long ago that walk-up music was first introduced in baseball games. It used to be when a player came up to the plate to start an at-bat, his name would be announced, the fans would applaud, then the noise would fade and then the player would dig into the batter's box. I'm at the age that I can vaguely remember those days. Walk-up songs have become a huge thing in recent years, though, and many players agonize over their choices or pick three or four...

Strasburg's focus this spring: holding runners (plus plenty more Strasburg quotes)

Strasburg's focus this spring: holding runners (plus plenty more Strasburg quotes)
VIERA, Fla. - Slowly over the last couple of years, one aspect of Stephen Strasburg's game has jumped out at him as an area that has to be improved. The numbers show it, and the results within games have made it plenty evident. Strasburg needs to get better at holding runners. The right-hander has only picked off one runner in his career, and of the 38 runners who have attempted to steal off Strasburg in his 75 big league games, 30 have been successful, a 72 percent success rate. Pitching...

Williams on Harper's health, Livo's role and the idea behind the daily quotes

Williams on Harper's health, Livo's role and the idea behind the daily quotes
VIERA, Fla. - Back at NatsFest in late January, Bryce Harper expressed some doubt that he'd be at full strength when spring training begins, this after he underwent surgery in October to debride and repair the bursa sac in his left knee. "Trying to get back to full strength and we'll see where I can get by spring training," Harper said at the time. "See if I can go through spring training and get to 100 percent by the time the season starts. See where I'm at." Today, Nationals manager...

First workout is in the books

First workout is in the books
VIERA, Fla. - While we've talked a lot about how intense Matt Williams was as a player and how regimented and focused his spring training workouts will likely be, today's workout for pitchers and catchers - Williams' first as Nats skipper - seemed pretty laid back and quiet. That doesn't mean it wasn't tightly run, however. Groups of pitchers quickly rotated through stations where they threw bullpen sessions, worked on their bunting, practiced pickoff moves and did some pitchers'...

Clippard talks contract, is sorry to see Jeter go

Clippard talks contract, is sorry to see Jeter go
VIERA, Fla. - It was just four days ago that Tyler Clippard and the Nationals finally agreed to terms on a contract for 2014 after weeks of negotiations, a deal that will pay the right-handed reliever $5.875 million this season and avoid the need for arbitration. Today, on his 29th birthday, Clippard strolled into the Nationals clubhouse, pleased to have the process done with and a set contract on paper before spring training gets going. "I'm happy, man. I was glad it got done," Clippard...

After another rehab-oriented offseason, Jordan ready to battle for starting spot

After another rehab-oriented offseason, Jordan ready to battle for starting spot
VIERA, Fla. - It might have taken most of the day yesterday for all of the Nationals' pitchers and catchers to arrive at camp, but everyone made it in on the report day, according to a team official. That includes closer Rafael Soriano, who reported to camp late last year because of a visa issue, and right-hander Doug Fister, whose flight to Florida was delayed because of the snowstorm that's affecting a large part of the country. Everyone is now apparently on board and ready to go. Today...

MASN unveils 2014 Nationals broadcast schedule

MASN unveils 2014 Nationals broadcast schedule
MASN announced its broadcast schedule for the 2014 Nationals season this afternoon. The television home of the Nats will air 157 of 162 games this season with 97 appearing live on MASN and MASN HD, and 63 on MASN2 and MASN2 HD. Five games are scheduled to be aired on national networks in 2014. MASN will broadcast Washington's March 31 season opener against the New York Mets from Flushing, N.Y., as well as interleague series against the Orioles (July 7-8 and July 9-10) and the AL West -...

My spring training dark horse for the Nationals (with broadcast note)

My spring training dark horse for the Nationals (with broadcast note)
If you were watching the Olympics yesterday and had to do a quick double take because you thought you saw Jayson Werth competing in the men's moguls competition, well, you weren't alone. Turns out, Swedish freestyle skier Per Spett looks a good bit like Werth when he's got his skiing gear strapped on. And that led to some Nationals fans doing some quick Photoshop work, as you can see in this image on Nats Enquirer. The two men have similarly strong beards, but that might be where the...