VIERA, Florida — Things got a little more interesting at Spring Training Wednesday morning as batters stepped in for some live batting practice. Max Scherzer and Tanner Roark were among the pitchers that threw, with Scherzer facing Clint Robinson and Reed Johnson. There were a couple good swings by both, including one by Robinson that hit off the center field wall.
“He looked OK, they all looked good,” manager Dusty Baker said of the pitchers. “Scherzer’s never gonna look bad, but I don’t expect any of them to be in midseason form either.”
Baker was more impressed by something else, though.
“The main thing is we dodged the rain,” he said. “That was a miracle.”
The forecast was calling for heavy rains and storms during the morning workouts, but we only got a little wet.
First full squad workout Thursday
Every player is in camp and ready to go for Thursday’s first full squad workout. You think Dusty Baker is anticipating it?
“I don’t think like that too much,” he said. “I’m looking forward to tonight and having a good meal and going to sleep. I’m serious. In the morning then I’ll think about it. I don’t have any set thing that I say, I just go on how I feel and I speak from my heart.”
Once the time comes on Thursday, he’ll be ready.
“(I’m) anxious to get to work, because we don’t have very long before we start playing intrasquad games and start playing the games,” he said. “It’s not like it used to be — there is no time to get in shape anymore. That’s why if I guy gets hurt early in the spring, he’s playing catch up almost the whole year.”
Flashback to 2005
The Nationals have brought back former first baseman Nick Johnson as a special instructor. Johnson, a member of the 2005 Nationals, was asked by Dusty Baker to come and help out, talk to some of the young guys, and even help Ryan Zimmerman at first base.
“The real good organizations I’ve been in have some history, which we don’t have much here,” Baker said. “I thought back to my Dodger days and there was (Roy) Campanella, (Don) Newcombe, (Sandy) Koufax, all these greats in camp. Which if they said just one thing to help a kid figure it out, just one pitch or one theory how to hit a curveball or whatever, I’ve seen it turn people’s careers around. I know Nick was popular here.”
Dusty then asked Mike Rizzo for permission to bring Johnson in.
“It’s easy to spend someone else’s money,” he said. Rizzo agreed to Baker’s request, and Johnson is in Viera.