Many happy returns, baseball season.
Pitchers and catchers across the league reported to spring training on Wednesday, and for the Nationals, that means the arrival of plenty of new faces.
Washington added numerous pieces both on the mound and behind the plate as it looks to bounce back from a last-place finish in the NL East during the shortened 2020 season, with many of those new additions reporting to camp on Wednesday. Here are some pitchers and catchers to keep an eye on as spring training workouts begin:
Catchers:
Alex Avila
Blake Swihart
Welington Castillo
The Nats’ most notable addition behind the plate this offseason was signing Avila to a one-year deal earlier this month. Avila, 34, will serve as the backup to Yan Gomes and will look to bounce back from a 2020 season where he posted a .641 OPS across 62 plate appearances. Avila holds a .742 career OPS through 12 seasons, and defensively, his framing numbers hovered around league-average in 2019, and were in just the 31st percentile last season, per Statcast.
Former hyped prospect Swihart could compete for the backup role with Avila this spring, as the Nats signed the 29-year-old to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training back in January. Swihart has battled injury since arriving in the major leagues and didn’t appear at the major-league level last season. He carries a career slash line of .243/.301/.355 through 234 games. Castillo was also signed to a minor-league deal for the second straight season. He opted out of the 2020 campaign with the Nationals due to COVID-19 concerns, and before that, slashed .209/.267/.417 with 12 home runs with the White Sox in 2019.
Starting Pitchers:
Jon Lester
Washington enters spring training with a few notable newcomers on the pitching staff, including Lester, who figures to slot into the back end of the rotation in 2021, behind Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin. Lester boasts five All-Star nods and three World Series titles on his career resume, but has struggled over the past two seasons. The 37-year-old allowed a league-high 205 hits in 171.2 innings in 2019, finishing with a 4.46 ERA. His 2020 season featured more of the same, allowing 64 hits in 61 innings and finishing with a 5.16 ERA. The lefty has relied on his fastball far less in recent years, dropping his usage nearly 20 percent as its average velocity has dipped below 90 mph.
Relievers:
Brad Hand
Rogelio Armenteros
Luis Avilán
Jefry Rodriguez
In the bullpen, Hand represents the most notable addition, with the 30-year-old being regarded as one of the best relievers in all of baseball across the last five seasons. Hand signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal with Washington this winter, coming off a strong 2020 where he led the league with 16 saves and averaged 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last full season, he earned an All-Star appearance in 2019 with a 3.30 ERA. Hand mainly relies on his slider, having used it more than any other pitch in each of the past three seasons, and while his fastball averages just 91.4 mph, his spin rate is among the best in the league.
Armenteros represents another addition to be added to the 40-man roster, as the Nationals claimed the 26-year-old off waivers back in December. Armenteros didn’t pitch in 2020 after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow, and brings just five games of MLB experience to Washington. His lone big-league campaign came in 2019 with the Astros, where he allowed 17 hits across 18 innings.
Left-handed reliever Avilan was signed to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training back in December, as the 31-year-old continues his trek through the NL East. Avilan began his career with the Braves in 2012, and spend time with the Phillies and Mets across the past three seasons. He tossed just 8.1 innings last season with the Yankees and battled shoulder problems, and in his previous season, pitched to a 5.06 ERA in 32 innings in 2019.
A familiar face returns in the form of Rodriguez, who was signed to a minor-league deal with a spring training invite. Rodriguez broke into the majors with the Nats in 2018 and struggled, posting a 5.71 ERA in 52 innings. He was then traded as part of the package to acquire Gomes from Cleveland, and Rodriguez struggled again in 2019 with the Indians, allowing 48 hits in 46.2 innings and fell out of the starting rotation. Rodriguez injured his shoulder last year and didn’t make an appearance during the shortened season.