There’s a short list of roster questions heading into camp
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — This begins with Carter Kieboom. Because of all the Washington Nationals have to address in the coming weeks — their infield, their fifth starter, the final spots in their bullpen — how Kieboom looks, and how much confidence he inspires, can keep a short list of questions from growing any longer.
The Nationals will carry 13 position players on an expanded 26-man roster. If Kieboom makes the team out of spring training and earns regular work at third base, he would be the 13th and final player, joining catchers Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki; infielders Howie Kendrick, Ryan Zimmerman, Eric Thames, Starlin Castro, Asdrúbal Cabrera and Trea Turner; and outfielders Juan Soto, Victor Robles, Adam Eaton and either Michael A. Taylor or Andrew Stevenson. But if Kieboom doesn’t, and he has to cook a little longer in the minor leagues, this gets more complicated.
Washington hopes Kieboom can take the next step, play third and, by doing so, help fill the void left by Anthony Rendon. Its rotating infield could also put Cabrera, Castro or Kendrick in that spot, and it’s likely that all three will get reps there in West Palm Beach.
But the best version of the Nationals would have Kieboom, a top prospect, a 22-year-old who struggled through 11 games last year, coming into his own. But that 11-game stretch of 2019, in which Kieboom replaced an injured Turner at shortstop, raised concerns about his bat and defense.
The club’s pitchers and catchers will report to its facility Wednesday. Their first full workout is Thursday. Then position players report Monday, the first full-team workout is the following morning, and Kieboom will be on the clock.
If Kieboom begins the season at Class AAA Fresno, the Nationals probably would fill out their roster with Wilmer Difo, Adrián Sanchez or Emilio Bonifacio, a veteran utility player who has a nonroster invite to spring training. That’s a decision they would rather not make.
After Kieboom, and how the infield could form around him, Washington’s most pressing need is a solidified fifth starter. For the next six weeks, from now until Opening Day, Joe Ross, Erick Fedde and Austin Voth will be locked in an internal competition.
Each of the three pitchers had a chance in the rotation last season, whether it was as the fifth starter or in place of Max Scherzer while he battled injuries. And, throughout the year, each of Ross, Fedde and Voth flashed the potential to join the rotation full time.
Ross was making consistent starts before he underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2017. His best stretch of 2019 came in August, when he had a 1.05 ERA in five starts.
Fedde shined last spring once Jeremy Hellickson went to the injured list, and he also had a solid run in August. But his success was short-lived, and always has been, because of fluctuating command. Voth had a small handful of standout starts and showed an ability to miss bats with a fastball-curveball combination. But his problem was health: He dealt with a blister on his right index finger and, more seriously, right shoulder tendinitis.