Nats and Gnats

By Stephen C. Smith
Publisher
October 2, 2010

Bryce Harper tries to teach a variation on the fist bump to instructional league manager Matt LeCroy.

Instructional league is lots of fun, if you can get the bugs out.

The Washington Nationals' minor league camp at the Carl Barger Complex is swarming with insects. I'm no entomologist, but if I were one I'm sure I'd find as many fascinating life forms flying through the air as those on the playing fields.

Having moved here from California in June 2009, I'm still learning about the Space Coast life style, and that includes the life style of creatures that aren't human. Particularly prolific right now are lovebugs, which have an acidic body chemistry and seem to enjoy irritating exposed human skin.

I have to wonder whether super prospect Bryce Harper finds himself bugged, not just by insects but also by the collectors who swarm about him looking for autographs.

It goes with the territory. According to media reports, the #1 pick in the June 2010 draft received a $9.9 million contract over five years and a $6.25 million signing bonus. Star power inevitably draws attention. Any time Harper is moving from one field to another the fans alight, hoping for a close encounter with The Next Big Thing.

Since I operate in the twilight zone between fandom and media, I give the young man his space although I do film and photograph him. Bryce is history unfolding before us, and one reason SpaceCoastBaseball.com exists is to document Brevard County baseball history.

Many other potential major leaguers are here, so I do my best to get photographs and video of them too.

Instructional league is not like a normal baseball league. The games are more like scrimmages, glorified structured workouts against other organizations' teams. Internal stats are kept, but they're not reported anywhere you can read them. There's no official scorer, no one to report the final box score to Major League Baseball Advanced Media which keeps all official major and minor league statistics.

The October 2 game is a good example why.

The Nationals hosted the Houston Astros in a 10 AM game on a Saturday. Both teams employed ten-man lineups with two designated hitters.

Three of the players in the Nats' lineup were in Viera for a brief tuneup before reporting to the Arizona Fall League — Steve Lombardozzi, Derek Norris and Michael Burgess. Lombardozzi played second base, while Norris and Burgess were the DHs.

It didn't happen in this game, but it's not unusual in the instructs to see a manager end an inning early if his pitcher is falling behind in pitch count.

Nationals catcher Jesus Flores, rehabbing from shoulder surgery, caught the first three innings. Although he was batting fourth in the lineup, the Nats sent him up out of position in the bottom of the third to get one more at-bat before ending his day. Major leaguers batting in minor league spring training or instructional league games often bat as often as possible, regardless of lineup, to get them more plate appearances.

For everyone else, school is in session.

Eury Perez began the game in center field. He misplayed a fly ball that cost the Nats a run. He was removed from the game at the end of the inning and sent to another field where a coach set up a pitching machine to fire fly balls at Eury. For nearly a half-hour, he could be heard yelling, “I got it! I got it!” even though he was the only player on the field. Dozens of baseballs littered the infield as he tossed them in.

As for Mr. Harper, this was the second game I've watched and I've noticed some interesting aspects of his character.

When playing right field, Bryce keeps up an incessant chatter more typical of high school than the professionals. When he runs on and off the field, he takes a big leap over the foul line.

When he bats, he bends over to rub his bare hands in the dirt and grass. In his debut game, he wore gloves for his first at-bat but didn't like it, so he went back to batting bare-handed. On the barrel of his bat is engraved not his name or a generic bat model number but a Biblical inscription, “Luke 1:37” — For nothing is impossible with God.

Perhaps that explains the plague of locusts swirling about the minor league fields.

Below are photos from the October 2 game. These are for your viewing pleasure only. They may not be used elsewhere without my expressed prior written permission. (Contact me at home@spacecoastbaseball.com to acquire rights.) These photos and more eventually will be available in the SpaceCoastBaseball.com Digital Photo Gallery.

 

Starting pitcher Matt Grace warms up before the start of the first inning.

 

Left fielder Destin Hood fields a base hit.

 

Washington Nationals rehabbing catcher Jesus Flores discusses a difficult first inning with Matt Grace.

 

Center fielder Eury Perez fields a base hit. Note that Eury has his necklace in his mouth!

 

Second baseman Steve Lombardozzi batting in the first inning.

 

Randolph Oduber pinch-hit for Eury Perez in the bottom of the first and replaced him in center field.

 

Bryce Harper dirties his hands before batting in the bottom of the first.

 

Bryce Harper hits a fly ball to deep left field.

 

First baseman Russell Moldenhauer awaits a throw in the top of the second.

 

Michael Burgess runs out a ground ball in the bottom of the second.

 

Derek Norris hits a single to right field.

 

Bryce Harper leaps over the third base foul line as he takes the field in the top of the third.

 

Bryce Harper fields a base hit into the right field corner.

 

Wirkin Estevez relieved Matt Grace. Estevez pitched in the Dominican Summer League earlier this year.

 

Sandy Leon replaced Jesus Flores behind the plate in the top of the fourth.