The Washington Nationals‘ mostly solidified and entirely stacked roster is very low on drama this spring when it comes to position battles.
Entering camp, the Nats had eight position players locked into everyday roles and five veteran starting pitchers plugged into the rotation.
Injuries shuffled the deck a bit—Denard Span will miss the beginning of the season and Jayson Werth is still probable, but not 100 percent ready, for Opening Day. But Span’s injury just gives eventual-starter Michael A. Taylor a jump on his big league career and Nate McLouth is a perfectly capable placeholder for a few Werth-less games if need be.
Washington’s real parity is beyond the face value of the starting lineup.
Tyler Moore and Mike Carp look like the last two Nats standing in a battle for the final spot on the 25-man roster. Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer still don’t know who will start on Opening Day and Gio Gonzalez is making sure he remains a starter in general.
In this list, we’ll take a look at those less conventional position battles and make a call on who’s done enough in spring training to win them.