PHILADELPHIA — When Danny Espinosa left spring training, he wasn’t sure what to think.
Before arriving in Viera, Florida, Espinosa and Washington Nationals brass had decided it would be best for the longtime switch-hitter to hit exclusively from the right side. Everyone knew it would be a difficult adjustment, especially in limited at-bats over a period of six weeks, and no one ruled out the possibility that Espinosa could return to switch-hitting. When the regular season began, even Espinosa wasn’t sure where he would stand against right-handed pitchers.
On Saturday night in Philadelphia, it was noteworthy but not entirely surprising that he stepped into the left-handed hitter’s side of the batter’s box against Jeanmar Gomez, a righty, in the eighth inning. In his first left-handed at-bat of the season, he roped a double to right field. He hit left-handed again in the ninth, striking out against Jonathan Papelbon. The Phillies went on to win the game, 3-2, in 10 innings.
After the game, manager Matt Williams said Espinosa’s return to switch-hitting was “a mutual decision.” The 27-year-old said it was a matter of comfort.
“You know, I feel like left-handed, I can go up there and compete, and that’s what I feel comfortable with right now,” Espinosa said. “It’s just a matter of comfort and getting in there and feeling comfortable and being comfortable in my at-bat, and that’s what I want to do.”
Espinosa said he had been maintaining his left-handed swing all spring by taking occasional swings in the batting cages and batting practice. In 45 right-handed at-bats against right-handed pitchers during spring training, he hit .133 with five walks and 17 strikeouts.
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The utility infielder is a career .213 hitter from the left side against right-handers, but that is where he said he is most comfortable. And that comfort is what is most important to Williams.
“We want him to be free of mind when he gets out there,” the manager said. “He hit a lot right-handed in spring, so he’s got experience doing that so if he gets a matchup that he feels comfortable with, righty-righty, he can do that.”
Espinosa, however, has not yet reached that point. “It’s not like there’s a pitcher I can say right now yeah, I’d rather hit right-handed off [him],” he said. Maybe that time will come later this season, but for now, he is simply going to stick with switch-hitting, where he feels most comfortable and confident in his approach.
“It’s a matter of repetition, and you don’t get a ton of at-bats in spring training,” Espinosa said. “So you’re going up there right on right and when the games matter, you don’t really know how they’re going to attack you. You’ve never done it. You’ve never faced them. So, you know, I kind of have an idea of what they’re going to do to me left-handed, so I felt better.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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