VIERA, Fla. — Only five spring games stand between the Washington Nationals and Opening Day, and manager Matt Williams is mulling his options.
With starters Anthony Rendon, Denard Span and Jayson Werth all expected to miss the season opener because of injuries, Williams will likely have to reconstruct the top third of his batting order early in the season. The second-year manager said he is fortunate to have several players with experience in those first few spots, most notably outfielder Michael Taylor and second baseman Yunel Escobar.
“There’s a lot of options. Depends on who we’re facing. Matchups against that guy,” Williams said Sunday morning. “We’re trying to put together the best lineup for that particular day. It’s fluid. It could be one [lineup] one day and a different the next day. That’s how we did that for three months last year.”
In recent games, Danny Espinosa has emerged as the most likely candidate to start for Rendon at third base on Opening Day, despite his relative inexperience at the position. Tyler Moore appears to have the inside track in left field while Werth is out, and Taylor will likely start in center field.
The 24-year-old Taylor is also the leading candidate to fill Span’s leadoff spot in the batting order. Though Escobar could hit first if needed, Taylor has been a leadoff hitter in the minor leagues and is hitting .340 this spring. He went 3-for-3 on Sunday with a single, a double and a leadoff home run, his team-high fourth of the spring.
Williams said he would not worry about giving Taylor, a rookie, the responsibility of hitting first.
SEE ALSO: Drew Storen enters 2015 season as Nationals’ unquestioned closer
“I think that I would want to put him in the best position to succeed,” Williams said. “But if in fact you don’t have your 1-2-3 guys, or you’re missing a guy somewhere, then you have to adjust. So ultimately, optimally, I’d like to get him in a position where he could swing and not worry about it. But we’re not in that spot right now. So we’ll see.”
When asked about his preferred spot in the batting order, Taylor said he would be excited for any opportunity to play. His approach at the plate would not change.
“I think hitting in the leadoff spot is the only spot where things would change a little bit, and that’s only in the first at-bat,” he said. “But in my at-bats that I’ve had in the leadoff spot so far, they’ve kind of given me the freedom to do what I do. Whether I’m hitting one, two, five, seven, nine, for me, it hasn’t changed too much.”
Williams said Escobar “profiles as a No. 2 guy,” but shortstop Ian Desmond can also hit there. The middle of the order, with Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman, should not change.
With all of that in mind, here’s a look at the lineup Washington could use on Opening Day:
1. CF Michael Taylor
SEE ALSO: Nationals’ Casey Janssen to have MRI on right shoulder
2. 2B Yunel Escobar
3. RF Bryce Harper
4. 1B Ryan Zimmerman
5. C Wilson Ramos
6. SS Ian Desmond
7. LF Tyler Moore
8. 3B Danny Espinosa
9. RHP Max Scherzer
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.