LOVERRO: Ryan Zimmerman is showing transition to first base won’t be difficult

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

VIERA, Fla. — The baseball gods have not been fair to Ryan Zimmerman.

He was drafted by one of the worst franchises in baseball in 2005, and was the lone bright star on teams that lost 457 games over five seasons.

When the Washington Nationals were a disaster, Zimmerman was known as “The Face of the Franchise” — a dubious moniker of sorts, because who would want to be the face of this franchise in those days?

Now, though, to be identified as the face of this team would be high praise — 280 wins over three seasons and two National League East division titles.

But Zimmerman has been more of a ghost than the face of that success. He has struggled with injuries, from abdominal to shoulder to a bad hamstring last season that limited him to 61 games. There have been All-Star Game appearances by other Nationals players, the emergence of a new young star at third base in Anthony Rendon, and debates last season about whether or not Zimmerman, who wound up playing left field in 30 games last year, should be a bench player.

Now we’re talking about whether or not Zimmerman can play first base.
We are talking about first base, people.

I asked Zimmerman after his spring training debut last week — where he dug out two throws in the dirt with ease — if he was amused by all the questions and debate about his ability to play first base.

“I find a lot of questions amusing all the time,” he said with a smile. “There are stories to be written, so that’s just how it is. I get it, it’s a position switch. Switching to a new position, the questions are warranted, I guess.”

Ryan Zimmerman can play first base. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo knew that from the time he drafted Rendon in 2011. If everything fell into place, his vision of the future infield for Washington was Rendon at third, Ian Desmond at short, Danny Espinosa at second and Zimmerman at first.

The only piece of that dream that hasn’t fallen into place has been Espinosa, who has struggled offensively and is now seen as part of the Nationals’ bench with the arrival of Yunel Escobar this winter as the new second baseman.

Rizzo saw Zimmerman — who was signed to a six-year, $100 million contract extension in 2012 — as his Mark Teixeira, who came up as a third baseman but made the switch to first base at the start of his major-league career and has gone on to win five Gold Gloves at the position.

Zimmerman was a shortstop as a young ballplayer and became a standout third baseman, winning a Gold Glove in 2009. But shoulder injuries contributed to throwing issues, and the emergence of Rendon — who will win Gold Gloves at third base as well — led to Zimmerman following the Teixeira path. He may be just as successful at first base.

The question that everyone should be asking is if Ryan Zimmerman can return to the hitter who stroked 37 doubles, 33 home runs, scored 110 runs and drove in 108 runs in 2009. If that can happen, it goes a long way to this Nationals team fulfilling lofty expectations.

Despite the injuries that have limited him, Zimmerman says he still has the same confidence at the plate that he has in 2009.

“It’s still there,” he said. “I felt great when I came back last year after the thumb [early in the season]. And when I [injured the right hamstring] in Colorado, I felt like I was back to that 2009 level.

“For me, it’s just about staying healthy. I know my swing. A lot of baseball is besides being healthy knowing the situations and doing the right things. I’m never going to lose that. I will get 60 to 70 at bats this spring. That’s usually what I get here. The goal for me is to be ready in the last two weeks. You don’t want to peak too early. That’s kind of what I did when I was younger, and my Aprils have been terrible. So, we’ve scaled it back and not ready to get into a grove until about 10 days out. That’s what has worked, and hopefully, it will work again.”

Stop worrying about Ryan Zimmerman playing first base and start wondering if, at the age of 30, we have yet to see the best of the face of the franchise at the plate.

• Thom Loverro is co-host of “The Sports Fix,” noon to 2 p.m. daily on ESPN 980 and espn980.com.