Zimmerman makes spring debut, outlines plan

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- It’s only a coincidence that on this date one year ago, March 2, Ryan Zimmerman also made his Grapefruit League debut for the season. It would have been impossible to predict then that it would take another 365 days for Zimmerman to appear in another big league Spring Training game, but he hadn’t prior to Saturday afternoon’s 10-6 victory against the Twins.

Zimmerman’s much anticipated return to spring action passed by as largely uneventful. He went 0-for-2 at the plate -- scolding a line drive that was tracked down in left field near the warning track by LaMonte Wade in the second inning and grounding out to short in the third -- and played three innings at first base, after which he was replaced by Jose Marmolejos. He was scheduled to appear in a game Wednesday, but an illness delayed his debut.

Zimmerman’s return to action should help begin to ease the concerns of critics to his approach to Spring Training a year ago, an ambitious plan that saw Zimmerman forgo playing in big league games in favor of getting playing time on the backfields and in Minor League games to help preserve his body. When he began the season slowly at the plate and eventually landed on the injured list anyway, he caught intense criticism.

So, manager Dave Martinez outlined a plan along with his veteran first baseman to get him into more Grapefruit League games with the rest of the team, while also aiming to keep him fresh and healthy for the start of the regular season. A plan outlined rather simply by Zimmerman:

“When things are good and my body is good, I'm going to play pretty regularly,” Zimmerman said. “If something comes up and my body doesn't feel good, then I'm not going to play.”

It might be as basic as that for Zimmerman, who at 34 years old has endured a variety of nagging injuries in recent years and throughout his 14-year career. But he knows when he is healthy, he can still be a productive hitter. His stellar 2017 season proved as much. Even last year, when an oblique injury limited him to 85 games, he still posted a 114 OPS+ and collected 1.3 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference.

Health, Zimmerman will argue, is the biggest factor in his productivity from year to year, not his at-bats in February and early March.

“I’ve had Spring Training's where I've hit .100 something, had Spring Training's where I hit .400 something, it has zero to do with the season,” he said. “No matter what anyone thinks. It has absolutely nothing to do with it. Some guys like to get a lot of at-bats, some guys don't. If there was a direct correlation of success in the season, everyone would do the same thing.”

Martinez allowed Zimmerman to work at his own pace last year because of that, but wanted his veteran first baseman to play in a few games down the stretch with the rest of the team. That never happened. Zimmerman never played another Major League exhibition game after March 2 last year.

This time around, both Zimmerman and Martinez say they are on the same page and on board with the plan to keep Zimmerman in games. Nationals’ regular position players typically play about every other day and Zimmerman is scheduled to be in the lineup again Monday.

“The biggest thing is to keep him healthy throughout Spring Training,” Martinez said. “Get his at-bats, but get him in the games. I told him, I want to see him playing more so that he can move his feet, play defense and run around the bases and things of that nature. But he felt good.”

Worth noting

• Justin Miller’s back felt stiff after making his Grapefruit League debut Saturday. He completed one inning, but gave up two runs on two hits.

• Sean Doolittle has been away from Nationals camp the past few days while dealing with a family emergency. Martinez did not have a timetable for his return and wanted to give him as much time as possible.

• Starting pitching should be the strength of the Nationals during the regular season and their starters are already showing off this spring. Nats starters have allowed just one earned run so far in 18 innings during the exhibition season, including three innings (one unearned run) from Patrick Corbin on Saturday.

Up next

Anibal Sanchez will take the mound for his second outing of the spring when the Nationals host the Astros on Sunday afternoon at the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. First pitch is at 1:05 p.m. ET.