The Nationals have released lefty reliever Eddie Guardado and Shawn Estes. With all of the pitchers the Nationals have in spring training non-roster guys like Guardado and Estes don’t have a chance to make a 2nd impression. Both of them looked like glorified batting practice pitchers so far this spring so the Nationals will be better off without either of them in 2010.

25-year old righty swinging Elijah Dukes will have to fend off 25-year old righty swinging Justin Maxwell this spring for the starting job in RF. Dukes played in 107 games for the Nationals last season and he was 91 of 364 (.250 avg, .729 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 8 homers, 58 RBIs and 3 stolen bases (he was caught stealing an amazing 10 times!). Dukes made a whopping 7 errors in 65 games in RF for the Nationals last season while showing above average range. Dukes did have 6 assists while in RF showing off a very strong throwing arm. Dukes has the potential to be a much better player than he has shown to this point and the Nationals hope he will realize some of that potential in 2010.

25-year old righty swinging Justin Maxwell will push Dukes this spring for the starting job in RF. Maxwell is the Nationals’ #8 rated prospect coming into this season according to Baseball America. Maxwell played in 40 games for the Nationals last season and he was 22 of 89 (.247 avg, .793 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 4 homers, 9 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. He played in 2 error-free games in RF last season for the Nationals and he showed slightly below average range there.

27-year old righty swinging Mike Morse will try to win a bench spot for the Nationals in 2010. He played in 32 games for the Nationals last season in which he was 13 of 52 (.250 avg, .772 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 3 homers and 10 RBIs. He didn’t make any errors in 3 games in RF last season for the Nationals while showing outstanding range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RF IN 2010: C

Center field belongs to 29-year old leffty swinging Nyjer Morgan. Morgan played in 49 games with the Nationals after coming over from the Pirates in a trade last summer and he was 67 of 191 (.351 avg, .831 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 1 homer, 12 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. Morgan played in 120 games overall last season with the Nationals & Pirates in which he was 144 of 469 (.307 avg, .757 OPS) with 74 runs scored, 3 homers, 39 RBIs and 42 stolen bases. Morgan made 3 errors in 56 games in CF last season while showing good range. He also had 8 assists showing that the little man has a gun for a arm. Morgan will really be a pest at the top of the lineup for opposing pitchers in 2010.

29-year old righty swinging Willy Taveras was brought in on a minor league deal over the off-season. He played in 102 games for the Reds last season and he was 97 of 404 (.240 avg, .559 OPS) with 56 runs scored, 1 homer, 15 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. The Nationals think that Taveras just had a off year as he has a career batting average of .276 with a .649 OPS in 643 major league games. Taveras also has 194 steals in his career so like Morgan he would add a ton of speed to the Nationals’ outfield if he makes the team. Taveras made 4 errors in 98 games in CF last season while showing good range. He also had 7 assists in CF which shows a pretty solid throwing arm.

31-year old lefty swinging Willie Harris will also battle for some P.T. in CF in 2010 for the Nationals. He played in 137 games for the Nationals last season and he was 76 of 323 (.235 avg, .757 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 7 homers, 27 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Harris made 1 error in 63 games in CF last season while showing above average range.

25-year old righty swinging Elijah Dukes will likely be the starting RF for the Nationals but he can handle CF if needed. Dukes played in 35 games for the Nationals in CF last season and he made 1 error while showing good range. Dukes showed off a strong throwing arm in CF for the Nationals last season with 6 assists.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CF IN 2010: B

The Nationals have 7 legit left fielders in spring training. Make no mistake though, 31-year old righty swinging Josh Willingham will be the starter. Willingham played in 133 games for the Nationals last season and he was 111 of 427 (.260 avg, .863 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 24 homers, 61 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Willingham still plays LF like a catcher (his original position) with reckless abandon. He played in 87 games in LF for the Nationals last season and he made 5 errors there while showing good range. He also had 2 assists in LF as he has a decent throwing arm. Look for Willingham to start most of the games in LF for the Nationals in 2010 as long as his back holds up.

31-year old lefty swinging Willie Harris is very versatile and that will give him a good chance to make the Nationals in 2010. He played in 45 error-free games in LF last season but he showed below average range there. If he makes the team he could be used a lot as a defensive replacement late in games for Willingham in LF.

25-year old righty swinging Roger Bernadina could make a move for the Nationals in 2010 if he can stay healthy. He is the Nationals’ #22 rated prospect heading into 2010 according to Baseball America. He played in 3 games for the Nationals last season and he was 1 for 4 (.250 avg, .900 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 stolen base. He also played in 7 games in Rookie+AAA ball last season in which he was 4 of 22 (.182 avg, .490 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 stolen base.

25-year old righty swinging Justin Maxwell is the Nationals’ #8 rated prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. He will likely battle Elijah Dukes for the starting job in RF but he could also see some P.T. in LF for the Nationals in 2010. Maxwell played in 2 error-free games in LF for the Nationals last year.

29-year old lefty swinging Jerry Owens is in spring training for the Nationals trying to win a job on the bench. He played in 12 games for the White Sox last season and he was 1 for 12 (.083 avg, .350 OPS) with 1 stolen base. Owens stole 32 bases for the White Sox in 2007 so he has speed to burn which could be helpful off the bench for the Nationals. Owens played in 102 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 127 of 397 (.320 avg, .800 OPS) with 75 runs scored, 3 homers, 39 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.

28-year old lefty swinging Chris Duncan was also signed to a minor league deal over the winter. He played in 87 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 59 of 260 (.227 avg, .687 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 5 homers and 32 RBIs. Duncan has a lot of power but like Willingham he is not a good defensive player. Duncan had 3 errors in 68 games in LF last season in which he showed pretty poor range. Duncan at least has a good throwing arm as he had 3 assists in LF in 2009.

32-year old righty swinging Kevin Mench also signed a minor league deal over the winter. He did not play last season. In 2008, Mench played in 51 games for the Blue Jays in which he was 28 of 115 (.243 avg, .677 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 10 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Mench has played in 702 games in his major league career and he has a .269 batting average with a .786 OPS so there is some hope that he still has something left in the gas tank.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR LF IN 2010: C

The Washington Nationals have re-signed 35-year old righty starting pitcher Livan Hernandez to a minor league deal. Hernandez pitched in 31 games (all starts) for the Nationals & Mets last season and he was 9-12 with a 5.44 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. He has pitched his best baseball for the Expos/Nationals in his career. He has pitched in 135 games (all starts) for the Nationals/Expos and he is 52-47 with a 3.97 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Hernandez has now pitched in 413 games (412 starts) in his major league career and he is 156-151 with a 4.45 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. The Nationals didn’t promise Hernandez anything so he will have to win a job this spring.