Five original Nationals reunited at camp for team's 10th season
This summer marks the Washington Nationals' 10th season as the boys of the District, and there's a little something nostalgic about the group at Spring Training.
Five players with ties to the inaugural 2005 team are together again, and James Wagner of the Washington Post tracked them down in every corner of the Viera, Fla. clubhouse this week.
- Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was called up in September 2005. He's now the longest-tenured player on the Nationals roster. Zimmerman was worn the W for 1,137 games, the most in team history. He's still only 29.
- At his first big league Spring Training in 2005, shortstop Ian Desmond was 19-years-old. Desmond became an all star in 2012.
- Livan Hernandez was the Opening Day starter that season, and is a member of this spring's coaching staff.
- Veteran utilityman Jamey Carroll came with the franchise for just one year from two seasons in Montreal, and signed a minor-league deal this offseason.
- Luis Ayala also spent two seasons in Montreal before transitioning to Washington for the next three seasons, and rejoined the Nationals this winter on a minor-league deal.
A reunion with five players is highly unlikely, and most of them admitted the bizarre nature of the scenario to the Post.
“It’s gotta be almost weird for them to come around full circle,” Zimmerman said of the veterans. “They’re great teammates and guys, and it’s nice to have them back.”
Carroll, 40, was drafted by the Expos in 1996. Desmond was only 11-years-old at the time, but he was drafted by the Montreal corps in 2004. Carroll has watched the team transform since the move to the nation's capital.
“It’s a whole different scenario,” he said. “Everyone on this team is different. A different ballpark. So it has a completely different feel. But, at that point in time, you hoped that this is what would become of the organization, a chance to be competitive and be in the mix.”
Ayala, 36, is looking to earn a bullpen spot and thinking about winding down his career in a place that feels familiar.
“This is the team that saw me grow, and I spent some fun years here. And I made a lot of friendships here," Ayala said in Spanish. "I made the decision to come here because of what’s happened in the past. I feel good here and I would love to finish my career here.”