One of the aspects of being a Nationals fan seems to be an unnatural, and also unhealthy, obsession with current and former players. For example, one of my favorite players to ever wear a Nationals uniform batted .236 with 14 homers over two years. That athlete was Rick Ankiel. Additionally, please do not ever insult Danny Espinosa in front of my parents because you will be confronted with statistics about how players are more valuable than their offensive statistics.

For this article I’m going to go around the league and catch up with some former players, coaches, and notable prospects in major league camps. Let me know if I missed anyone.

We will start with the NL East. The New York Mets have five former Nationals in camp. Jerry Blevins has found a home in the Mets’ bullpen, but Asdrubal Cabrera is still in Queens despite requesting a trade last year. Additionally, Matt Purke, Jose Lobaton, and Matthew Den Dekker are fighting for positions while on MiLB contracts.

The Philadelphia Phillies have one former National on their forty-man roster, Nick Pivetta, whom was traded for Jonathon Papelbon, and is a name to watch this year. Fernando Abad and Nick Rickles are also in the Phillies camp on minor league pacts.
The Atlanta Braves have Kurt Suzuki.

The Miami Marlins have Jacob Turner on a minor league deal hoping to get a rotation spot after having streaking success with the Nationals last year. They also added Sean Burnett on a minor league deal earlier today.

Next, the NL Central. The Pittsburgh Pirates have three former Nationals players on their forty-man roster. The first is a result of one of the few trades that Mike Rizzo gave up too much when Felipe Rivero was traded for Mark Melancon. Since the trade, Rivero has turned into one of the most dangerous relief pitchers in baseball. The Pirates also have Christopher Bostick and former first-round draft pick, Josh Smoker.

The Milwaukee Brewers have three former Nationals right handed relief pitchers in camp: Matt Albers, Erik Davis, and Michael Brady. Michael Brady pitched for Harrisburg and Syracuse in 2016. Only Matt Albers in currently on the Brewers forty-man roster.
Max Schrock was traded to the Oakland Athletics for Marc Rzepczynski in 2016, but was then traded to the St. Louis Cardinals last year. Oliver Perez was with the Nationals for the past two years and Ben Revere was with the Nationals in 2016, but both are with the Cincinnati Reds this spring on minor league deals.

The NL West has some of the most famous former Nationals. Robbie Ray is a powerhouse for the Arizona Diamondbacks rotation, but Nationals fans will probably be more familiar with the outfielder with the most famous 27th-out in Nationals history, namely Steven Souza. Souza was recently traded to the Diamondbacks from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Ian Desmond is with his second year with the Colorado Rockies, although it is unsure if he will be playing first baseman or outfield. Desmond was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 2004 and played for the Nationals from 2009-2015. He was a 2012 All-star and won the Silver Slugger Award three years in a row from 2012-2014. He was heavily involved in the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy and with his charitable work with raising money for Neurofibromatosis (NF). After his tenure with the Nationals he played one year with the Texas Rangers before signing a five-year contract with Colorado.

The San Diego Padres have another National who spent over seven years in the system. Craig Stammen played for the Nationals from 2009-2015 but was non-tendered before the 2016 season. He pitched in the minors for the Cleveland Indians in 2016 and then signed a minor league deal with the Padres for 2017. Stammen made the major league team at the end of spring training and pitched so well that he resigned for two more years.

During the 2016 season the Nationals traded for, then, Pittsburgh Pirates closer Mark Melancon. He quickly became a fan favorite and the Nationals had hoped that he could be persuaded to sign a team friendly deal the following off-season. Instead he signed four year contract with the San Francisco Giants.

Check back in tomorrow as we catch up with former Nationals who are currently playing in the AL. Also keep an eye on our twitter account to see any roster updates.