Nats' minor league rosters slowly being filled in

With spring training just around the corner, the makeup of the some of the minor league rosters are starting to take shape as names are quietly appearing on the Web sites of Nationals affiliates. For the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, pitchers Yunesky Maya, Jeff Mandel, Pat Lehman, Brad Meyers, Hassan Pena and Tanner Roark are familiar. Also on the list is right-hander Matt Torra. Torra, out of the University of Massachusetts, is 6-foot-3 and 225-lb. righty starter who made 26 appearances (23 starts) for the Triple-A Durham Bulls in 2012. He went 12-7 with a 4.10 ERA, striking out 78 and walking 26. He did allow 25 homers, but went 5-1 with a 3.59 ERA down the stretch. Infielders on the roster according to the Web site, include Carlos Rivero, Josh Johnson, Chris Marrero, Zach Walters, Mike Constanzo and Brian Bocock. The lefty-hitting Costanzo batted .262 with 28 extra base hits, including nine homers and 38 RBIs for Triple-A Louisville in 2012. The Right-handed-hitting Bocock hit .211 for Triple-A Las Vegas at shortstop for 30 games, and .244 with Double-A New Hampshire for 73 games. Showing that this roster is far from complete, veteran Erik Komatsu is the only outfielder so far listed on the roster. More intriguing is a quick glance at the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, whose roster includes pitchers Sammy Solis, Cameron Selik, Dean Weaver, Blake Treinen (who came over in the trade of Michael Morse to Seattle through Oakland) and Tyler Herron. Patrick McCoy, Paul Demny, Marcos Frias, Ryan Tatusko, Brian Broderick, Ryan Perry, Rafael Martin, Trevor Holder and Adam Olbrychowski round out the listed pitchers. Kris Watts and Beau Seabury are the catchers on this preliminary roster. The infield begins with top prospect Anthony Rendon and also lists Sean Nicol, Jose Lozada and Justin Bloxom. The Senators outfield has Brian Goodwin, Jimmy Van Ostrand, Destin Hood and Chris Rahl. Looking at the Single-A Potomac Nationals Web site, their pitching staff includes Rob Wort, Ryan Demmin, Matthew Grace, Matt Swynenberg, Robbie Ray, Robert Gilliam, Neil Holland, Aaron Barrett, Shane McCatty, Taylor Hill and Paul Applebee. Erick Fernandez, Jeff Howell and Sam Palace are the catchers. Matt Skole and Rick Hague lead the infielders, which also include Francisco Soriano, Blake Kelso, Jason Martinson, Stephen King and Adrian Sanchez. Outfielders include Steven Souza Jr., J.P. Ramirez, Kevin Keyes, Randolph Oduber and Michael Taylor. And with the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns, pitchers A.J. Cole and Matt Purke appear on the roster. Again, these are incomplete rosters and are subject to change. As example, Nathan Karns, Corey Brown and others are not listed on any rosters yet, but it is still early. It is interesting and exciting, though, to see Solis back on a roster. Several questions will be answered this season, not the least of which is how long Rendon, Goodwin, Skole and others stay at their respective levels before they get promoted.