A critical spring for Tyler Moore

VIERA, Fla. - Fans of all ages jostle for position outside the Space Coast Stadium practice facility, hoping to get some of their favorite Nationals players to sign a baseball or take a selfie after team workouts. Most shout for Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman or Max Scherzer to stop for a second, but on Thursday afternoon it wasn't one of the Nats stars who became one kid's most valuable player.

"Mr. Moore, can I have your autograph," said the youngster. With that the Nationals part-time first baseman, part-time left fielder Tyler Moore stopped and said, "How about a bat instead?" The boy's face lit up as Moore handed him his bat. Day made. Stories to tell.

That's the demeanor Moore exudes. The Nationals drafted him in the 16th round out of Mississippi State in 2008 and two years later he was named the organization's minor league Player of the Year. Moore was called up to the majors in 2012 and responded by hitting .263 with 10 home runs with 29 RBIs in 75 games. His impact led the Nationals to include him on the playoff roster that year.

However, his appearances in the majors have decreased the past year two years and his offensive production has followed. He struggled adjusting to inconsistent plate appearances in 2014 and hit just .231 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in only 91 at-bats.

This spring training is crucial for Moore. He is out of minor league options, meaning he either needs to make the Nationals' opening day roster or be subjected to the waiver wire on his way to the minors.

"It's critical, but at the same time it's exciting because our team this year seems to be awesome, obviously, on paper, but it's just fun," said Moore. "You just never really know what's going to happen so you just try to take advantage of each day and make the most of it."

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo is well aware of Moore's situation this spring.

"He's a big leaguer player," he said. "He's out of options for us so that puts some pressure on us to make a decision but he's (a) good enough player to play in the big leagues. There's 29 other teams that are looking at him, and have looked at him before. We feel he has value as a major league player and we'd like for it to be with us."

It's frustrating for Moore as a competitor because he knows he can perform at a high level in the majors if given the chance.

"It can definitely drive you crazy if you let it," he said. "That's kind of something I've learned just doing that for the last three years is just only deal with the things you can control. The only thing you can control is your effort and your attitude and just go at it and trust that they know what they're doing and that's the only thing you can worry about really."

Moore will have to prove he can be a reliable pinch-hitter off the bench.

"It's difficult to be that guy for anybody, and the guys that do it really well are extremely unique," manager Matt Williams said. "The more at-bats T-Mo gets, the better he is, and that I think is the case with everybody because you develop rhythm and timing and certainly seeing pitches every day helps. That game speed helps. When you sit over there on the bench and are asked to come in and get one at-bat or a spot start, it's never easy for anybody. Tyler had, when he first came up, he had great success in that regard. He came up from Triple-A, was inserted into the lineup and had a great second half and put himself on the map in that regard. We'll try to continue to get him at-bats and he certainly, given the uncertainty in the outfield as we speak, will have an opportunity this spring to make a statement and put himself back on that map in that regard."

Despite first base being his "true love," the 28-year-old has actually appeared in more games in the outfield in his three seasons in the majors. Moore played in 80 games overall in the outfield, 73 in left field, while seeing action in 52 games at first base. Ryan Zimmerman's history with injuries coupled with Jayson Werth's uncertainty for opening day leave Moore in a favorable position if he can contribute this spring.

Moore's desire to stay with the Nats clearly extends beyond playing time. After all, he's basically been brought up in the majors by most of the players in the clubhouse.

"It's awesome," he said. "I've been with these guys since I was my rookie year in the big leagues four years ago. We're all close friends in here."