At Nationals camp, youth is served on a daily basis

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The young Nationals players huddled together at the far end of the fence in front of the visiting dugout at Champion Stadium, taking in the sight of the Braves taking batting practice in front of them.

Erick Fedde, a right-hander taken with the 18th overall pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, is the most recognizable, only because there's a lot of buzz about him in the organization. But you've got to know the furthest reaches of the Nationals farm system to know guys like left-handers Taylor Guilbeau and Matt Crownover or catcher Nick Rickles. If you do, you're a deep prospector.

A few hours earlier, before the team bus left Space Coast Stadium in Viera, they approached manager Dusty Baker for introductions. When you're a farm guy from the minor league side of camp asked to be an extra arm in the bullpen or defensive replacement off the bench, you leave nothing to chance. Michael Barrett, the former major league catcher who serves as a catching instructor, makes sure of that.

"They just come to introduce themselves, really," Baker said. "I don't know them. They know me. I think Michael Barrett did it. Michael Barrett likes people to be respectful and stuff. So whenever the rookies come over, whenever we call them over, they always introduce themselves, tell me what position they play, tell me where they're from."

Sitting in his daily media scrum, Baker nods to the half-dozen or so farmhands, all with numbers in the 90s that look like they belong on NFL wide receivers, and smiles.

"They got those high numbers, no names (on their jerseys)," he says. "I was one of them, but not for long."

Baker remembers a long-ago tryout with the Braves before they signed him. He had no number and no name on the back of his jersey. And look where he is now.

Each game, a few players come over from minor league camp as extra bodies. They're insurance policies. But Baker wants to make sure they grasp the significance of the opportunity.

"This is kind of where you make your mark, do something," he said. "Hopefully, I tell them to stand out for the right reason, not the wrong reason. Stand out and hustle and pay attention. Be ready all the time and you'll never be surprised. I might not know your name, but I'll say, 'Hey, man, go and hit.' You can call your mom and dad and tell them in the game. I remember what it meant for me."

One of those rare instances came Friday afternoon when Jonathan Papelbon couldn't finish the ninth inning, turning a blowout into a much closer game than anyone expected. Needing an arm in a hurry, Baker got Tyler Mapes, a 24-year-old who was a 30th-round pick in 2014 out of Tulane, up in the bullpen.

Suddenly, Mapes was in the game - a Grapefruit League game, but a game nonetheless - and being counted upon. T.J. Rivera reached on an error before Mapes induced a game-ending fly ball to left field. Catcher Spencer Kieboom rushed to the mound to shake his hand and a host of congratulations followed.

A few minutes later, Baker had a special memento for Mapes.

"I gave that young man the lineup card yesterday because he got in the game (and) it had his name on it," Baker said, beaming just a little like a proud father might. "I said, 'Here you go, son, here's the lineup card.' Hopefully, one day this can motivate him to excel. That's the first time I've done that this year. Just tell them to get in where they fit in."