Baker enjoys his glimpse of Nats' future in 6-0 win

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Dusty Baker got a glimpse of the Nationals' future Saturday afternoon and liked what he saw.

But one pitch - the final one Erick Fedde threw in what turned out to be three scoreless innings against the Mets in a 6-0 victory - may have been the difference between ending the day on a high note and seeing a strong first Grapefruit League start unravel into an unpleasant memory.

Fedde cruised through the first two innings, the only man to reach base coming via second baseman Corban Joseph's fielding error in the second. But after starting the third by fanning Wuilmer Becerra, the young righty got himself into a jam.

He walked Matt Reynolds and, with the Nationals playing an exaggerated shift with three infielders between first and second bases and third baseman Matt Skole where the shortstop should have been, Curtis Granderson shot a ball past the third base bag and into left field. Two on, one out and Baker figured Fedde was running out of gas.

So what did Fedde do? With bullpen action underway, he calmly got Neil Walker to hit a comebacker to the mound and started a 1-6-3 double play that ended the inning, the threat and his day on an upbeat note.

"Fedde's been waiting his turn and we sent him into the third, which was a stress inning, and luckily he threw a double play to get out of it and end the inning," Baker said. "But the poise, the demeanor."

Fedde has been fast-tracked through the system, jumping from Single-A Potomac to Double-A Harrisburg last season. He probably won't survive the next round of cuts with the Nationals running out of innings for all of the pitchers in camp. But he could start the season at Triple-A.

While Fedde felt his two-seamer was the reason he was able to get six groundball outs, Baker was pleased with the way he battled back after falling behind in the count and the manner in which he threw his breaking stuff.

"The breaking ball, he could throw for strikes almost any time," Baker said. "That's great for a young pitcher. He's aggressive. He got behind on a few hitters and came back and evened the count. He threw the ball well."

Fedde wasn't the only young pitcher who got into Saturday's game. Righty Austin Voth threw 1 2/3 innings, allowing two hits and fanning three. Where Fedde touched the mid-90s on the radar gun, Voth relies more on placement and tops out around 90 mph. Not that Baker believes the difference in velocity means a whole lot at this point in their careers.

"A lot of time, it doesn't translate," Baker said. "I've seen guys throw 95 (mph) and get nobody out and I've seen guys throw 90 (mph). Like we had a guy, John Burkett in San Francisco, and after everybody got hurt, he was the last one to come up. He won 15 every year in the minor leagues. They said he didn't have enough fastball to get them out in the big leagues. Well, he went ahead and won ... (22) games for us (in 1993).

"All you can do is project and projections can be wrong. They don't show how much heart you have. They don't show how much intellect you have for pitching. Projections can either mark a kid or put undue expectations on a player. You really don't know until you put that third deck on top up there and then you'll see the true animal."

Right now, the projections have been stellar enough to warrant a look-see in camp for Voth and Fedde. Baker, however, would prefer they both focus on their craft instead of their scouting reports or press clippings.

"We like Fedde. We like him a lot," Baker said. "He's been on the fast track. You see how he moved last year. You just have to be aware of moving too fast. But sometimes a young player can shock you and sometimes there's a need for him and who knows? He could be pitching for the next 15 years. I just urge them to just pitch and not worry about anything else."

Vance Worley, trying to make the club as a long man out of the bullpen and a spot starter, took a step in the right direction with two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out one. Worley, in camp on a minor league deal, had allowed a run in each of his three previous outings and appeared to be fighting himself as much as the batters he was facing.

"We talked to him about fighting himself," Baker said. "It's hard not to fight the opposition, more or less, to fight yourself and compound it. We know how badly he wants to make the team, but fighting himself is not going to make the situation any better. He's been around for a while. He knows how to pitch. That was good to see Vance come back and throw the ball the way we know he can."

Center fielder Michael A. Taylor led off and had two hits, scored two runs and stole a base. In the process, he upped his spring average to .423. Despite the output, Baker isn't ready to award Taylor one of the reserve outfield spots he's battling for.

"That's still to be determined," the manager said. "I don't want to say anything that anyone's solidified. ... You keep a certain energy and keep playing hard."