Ben Revere talks defense

One of the knocks on Ben Revere is his defense or lack thereof. Mostly, the criticism begins with his arm strength. It was something Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo addressed with the media hours after acquiring Revere and a player to be named later from the Blue Jays for reliever Drew Storen and cash.

"He's a good defensive center fielder with a short-throwing arm, a poor throwing arm," Rizzo said. "But beyond that, he's got good range angles and (takes) good routes to the baseballs and makes great plays. I feel good about him in the outfield, anywhere in the outfield. With Revere and (Michael A.) Taylor, you've got yourself two of the best defensive guys in the league. And of course, you got (Bryce Harper) who's a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder and Jayson (Werth) who knows how to play all three positions also."

Speaking on a conference call this afternoon, Revere was asked if injuries have played a part in his weak arm.

"I do crash into a bunch of walls all the time," Revere said. "It's just getting the strength back sometimes. In the minor leagues, I had some problems crashing into walls. I don't have the arm of Bryce Harper and some of those guys. I can get my five, six outfield assists. But the main thing is coaches have always told me just throw it to the cutoff man and do your job right.

"I'm definitely trying to get a Gold Glove. My arm is getting stronger each and every year as I get older in this game."

Revere is capable of playing all three outfield positions, but is expected to spend the bulk of his time in center field. That's where he has played in 405 of his 613 major league games.

"It's always good to be able to play all three positions," Revere said. "My thing as a player, no matter what the situation, it's something to have. If an injury comes up and one player feels more comfortable in center, you can go either or. It's always good just to have the type of player who can play every single position. I think Harper can do it and maybe Werth and Taylor. Some of those guys all can do it. I've played mostly as a center fielder.

"Do I feel comfortable out there? Yes. But I feel comfortable in left or right. Just the way I am, as long as I'm out there helping the ballclub win, no matter where they are playing me, I will go out there and bust my tail and do everything I can to help the guys win and bring home a victory."