Can Espinosa be right this season?

VIERA, Fla. - Danny Espinosa dug into the right side of the batter's box yesterday as Nationals manager Matt Williams tossed him practice pitches.

The discussion of Espinosa giving up switch-hitting, and focusing completely on batting right-handed, has been debated for a few years within the Nationals organization.

Williams confirmed that will be the main goal for Espinosa throughout spring training.

"Well, the objective for Danny is to get comfortable," Williams said. "This is not an easy process, by any stretch of the imagination. So for him, I want him to be comfortable to get in there righty-righty."

General manager Mike Rizzo seemed to indicate that this is a crucial moment as Espinosa aims to begin his sixth season in the majors.

"It's been well-documented. The challenges he's going to face is that he's never face a right-handed pitcher from the right side of the plate in a long time," said Rizzo. "He's going to have to make adjustments. We feel it's the best way for him to have an impact on the team offensively and we know what he can do defensively with his throwing arm, baserunning and his power. We'll see if he improves himself and becomes a really good player."

Few Nationals position players have been argued about as much as Espinosa over the last couple of seasons. His lack of offensive production in the first half of 2014 forced Rizzo to go out and get Asdrubal Cabrera at the trade deadline to play second base. Cabrera signed with Tampa Bay this offseason, and in January, Rizzo made a trade with Oakland to acquire Yunel Escobar. Escobar is expected to be the team's everyday second baseman despite not playing the position since his rookie year in 2007, when he appeared in 21 games there.

Espinosa's struggles from the plate are well-documented. Over the past two seasons, he's hit a dismal .199 in 158 games. Much of the 2013 season was spent in the minor leagues. Last year, he was expected to be a bench player until Ryan Zimmerman's injury forced Anthony Rendon to third base, leaving a need at second.

Espinosa, who showed up in Viera a few days ago sporting a bushy fu manchu mustache, had 97 strikeouts in 249 at-bats and hit just .183 from the left side of the plate in 2014. However, as a right-handed hitter, he produced three home runs and 10 RBIs while batting .301. The career numbers reflect similar results. He owns a lifetime .213 batting average as a left-handed hitter facing right-handed pitching versus a .271 average from the right side against left-handers.

So it seems like a simple decision - except Espinosa has been a switch-hitter since his youth. In fact, he says his swing was always better from the left side. He admits that's changed in recent years. Last August, he attempted to explain his different styles from each side while acknowledging a more relaxed approach from the right.

"I go up there and I do the same thing. I go up there with the same stance," Espinosa said. "I know what I want to do and what I can do. Left-handed, I've been searching as far as comfort in my stance and comfort. So right-handed, I've done the same swing, been the same guy since I've been in pro ball as far as my setup. I just feel comfortable right now right-handed."

Williams said you can expect to see a bat in Espinosa's hand much more than a glove this spring as they attempt to get him acclimated.

"What we'll do is we'll curtail his defensive work as much as need be, so he can concentrate on the offensive side of the game," Williams said. "You'll see him over the course of camp stand in on bullpens, just to get a feel for our guys, to get a feel for the right-on-right breaking ball, to see the ball coming from the other side. So he'll do a lot of that. He may be missing from some of the defensive drills, as we go through it, but we'll pick those up on the back side, we'll pick those up on extra work or early work. But it's really important for him to get as many reps and feel as comfortable as he can, right on right."

And how did Espinosa respond to the news that's he'll mainly be digging in on the right side of the batter's box this season?

"I think he took it positively when we explained it to him he took to it and agreed with the decision," said Rizzo. "If it was certainly just up to him, we may have had more discussion on it. When we mapped it out for him and explained our position, he thought it was the best way to go."