Fedde impresses in first appearance vs. big leaguers

FORT MYERS, Fla. - For most everyone in attendance at Hammond Stadium yesterday afternoon, it was merely the fifth and sixth innings of a Grapefruit League game between the Nationals and Twins. Minnesota led 5-1 in a fairly nondescript late February contest that does not count for anything.

For Erick Fedde, well, let's allow the 24-year-old right-hander to speak for himself.

"It's up there as one of my favorite baseball moments, for sure," he said. "I mean, it was cool. I know it was only spring training, but I had some butterflies and stuff you still chase in the games. So it was up there for sure, in the top three moments."

This was Fedde's first career spring training game, and it came against several prominent regulars from the Twins lineup, notably Brian Dozier and Miguel Sano (the first two batters he faced). That Fedde rose to the occasion and retired all six batters he faced, including strikeouts of Dozier and Daniel Palka, only sweetened the moment.

"Just throw a lot of strikes," he said of his approach. "(Pitching coach Mike) Maddux and (manager) Dusty (Baker) have been saying it all camp: Just throw lots of strikes. So that was my main goal, and try not to get hit around. So I was happy with the way it went."

The Nationals' first-round pick in the 2014 draft, only days after he had Tommy John surgery, Fedde was limited to 64 innings in his first professional season, then ramped up to 121 innings last season at Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg.

Now 2 1/2 years removed from the surgery, he doesn't even think about what happened.

"This is the first year I think I can really say I feel 100 percent," he said. "Last year, I definitely started off with some aches and pains and some stuff I didn't feel comfortable with, but this year I'm completely happy with where I'm at. It feels like my old self."

Evidence of that may have come on the radar gun yesterday, which showed Fedde's fastball registering 94-95 mph, up several ticks from where it was last year.

More important to Baker was the fact Fedde threw the majority of his fastballs over the plate.

"He had good command," Baker said. "He was impressive."

Fedde won't be making the big league roster out of spring training, but he could put himself into the mix for a promotion sometime later this season.

He's trying not to think much about a timeline for that to happen, though.

"There's lot of people up there that make that decision, and I say I try to make it as hard as possible for them not to move me up," he said. "I just want to go out and play well wherever I'm at and let things happen."