First workout schedule, plus uniform number changes

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - After Wednesday's soft landing start to spring training, camp really opens for business this morning.

Pitchers and catchers reported for duty Wednesday, but all they did was take their physicals and in a few cases play some light catch in the rain just outside the clubhouse. That will change today when the entire group takes the field together and holds its first official workout. It'll help that it's supposed to be 75 degrees and partly cloudy after Wednesday's day-long deluge.

The proceedings are set to begin at 9:30 a.m., when Davey Martinez will hold his first "Circle of Trust" meeting. Your guess is as good as mine as to what will actually happen at said meeting, though a reasonable assumption is that anything really off the wall probably will be held until later in camp after all the position players have reported as well.

Today's workout will be brief, probably wrapping up before 11:30 a.m. The pitchers have been divided into two groups (Group A and Group B, how original) and that determines who does what on any given day. Group A will be throwing off the bullpen mounds today, with Group B participating in fundamental drills. Then they'll swap spots Friday.

Who's in Group A? Glad to you asked. It'll be Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, Wander Suero, Joe Ross, Jeremy Hellickson, Trevor Rosenthal, J.J. Hoover, Wil Crowe, Kyle Barraclough, Justin Miller, Sean Doolittle, Matt Grace, James Bourque, Ronald Pena and Jimmy Cordero.

The members of Group B are Stephen Strasburg, Henderson Álvarez, Aníbal Sánchez, Scott Copeland, Vidal Nuño, Erick Fedde, Tanner Rainey, Austin Voth, Koda Glover, Kyle McGowin, Aaron Barrett, Sammy Solís, Austen Williams and Austin L. Adams.

You'll notice players wearing new spring training uniforms. That includes the new block W over the Capitol dome cap logo, plus a white jersey with a script "Nationals" in navy blue. I think they're pretty sharp, myself.

You'll also notice some new numbers on those jerseys. Or new names wearing old familiar numbers. Among the notable changes are ...

8-Carter Kieboom
9-Brian Dozier
10-Yan Gomes
19-Aníbal Sánchez
20-Kyle Barraclough
21-Tanner Rainey
28-Kurt Suzuki
32-Aaron Barrett
43-Henderson Álvarez
44-Trevor Rosenthal
46-Patrick Corbin
47-Howie Kendrick

This will actually be Kendrick's third different number in three seasons with the Nationals. When he joined the team in July 2017, he wore No. 4. Then he switched to No. 12 last season because Martinez took No. 4 and No. 12 became available after Dusty Baker was fired. Now he's switching to the No. 47 he wore throughout his career before coming to D.C., a number that had been taken for years by Gio Gonzalez.

Also, you'll notice Suzuki wearing No. 28 in his return to Washington. The veteran catcher wore No. 24 during his previous stint here, but No. 28 apparently is now available. Clubhouse manager Mike Wallace hadn't given it to anyone last year following Jayson Werth's departure, but it does not appear the franchise is going to keep that number out of the rotation any longer.

On a related note, nobody is wearing No. 34 at this point. That's understandable, given that Bryce Harper still hasn't decided where he's going to play this season. Not that the Nationals are holding out too much hope he comes back.

The spring training lockers that had been occupied by Harper and Daniel Murphy the last two years now belong to Dozier and Matt Adams. They join Kendrick, Adam Eaton and Ryan Zimmerman on the five-locker row on one side of the clubhouse that tends to be reserved for the top veteran position players.

There are no empty stalls along that wall, so feel free to read as much (or as little) into that as you please.