Luke Erickson: Looking at the start of short-season ball

Now is the time when the Nationals' minor league system starts to expand to its full complement of seven affiliates. It begins with the launch of the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League and the DSL Nationals this weekend. They'll be joined by the short-season Single-A Auburn Doubledays of the New York-Penn League on June 19 and the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and GCL Nationals a week later.

Coverage in the DSL and GCL is nearly non-existent because of the timing (late-morning to noon starts) and the location (complexes in Florida and the Dominican Republic). It gets better in the New York-Penn League, in large part because there're tickets being sold and local media in between college and high school sports.

One caveat that can never be repeated too often is that it's folly to put too much credence in short-season states - the crustier baseball men would say this also applies all of the minors, but let's not re-argue "Moneyball," shall we?

Having written about the Nats minors for several summers, there are a few things I do tend to notice when I look at the short-season teams. Like where the players are playing.

It's not unusual at the two lowest levels for infielders to play at multiple positions, but when you see a young guy play a lot at one position, that's generally a sign that the Nationals are leaning in a certain direction.

While the DSL can give some clues to future pitcher usage (starting vs. relieving), the GCL is more difficult to scout by box score. This is because not only are the Nationals looking to evaluate draft picks, they're often trying to rehab, too.

Finally, at Auburn there's a two-fold process of collegiate players adjusting to the pros. The first is well known: hitters getting the aluminum out of their swing and (to a lesser extent) pitchers learning to adjust to that, as well.

The second isn't: playing more often. The New York-Penn League is proud of its packed schedule, which this year has just five scheduled off-days in 81 days, counting the All-Star Game.

Thus, it's an adjustment to go from three or four games a week, mostly on the weekends, to playing every day for position players. Starting pitchers now pitch once every four or five days instead of once, while relievers will pitch more often, as well.

Luke Erickson blogs about the Nationals' minor league affiliates for NationalsProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter: @nats_prospects. His thoughts on the Nationals' farm system will appear here as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our site. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.