Tyler Moore working on defense, mental side of game

Tyler Moore signed a one-year deal worth $900,000 to stay with the Nationals through 2016. Meeting with the media at Winterfest this weekend, he was pleased to be back with the team and is eager to contribute.

"Feels good to be back," Moore said. "Didn't know if I was going to be with all the changes and stuff. Obviously, it feels great to be back. Didn't know if I was going to be. Just ready to get going and spring will be here before you know it."

Before the season starts, the right-handed hitting Moore switched his jersey number, giving No. 12 to new manager Dusty Baker and moving to No. 32.

"I know that he wore it," Moore said. "I knew he kind of wanted it. Obviously, I was going to give it up for him. Maybe No. 32 is kind of new turning leaf. We'll see what happens with it."

Sometimes player-to-player number changes involve free dinners, suits or gifts. Did Moore have any requests from Baker when giving up his jersey No. 12?

"Maybe he'll give some playing time in exchange for the number," Moore smiled. "We'll see. He's been great. Got to chat with him two or three different times. I'm excited about it.

"Seems like a really likable guy. Seems like a players' coach. Just seems very easy to get along with. I think that's going to be a really good thing."

With a new manager and a relatively new coaching staff across the board, Moore feels he must prove himself all over again. The 28-year-old Moore is now embarking on his fifth major league season.

"With the new staff, you kind of do feel like that because they don't know what you can do, they just see the numbers," Moore said. "But once you put the helmet on and get up to the box and hit, it's something to prove. You're always proving to somebody, whether it's this team or another team. You want them to fear you on the other side and you want to play good for your team. You just go to come in and play and there's never really a stopping point. You have to play good to stay."

One reason for the leadership changes, especially at manager, was a reported uncomfortable clubhouse chemistry between some players and former manager Matt Williams. Another was the choking incident involving closer Jonathan Papelbon and star outfielder Bryce Harper. Moore said Papelbon standing up in front of clubhouse and admitting fault was once step toward a tighter clubhouse in 2016.

"I think actually from the day that Papelbon kind of told everyone he was out of line a little bit, I think that's when it dropped," Moore said. "We are all men and we have a lot of pride and ego that comes into that, and sometimes it's easier for us to let go then hold a grudge the whole time. It was a very disappointing year last year the way it ended up. Just got kind of ugly. We know this team and organization is built with class and has a lot more class than that and I think we can bring it back to how it should be."

Moore has enjoyed his offseason so far and has maintained a steady training schedule to keep in shape.

"This year's been good," Moore said. "I've played a little golf. I've been lifting weights and hitting a little bit. Just trying to get back in the flow of stuff. For me, it's always easier not to let it go too long without cranking back up. It's easier to just kind of stay in the flow of things."

Moore appeared in 97 games last season, but made only 36 starts. Curiously, Williams elected not to use Moore in the starting lineup at times when he seemed to be the obvious choice because of his power capability. Moore said that is always the battle for the utility player: to try to maintain consistency when you don't get five at-bats every day.

"I think it's a mental thing," Moore said. "I feel like I have the physical ability and have the mental ability to just have the experience to kind of do it. It's not an easy job at all, and sometimes its very frustrating because you feel like you could contribute so much more than what you actually do. You know just got to come in have a really good spring training to make the team and show them that I can play and that's pretty much the bottom line."

If Moore is to play more games this season, one way might be due to an extended injury to a starter because it appears that first base is locked with Ryan Zimmerman and the outfield set with Harper, Jayson Werth and possibly Michael A. Taylor. Zimmerman and Werth missed a lot of games last season, and Moore believes he needs to also work on his athletic ability on defense, especially in the outfield, to make his candidacy for more playing time enticing to his new manager.

"I'm actually just trying to get a little bit more athletic this offseason, just so I can play some more outfield and just be able to move a little bit better," Moore said. "Younger in my career, I didn't realize how vital that would be just to be stuck out there. I need to play both of them and play them both decently."