Marrero's Hot Start Continues

Marrero with Syracuse in 2011. Photo by Zach Spedden 

After losing most of 2012 to injury, Chris Marrero (2007) is off to a hot start in Spring Training. In 9 games with the Washington Nationals, Marrero is batting .381/.435/.476 with a homerun, and 3 RBIs.

His momentum continued over the weekend when he went 2 for 3 with a homerun in the Nationals 6-2 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.

For Marrero, this surge represents a significant step in regaining full health. Last season Marrero appeared in 53 games at the Minor League level, with all but 16 of those contests played with AAA Syracuse. In that stretch with Syracuse, he batted .244/.333/.307 with 12 RBIs. Overall, 2012 was a disappointing follow-up to a 2011 that saw him hit 14 homeruns with Syracuse and make his Major League debut.

Marrero appears likely to return to Syracuse, as Adam LaRoche and Tyler Moore are locked in at 1st. base  for the Nationals. However, by continuing this production, Marrero could force his way into the Nationals' plans for 2013.

News and Notes

• Daniel Rosenbaum (2010) started for the Colorado Rockies on Friday and posted another good outing. The lefthander pitched 2 scoreless innings and allowed only a single in the Rockies 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Rosenbaum has yet to allow a run in 4 innings pitched this spring. 
• Jeff Kobernus (2010) continues to see regular action for the Detroit Tigers. In 10 games this spring, Kobernus is 7 for 25 (.280) with a .440 SLG and and 2 triples. He has spent time defensively at 2nd. base and all three outfield positions. 
• Eury Perez (2010) was a last-minute addition to the Dominican Republic's World Baseball Classic (WBC) roster. The outfielder, who is batting .348 with the Nationals this spring, will be on the team when they play their first WBC contest against Venezuala on Thursday. He will be one of two former Hagerstown Suns on the roster, as he will join reliever Atahualpa Severino (2008), who is now with the Kansas City Royals. 
• Nate Karns threw a scoreless inning for the Nationals in their win on Saturday over the Cardinals. Karns has yet to allow a run in 3 innings pitched, while striking out 3 and walking 2. 
• Two Suns-related highlights occurred for the Oakland A's over the weekend. Tom Milone (2008) threw 2 scoreless innings in his spring debut on Saturday, while catcher David Freitas (2011) homered in his only at-bat on Sunday. Freitas is batting 4 for 6 (.667) in his non-roster invitee stint with the club.