First things first: Nats remain committed to Adams as catcher

Riley Adams wants you to know he's a catcher, and he wants to continue being a catcher. And the Nationals coaching staff wants you to know it considers Adams a catcher and wants him to continue being a catcher.

So why is Adams taking ground balls and learning proper technique at first base right now?

"Just trying to get comfortable over there, and in an emergency situation or something like that to be able to go out there and play, feel comfortable," he said in an interview outside the Nationals dugout this week. "If that situation were to ever come up - I don't see it coming up - but if it ever would, I'd be ready."

When manager Davey Martinez first mentioned the thought of giving Adams a look at first base last month, some ears perked up. And when Adams started actually doing some early afternoon work there with infield coach Tim Bogar, more ears perked up.

Were the Nationals starting the process of turning the 25-year-old catcher recently acquired from the Blue Jays into, at minimum, a right-handed backup first baseman to Josh Bell?

Not exactly. Though the idea does intrigue some club officials, they remain committed to Adams as a catcher above all else, even if Keibert Ruiz ends up the everyday starter behind the plate. They see first base simply as a bonus for Adams, something that would make him more versatile and give the team more options if certain game scenarios necessitated it.

"Well, first and foremost, let me just tell you: Riley's a catcher," Bogar said this week in a Zoom session with reporters. "And he's going to be a catcher. And we're not trying to make him be anything but a catcher. It's more of like just giving him an opportunity to show his skills, his abilities to deal with another position, in case we have an emergency. It's nothing more than that."

If anything, this little experiment is evidence the Nationals have quickly taken a liking to Adams, who arrived as something of a second-tier prospect and certainly figured to be stuck behind Ruiz on the organization's new catching depth chart.

Adams' performance to date suggests he could be more than that. In 28 games, he's batting .292 with nine extra-base hits, 10 RBIs, a .418 on-base percentage, .508 slugging percentage and .925 OPS. He has also impressed with his improving defensive skills.

But because Ruiz is viewed as the future around here, the Nats may find themselves needing to find creative ways to get Adams at-bats. Hence, the first base idea.

He does have some experience there. Well, three innings of experience. On Sept. 2, 2018, Adams was playing for the Blue Jays' Single-A affiliate in Dunedin, Fla., when teammate Nash Knight was given an opportunity to play all nine positions in the season finale. That necessitated a lot of mixing and matching among everyone else around the diamond, and so it was that Adams found himself playing the final three innings of the game at first base.

"It was pretty funny," he recalled. "Our manager stressed: 'Riley, don't reach for any balls. Don't try to get hurt. Don't do anything crazy. Just catch the balls that are at you, and field the balls that are hit to you, and you'll be fine.' "

Adams has been a catcher ever since, though he wasn't always one. He grew up playing shortstop, even into his high school career at Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego. It wasn't until his sophomore season that his coach suggested he give catching a try. The rest is history.

"I think he had some better foresight than me," Adams said. "I'm pretty happy I made that switch, because I don't know if I am where I am today if not for that."

At 6-foot-4, 246 pounds, Adams is a bit large for a catcher. And that has often led to others wondering if a position switch to first base is inevitable down the road. But he has shown the agility to catch, and he's been committed to proving he can stay behind the plate his entire career.

Oh, he's perfectly willing to take those grounders at first base, just in case the need should ever arrive. But he's a catcher, through and through. And the Nationals agree.

"He's very athletic," Bogar said. "As you can see, he's a big kid, but he moves well. He carries himself really well out there. He's only done it a couple times, but you can see his actions are fluid. He understands what he's supposed to do. He takes to instruction very quickly. His ability to play over there, I think it's going to be OK. I think it's just a matter of repetition for him.

"But like I said, let's go back to the first point: He's a catcher, and he's going to stay as a catcher. We're not trying to make a move to first base."