Profile: Rogearvin (Roger) Bernadina is a young, athletic outfielder from baseball haven Curacao. He is a great athlete, standing at 6’2″ 200 and possessing blazing speed on the bases. Bernadina has played his whole big league career with Nats but has had trouble securing a long term spot on the 25 man roster. The last two seasons Roger has spent some time at triple A Syracuse but has got a significant amount of at bats with Nats (723). So far in his career he has a .242 Avg., 18 HR, 32 2B, 76 RBIs and 38 SB in 803 at bats. Those are respectable numbers and at first glance that balance of speed and power is impressive but he has his drawbacks. Bernadina has a few holes in his swing that have caused him to strike out a lot, (over 1 in every 5 at bats) and hit for a low average. With that said he is a great fielder, routinely pulling off ridiculous plays with his extreme range and solid arm. The problem for Bernadina right now is he’s seen mostly as a lead off hitter due to his speed, but he strikes out too much and doesn’t get on base enough to fill that role. The amount of playing time he gets this year is basically going to depend two factors: whether or not Bryce Harper breaks camp with the big league club, and the health of the starting outfielders. I like Roger to make the team this year as the number four outfielder behind Mike Morse (LF), Jayson Werth (CF), Harper (RF) and serve as Davey Johnson’s primary pinch runner. With Bernadina turning 28 by mid season, it’s time for him to prove he’s more than just a great athlete.

Projected Statistics:

245 ABs, .257 Avg., 6 HR, 24 RBI, 32 R, 15 SB, .314 OBP, .379 SLG, .693 OPS