VIERA, Fla. -- Right-hander Austin Voth -- the ninth-ranked prospect in the Nationals organization, according to MLB.com -- is in his first big league camp and was told to absorb everything he sees on the diamond and to enjoy the experience.
Before he goes back to the Minor Leagues -- either Double-A Harrisburg or Triple-A Syracuse -- Voth wants to leave a good impression on the Major League club. He will get a chance to show his stuff Wednesday when the Nationals play the Rays in Port Charlotte, Fla.
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"My main goal is to come out and perform well, show the entire pitching staff what I can do, so that they can have a [positive] image of me in their minds," Voth said.
Voth, 23, had arguably his best season in professional baseball last year, going 6-7 with a 2.92 ERA and 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings for Harrisburg.
"[Voth] is someone who attacks the strike zone; he can pitch to all four quadrants," said Mark Scialabba, the Nationals' director of player development. "He has a natural cut to his fastball. He has the ability to repeat his delivery extremely well. He hides the ball, has some deception to his delivery. His fastball picks up on hitters quickly, and it has late life.
"His secondary stuff is continuing to evolve. The changeup is an out pitch for him, and the breaking ball is continuing to get better as he improves."