One morning in March, Matt Williams and Steve McCatty ventured over to the minor-league complex in Viera, Fla., to watch left-hander Felipe Rivero pitch out of the bullpen. Before Rivero took the mound, though, a young right-hander named Joe Ross pitched.
Ross didn’t make an overwhelming impression on the Nationals manager and pitching coach, but it’s not like either was there looking to be wowed.
“That’s the only time I’d seen him pitch,” Williams said Friday night. “You don’t get a chance to see him from the back side [of the spring training complex]. It’s a long way from our viewing perspective.