Nats Prospect Brady House Settles Into His New Infield Home

Brady House officially moved up to the organization's third tier this season. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

©Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post Brady House has officially moved to the organization's third base this season. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

PORT ST. LUCIA, Fla. — In Sunday's Washington Nationals loss to the Mets, Brady House scored in place of reliever Michael Chavis in the sixth inning. He stood on the infield at the shortstop, hit a hot throw, then walked to his new home on the field and suddenly seemed to realize he was in the wrong place.

As expected, a 2021 high school shortstop, House, has officially moved to third base. House said last year he wanted to stay at shortstop, but with his physique (he's already listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds) Nationals let him play the hot spot. House said Sunday morning that he hadn't played third base in 10 years.

"The biggest change for me was knowing I had time," House said. “In short, (they) can handle the ball and everything. In the third part it seems that … the ball reaches you faster. So you have to work on it.

His first try in Sunday's game was pretty easy: a fly ball into foul territory. After hitting the dirt, he checked to see if he had a seat, called his teammates and sat down for the first time.

That catch was House's only defensive move in an otherwise quiet practice game that fall. He drew five pitches and recorded a field error in the ninth.

"It was a great experience, especially to see (Max) Scherzer and (Josiah) Gray leave," House continued. "It was nice to come in and think of my first line and feel comfortable."

The second year of board growth will be significant. A year ago he was considered one of their top picks, but with the influx of new talent through draft and trade, House has fallen down the charts at many baseball websites.

That's partly because House only played 45 games last year. He stopped playing after June 13 last year due to a back injury. He also confirmed that he contracted the coronavirus earlier in the season. But House arrived healthy at the team facility in early January.

"If something happens to your body, you have to do what you have to do," House said. "You have to listen. You can't just ignore it. Ignoring something like this will only make things worse in the long run, so taking care of it is definitely a priority."

Here's what you need to know about National Spring Training.

Josiah Gray has started a new music

Josiah Gray hit just 9 shots in Sunday's first spring training game, but five of them were game-winning. Gray has added something closer to his arsenal this offseason, and the Mets have definitely taken notice.

0-1 for Mark Canha, Josiah Gray threw one over the seats which tackled Canha. Gray noticed Kanha looking at the tablet in confusion. Three times later, Gray hit him with the same sound. Gray can present a tricky balance in spring training. There's not much in terms of deployment, especially for a division rival.

"It's a fight between the two. They don't want to show all their guns, but you have to do it now so you don't get arrested in April," Gray said. "I'm sure when [Kanha] comes back and reports the dirt, he'll be like, 'Hey, he's got a cut now!' you have to get out

Bench coach Tim Bogar, who has coached the split-team game, likes what he sees on the field and believes it will be particularly effective against left-handers.

Matt Adams and shift change

Matt Adams, who played as an independent outside field at Kansas City last season, agreed to a minor league contract in hopes of extending his career. And this year maybe have more chances.

Matt Adams hit bases from first to second ahead of Max Scherzer on his first Sunday. The second baseman dived, but the ball cleared his outstretched glove. Behind him none other than on the far right. Adams had a single from his former teammate. A few years ago maybe not.

"Yes, I mean, there have been many (times) in my career where I've caught a ball like that, taken a few hard steps out of the box and looked up to see if it was on the third or on the second Base was base. Plane: Right field and the line is moving toward him,” Adams said. So to get a good [shot] from someone like Max in the spring to see the situation, that was great.

"You can win anything in high school"

Elijah Green has played 12 total games for Florida since the Nationals drafted him with their fifth overall pick last July. Green said it's been a great experience, especially when it comes to top recruits. The best. Forge Green .302. The worst? He's had 21 tackles that he wants to focus on improving this season.

"You can hit anything in high school," Green said. "But in pro ball you have to pick your hotspots and be very selective, like hitting, but be aggressive when you're in that zone."