Photos from instructional league

Photo courtesy Bill Scheuerman

Bryce Harper has been very much at ease in his first days as a pro ballplayer.

Workouts for the Florida instructional league have been going on for five days now, with nearly four-dozen Nationals prospects and rehabbing veterans getting some extra work in Viera before heading home for the winter.

The most notable name down there, of course, is Bryce Harper, the top draft pick who is getting his first taste of life as a professional ballplayer after signing a five-year, $9.9 million contract seconds before last month's deadline. By all indications, Harper is blending in nicely, getting along with teammates and coaches, diligently running through all his drills and interacting plenty with fans. I've already heard from several people who have gone to the complex there to see Harper and wound up getting autographs and photos with the 17-year-old catcher-turned-outfielder. Everyone has emerged impressed with the way the kid conducts himself.

Harper may draw the most attention, but he's far from the only significant player in Viera right now. He's joined by several fellow 2010 draft picks, including left-handers Sammy Solis and Robbie Ray, right-hander A.J. Cole and infielder Rick Hague. He's also joined by a pair of big leaguers still slogging their way through a season's worth of rehab: Jesus Flores and Chien-Ming Wang.

Flores, still trying to recover from a major shoulder injury rooted in a foul tip that struck him in May 2009, never did get his arm strong enough to return to the majors this season. The one-time catcher of the Nationals' future, though, has apparently made enough progress to play in instructional league games once the schedule commences later this week. He'll be watched closely and obviously will be shut down at the first sign of pain, but it sounds like he is going to give it a go.

What should be clear is that the Nats aren't giving up on Flores, who will be eligible for arbitration this winter but probably won't earn more than $500,000 or $600,000 because of his lack of actual playing time. Will he ever make it all the way back? Who knows? But the Nats believe it's worth hanging onto a catcher who will turn 26 next month, just in case he does return healthy again.

Wang is a different story. The Nationals signed the veteran right-hander to a $2 million contract in February, projecting he would be ready to return from his own shoulder surgery in May or June. Obviously, that didn't happen. Like Flores, Wang won't appear in either a major-league or minor-league game in 2010. But also like Flores, he has apparently made enough strides lately that he's slated to pitch some in the instructional league. Wang's fastball is registering only in the mid-80s, I'm told, so clearly he's not 100 percent back. But the consensus seems to be that the velocity will continue to return over time.

It's tough to see the Nats waiting around for that to happen, though. Like Flores, Wang will be arbitration-eligible this winter. Unlike Flores, he'll stand to make at least $3.5 million through that process, which requires the Nats to offer at least 70 percent of Wang's $5 million salary in 2009. Can't imagine they'll commit that much, not unless they see some serious progress between now and the non-tender deadline in December.

For now, though, everyone's working out in Viera, as you can see from these photos. Reader Bill Scheuerman has been down there for several days and was kind enough to pass along these excellent photos. Enjoy!...

Photo courtesy Bill Scheuerman

Jesus Flores is still attempting to return from last year's shoulder injury.

Photo courtesy Bill Scheuerman

Chien-Ming Wang hopes to pitch in some instructional league games.

Photo courtesy Bill Scheuerman

Lefty Robbie Ray passed up a scholarship from Arkansas to sign with the Nats.

Photo courtesy Bill Scheuerman

Second-round pick Sammy Solis apparently has a knuckleball in his repertoire.