Tuesday workout observations

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

Roger Bernadina works on Bo Porter's unconventional drill.

VIERA, Fla. -- No, your eyes aren't deceiving you: That's a photo of Roger Bernadina tracking down a fly ball with his right hand while holding a football in his left hand. That was one of the first things I saw during this morning's full-squad workout that let me know there are a few differences about this camp from previous ones.

The football drill is the brainchild of new third base coach Bo Porter, who also instructs the outfielders. Porter came up with the idea several years ago while coaching the Marlins. The idea behind it: Holding a football tucked into your side while taking off to catch a fly ball helps keep your running form tight and thus keeps your speed up all the way through the catch.

"After coaching for a year and watching different guys running at the balls, I realized the farther an outfielder runs for the ball, the form kind of got out from under them," said Porter, a former football player himself. "You see the glove start to waggle, the arm gets outside of their body. We all know if you start to lose your form, you're going to slow down. So the goal with the drill is to keep them running with their form to gain maximum distance for the longest period of time. If you're carrying a football ... it makes you stay tucked."

Players initially looked at Porter like he was nuts. Then they understood the method behind the madness and embraced it.

"Oh, I think it's wonderful," said Nyjer Morgan, who seemed comfortable with the drill from the get-go. "It's definitely going to benefit us outfielders."

For a guy like Roger Bernadina, who grew up in Holland and Curacao never playing American-style football, it was a bit awkward.

"Maybe in a couple days, I'll get used to it," Bernadina said.

Porter will have a few more tricks up his sleeve as camp progresses. He also runs a drill in which he instructs all outfielders to catch fly balls in their bare hand, no gloves allowed. It's designed to make the player focus on the ball all the way through the finish and not just assume he's going to make the catch.

"Hey, whatever works," Bernadina said. "It's spring training. If it helps you get better, why not?"

Today's workout was also noticeable for the first rounds of live batting practice that were held. I watched several sessions, paying particular attention to John Lannan and Yunesky Maya. Each guy looked pretty sharp facing live batters for the first time this spring.

"Once that hitter steps in, this is what you've been working for," Lannan said. "As soon as that batter stepped in, the focus went up a little more and I made some pitches. I was a little rushed at times, but I felt good."

The guy taking live BP drawing the most attention, of course, was Bryce Harper. He faced Shairon Martis and Brian Broderick, not exactly cream of the crop competition but professional pitchers nonetheless. Harper managed a couple of well-struck line drive singles against each guy, though each right-hander also got the 18-year-old to swing and miss once.

One other important sighting from today: Frank Robinson stopped by the stadium to say hello to a bunch of people. Frank had a little health scare over the offseason while attending owners meetings in Phoenix, but he's doing well now. He started a diet a month ago and has managed to lose 25 pounds already. The guy really does look great for a 76-year-old.

I'll have more on Harper and Jayson Werth, both who are speaking to reporters this afternoon, in a little while. In the meantime, a couple more photos from today's workout...

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

John Lannan delivers a pitch during his live BP session.

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

Nyjer Morgan jogs with some resistance from Jayson Werth.