VIERA, Fla. -- Nationals pitchers and catchers reported to Space Coast Stadium on Saturday morning, kicking off the club's fifth season.

At least 17 pitchers and four catchers were seen in the Nationals' clubhouse. Among the first to arrive was catcher Jesus Flores, who enters this season as the starter behind the plate. Flores said his left ankle, which he hurt in a home-plate collision with Phillies second baseman Chase Utley last September, is 100 percent, and he vowed to improve his game even more. Flores finished second on the team with 59 RBIs.

A look ahead Select a team: AL East Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox New York Yankees Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays AL Central Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians Detroit Tigers Kansas City Royals Minnesota Twins AL West Los Angeles Angels Oakland Athletics Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers NL East Atlanta Braves Florida Marlins New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies Washington Nationals NL Central Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Houston Astros Milwaukee Brewers Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals NL West Arizona D-backs Colorado Rockies Los Angeles Dodgers San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Quick hits Select a team: AL East Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox New York Yankees Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays AL Central Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians Detroit Tigers Kansas City Royals Minnesota Twins AL West Los Angeles Angels Oakland Athletics Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers NL East Atlanta Braves Florida Marlins New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies Washington Nationals NL Central Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Houston Astros Milwaukee Brewers Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals NL West Arizona D-backs Colorado Rockies Los Angeles Dodgers San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Spring Training links • Spring Training tickets • Travel packages • Spring Training schedule

"This is what I have been looking for in the big leagues. I look to play every day," Flores said. "This is my year. I feel good. I have recovered from the injury. I still have to improve on the field.

"This year, I'm going to start thinking about being more of a leader on the field. I'm going to have that communication with the pitchers, starting with the new guys. It's going to be a really big season for me."

Position players are not required to report to camp until Tuesday, but six of them -- Kory Casto, Ian Desmond, Nick Johnson, Willie Harris, Justin Maxwell and Pete Orr -- were working on their hitting techniques with hitting instructor Rick Eckstein.

Everyone had their eye on Johnson. He played only 38 games the last two years because of a broken right leg and tendon injury in his right wrist. It looked like Johnson didn't miss a beat with the bat, as he was hitting nothing but line drives. Johnson finds himself competing with Adam Dunn for the starting first-base job. Dunn could also play left field.

"The swing felt good," said Johnson. "I have to continue working on different things. I want the good feel that I'm looking for. [The wrist] is not pain-free, but it's pretty close. The more I swing, the better it feels."

Even though there are plenty of question marks regarding Washington, it did upgrade its offense earlier in the week by signing Dunn, who has hit at least 40 home runs for five consecutive years.

But don't underestimate general manager Jim Bowden. With so many quality free agents still on the market, Bowden could sign a young starting pitcher or reliever at a reasonable price. The team has a plethora of outfielders, and Bowden could trade one of them for a starting pitcher.

"There are certainly a couple of young starting pitchers out there that could help us," Bowden said. "There are bullpen guys that could really help us. Whether or not we are able to sign them and make it work remains to be seen, but we are working on it."

Manager Manny Acta, who is in his third season as the Nats' skipper, has some tough decisions to make on the field.

Elijah Dukes, Dunn, Austin Kearns and Josh Willingham will compete for the two corner-outfield spots. Justin Maxwell, Roger Bernadina and Leonard Davis most likely will start the season at Triple-A Syracuse, while Wily Mo Pena and Willie Harris will be the backups in Washington. The only thing that is certain is that Lastings Milledge will be the starting center fielder.

The bullpen could be a problem for Acta. With the average age of the staff just above 26, Washington will have to rely on a bullpen that is young and inexperienced.

The Nationals will lean heavily on Joel Hanrahan, Mike Hinckley, Garrett Mock and Steven Shell, all of whom have spent most of their professional careers as starters. Hanrahan became a reliever last year, and he was named the closer last July, when Washington traded right-hander Jon Rauch to Arizona for infielder Emilio Bonifacio. The results for Hanrahan were mixed in the closer's role, as he recorded nine saves with a 3.96 ERA.

"We are happy with the guys who stepped up last year, like the Hinckleys of the world," Acta said. "We have some young arms coming up through the system. Not all of them are going to fit in our starting rotation. Some of them may have to go to the bullpen, too."

Acta continues to have a positive attitude, despite all the questions marks surrounding the team. The manager believes the team will be better this season, as long as it stays healthy, which wasn't the case last season.

"If our guys are healthy, my money is on our guys," Acta said recently. "We can go out there and make things tough for the other clubs. Who knows? This club is better than [the 2007 team] that won 73 games.

"My goal is to always play over .500 baseball. If you go into the season with a goal shorter than that, you sell yourself way too short."