BECKLEY — Trent Jewett is spending a few days at his southern West Virginia home before he heads to Florida for work. Once he starts, he won’t have a day off for eight months.

Sounds strenuous, and it is. But there will also be plenty of perks. He’ll end up seeing the country, at stops that will include New York and Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Atlanta. Of course, there are the rays of sunshine and warm weather in Florida.

Jewett’s job is assuredly a labor of love. The Dallas native is the first base coach for the Washington Nationals, and he will be spending the next month and a half in what is every baseball fan’s purported paradise this time of year.

Spring training.

Nationals pitchers and catchers report Feb. 20, by which time Jewett will have been in Viera, Fla., for a week. And these days, being affiliated with what has become one of the doormats of the National League East has the look of potentially being a positive thing.

“It’s really exciting because of the advances we have made and the prospects we have for moving forward,” Jewett said recently. “The organization has made a commitment to better itself in the near future by being certain to have the big pieces in place. It is an exciting time to be part of this organization.”

Jewett is from Dallas, but he spends part of the offseason in Glen Morgan. His wife of 17 years, Susan, is originally from West Virginia..

“We shuffle back and forth between there and Dallas,” Jewett said. “Her family is there. That’s the main reason.”

The two were introduced in Bradenton, Fla, when Jewett was with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

“Stan Fansler (an Elkins native and former Pirate who now resides in Beckley), his wife and my wife are friends,” Jewett said. “They came down for spring break when we were having instructional league at the time. That’s how we met.”

Jewett isn’t the only Nationals coach with state ties. Bullpen coach Jim Lett is a Winfield native who has made several stops in professional baseball. He was manager of the Charleston Wheelers when they won the 1990 South Atlantic League title.

Jewett said he and Lett often talk about West Virginia.

“Jimmy’s been around the game a long time,” Jewett said.” He’s a great guy (with) great knowledge and a great staff member. On off days sometimes he’ll come home and sometimes I will, but we always talk about what’s going on in West Virginia.”

Jewett was a former manager in the minor leagues and spent three seasons as the Pirates’ third base coach. His introduction to the Washington franchise came in 2009, as the manager at single-A Potomac.

That same year, the Nationals chose a phenom pitcher out of San Diego State with the No. 1 overall selection in the first-year players draft.

Stephen Strasburg and the Nats waited until the eleventh hour to come to a deal, but he was finally able to begin his pro career that October.

He quickly made his way through the minors the following year until he landed with the triple-A Syracuse Chiefs. His manager was none other than Jewett.

By that time, Strasburg’s every move was viewed by the national media. So Jewett had more responsibility than just helping develop the future of a franchise.

It was partly up to him to contain all the excitement and keep Strasburg focused.

“It was fitting to see the attention he drew, and he was worthy of it,” Jewett said. “But the best part is he did not solicit any of it. It happened, and he dealt with it and we dealt with it. You would prefer to stick to the baseball aspect of it.

“He is a great kid and just as great from a talent standpoint. It is going to be fun to watch him pitch with health and comfort.”

Strasburg made his big league debut in June 2010, striking out 14 in a win over the Pirates. But he had his season end early when he underwent Tommy John surgery. He made a brief comeback late last season and is expected to be at full strength this season.

“He will be just as good (as he was before the surgery),” Jewett said. “Last year he was ready to regather his form. We do not have any reason to believe he won’t be as good as advertised.”

But the excitement surrounding Washington’s future goes beyond Strasburg. Washington has made no secret of the fact that it intends to be taken seriously.

The Nats have done so largely with trades and recent free agent acquisitions. They signed former Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth last year, and waiting in the minors is freakish catcher/outfielder Bryce Harper, who was the No. 1 pick a year after Strasburg.

Much attention has been turned to the pitching staff. In addition to Strasburg, the Nationals also acquired Gio Gonzalez in a trade with Oakland, then locked him up with a long-term deal.

The bullpen, which already has one the league’s top closers in Drew Storen, taken just nine selections after Strasburg, got a boost with last month’s signing of former Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge.

The emphasis on pitching is a must, Jewett said. With the likes of Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in Philadelphia and Tim Hudson and Jair Jurrjens in Atlanta, it’s a simple matter of keeping up.

“In this division,” Jewett said, “you better be able to pitch. We think we will be able to do it. It’s going to be fun.”

The Nats might be a year or two away, or success could be immediate. Either way, Jewett is ready to get started.

“I’m looking forward to spring training,” he said. “We have a tremendous manager (Davey Johnson) with knowledge of the game, and a great staff. I’m looking forward to it.”

— E-mail: gfauber@register-herald.com