One of the more commonly heard phrases in the Washington Nationals’ clubhouse, however, is decidedly G-rated. Its origins lie with Chris Heisey and Stephen Drew, affable staples of the Nationals’ bench who are also best friends. That phrase consists of two words, “good kid,” and few conversations involving Heisey or Drew start any other way. “Hey, good kid!” is now a common greeting in the Nationals’ clubhouse, a perfect representation of the lightheartedness Heisey and Drew brought to the bench last season, and of the personalities that made the Nationals want them back for another year.

Neither Heisey nor Drew seemed like impact signings when the Nationals brought them in before last year’s spring training. Their recent résumés did not impress, and they did not tear through spring training either. That the Nationals carried both of them on the Opening Day roster, particularly Heisey, constituted a small surprise. But both players quickly emerged as clubhouse favorites, willing to help younger players and build up the downtrodden. The Nationals re-signed them both to major league deals this winter, effectively committing roster spots to them without subjecting them to spring training competition.

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“They’re always in a good mood. It’s great to have guys like that,” first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. “They don’t get upset about things. And they’re always messing around and keeping everyone happy.”

Over the course of last season, Heisey and Drew developed a friendship. They had never met before last spring training, and even when they did meet, they did not become instant friends.

“We didn’t really even hang out at all in spring training,” said Heisey, leaning against the side of his spring training locker, which is right next to Drew’s.

After hours and hours together on the bench, and hitting in the cage during games, a bond emerged. They collaborated to spearhead last year’s push for French Press coffee in the dugout, and their banter became a near-constant part of the clubhouse soundtrack. Baseball brought them together, but non-baseball interests brought them closer. Both are devout Christians. Both have young children. Now, one is rarely seen without the other.

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“With me and him, I don’t know, we just kind of click. It’s kind of unique,” Drew said. “In sports, you don’t really have those connections, especially when we didn’t know each other to start with. It just kind of clicked right away.”

Last year, the Nationals’ bench clicked around them. Led by a resurgent year from Drew and some timely hits from Heisey, the Nationals posted the fifth-best bench OPS in the National League, and finished with 12 pinch-hit home runs, third-most in baseball. Drew and Heisey tied for the fifth-most pinch-hit home runs in baseball with three each, and Drew’s OPS was 13th among major league hitters with at least 20 pinch-hit plate appearances.

“We’re good for each other,” Heisey said. “I’m high-strung, he’s kind of the opposite, so we have some weaknesses we work on for each other.”

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Drew, 34, had never been a full-time bench player before last season. He asked Heisey, who is tied for the most pinch-hit home runs in baseball since 2011, for advice on how to handle the role.

“He just had a lot of questions. When should I get ready? Stuff like that,” Heisey said. “I sort of taught him how to play the bench in the National League. It’s a very different job, so that helped us get close.”

While Drew picked up pinch-hitting tips, he also began to pick up one of the phrases Heisey used most — “Hey, good hitter!” — something catcher Devin Mesoraco used to holler during Heisey’s days in Cincinnati. Heisey often refers to teammates as “kid,” so eventually the phrase transformed. Drew started saying it to teammates as they walked by in the clubhouse and even on the bench during games.

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“I always say it because of [Heisey],” Drew said. “It’s just caught on with everybody.”

Drew, it should be noted, has a lexicon of his own. One day last week, he walked into the clubhouse and said, “Hey uglyheads!” Heisey, slightly less sarcastic, is rarely prone to such vulgarity.

“There’s times he will make me get a little crazy, and there’s times where I calm him down, so that’s been fun,” Drew said. “ … Can’t say enough about him, because he brings energy to the team. People don’t see that, in the clubhouse, what we have to do every day.”

This year, the Nationals’ bench will consist of Heisey, Drew, Jose Lobaton, Adam Lind, and probably one other player. They placed Clint Robinson on waivers Tuesday, leaving Michael A. Taylor and Wilmer Difo in contention for the final bench spot. Taylor and Difo are young and relatively inexperienced in bench duties. Lind is more used to full-time or platoon duty, not the National League’s unique pinch-hitting challenges and irregular playing time.

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When Robinson cleared out his locker on Tuesday, Heisey and Drew sat at their seats next to each other, said their goodbyes and shook their heads. Without Robinson, the bench wolf pack is a man short. Now, more than ever, Heisey and Drew will be crucial contributors not only as reliable late-game options, but also as tutors to their bench colleagues — just two good kids and good friends, making their presence felt.