How Austin Voth turned around his Arizona Fall League season

How Austin Voth turned around his Arizona Fall League season
In his first three starts in Arizona Fall League play, Nationals right-hander Austin Voth was struggling. Unable to find the accuracy he had consistently reached during the season, he wasn't hitting his spots with his most reliable pitches. Voth surrendered 13 runs on 13 hits in those initial 9 2/3 frames. He was suddenly 0-1 with a 12.10 ERA. Glendale pitching coach Sam Narron worked with Voth, 24, by going back to look at his mechanics when he first turned pro in 2013. "I figure it was...

No. 1 Nats prospect: Victor Robles

No. 1 Nats prospect: Victor Robles
The Nationals' top prospect according to Baseball America was all the talk at last month's Winter Meetings. Several teams inquired about 19-year-old center fielder Victor Robles and for good reason. No. 1: CF Victor Robles Robles played two months for low Single-A Hagerstown before being promoted to high Single-A Potomac on June 27. He hit .305 for the Suns and .262 for the P-Nats. He got hit by a pitch on his hand a few times, which caused him to miss a few games due to injury. Baseball...

No. 2 Nats prospect: Erick Fedde

No. 2 Nats prospect: Erick Fedde
With Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning traded to the Chicago White Sox, one remaining pitching prospect who had his name brought up a lot in offseason trade talks takes center stage. Right-hander Erick Fedde appears to be close to making a big splash with the Nationals after gaining momentum with a solid 2016. The 23-year-old pitched in 18 games (17 starts) with high Single-A Potomac, then was promoted to Double-A Harrisburg. Fedde pitched well in five starts for the Senators....

Nats' entire minor league coaching staff returns for 2017

Nats' entire minor league coaching staff returns for 2017
The Nationals announced there were no major adjustments to their minor league coaching staff for 2017, with each level retaining the same coaches as they had in 2016. The exception was strength and conditioning, where a number of coaches were promoted or assigned more responsibility. Mike Warren was named strength and conditioning coach at Triple-A Syracuse. Brett Henry was promoted from Syracuse to the major league strength and conditioning staff. Tony Rogowski was promoted from Double-A...

No. 3 Nats prospect: Juan Soto

No. 3 Nats prospect: Juan Soto
We hear a ton about Victor Robles, but there are more and more Dominican players that the Nationals are building who are going to start making names for themselves each passing season. This season that breakout player could well be outfielder Juan Soto. Soto absolutely tore through the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and then didn't miss a beat with an outstanding showcase week with the short-season Single-A Auburn Doubledays. Baseball America also noticed the work of Soto, as he is in their...

No. 4 Nats prospect: Wilmer Difo

No. 4 Nats prospect: Wilmer Difo
Shortstop Wilmer Difo was so critical to the Nationals' late-season push that he made the postseason roster and had the final at-bat in the National League Division Series. But he is still a young prospect, and is important to the Nats' infield depth. Baseball America's top 10 Nationals prospects list has him at No. 4. No. 4: SS Wilmer Difo I asked Baseball America national writer Teddy Cahill if they believe Difo is good enough to make the Nats' 25-man roster in 2017. "That is the key...

No. 5 Nats prospect: Andrew Stevenson

No. 5 Nats prospect: Andrew Stevenson
The Nationals have continued to build outfield depth in their system over the past few seasons. One example is former LSU standout Andrew Stevenson, who had a very nice 2016 campaign. In the list of Baseball America Nationals top 10 prospects, Stevenson comes in at No. 5. No. 5: CF Andrew Stevenson His NCAA and College World Series experience demonstrated how far along he was compared to other candidates and Stevenson culminated a great season with impressive play in the Arizona Fall League,...

Bryce Harper can stamp his D.C. legacy by staying with Nats

Bryce Harper can stamp his D.C. legacy by staying with Nats
I get the questions a lot. And they center around Bryce Harper. Will he get half a billion dollars on his next deal? Will he stay in Washington and play for the Nationals after 2018? Those were questions posed to me and callers on Tuesday night's "Sportstalk" on NewsChannel 8, as a guest of ABC 7's Robert Burton for the half-hour show. Burton asked me the question on air. I told him I believe Harper would re-sign with the Nats in part because of the long standing relationship between...

Update on Matt Skole and the importance of winter league baseball

Update on Matt Skole and the importance of winter league baseball
It turned into a pretty big year for Matt Skole, as he put together consistency with Triple-A Syracuse to the tune of 140 games, 24 homers and 78 RBIs. Skole, 27, was rewarded by his promotion to the Nationals' 40-man roster for the first time in his career. Skole wrapped up his season by playing for over a month in the Mexican Pacific Winter League. In the second part of our look at the winter leagues, we focus on Skole. We also take a look at why winter leagues are so important to the...

How do Nats prospects end up playing in winter leagues?

How do Nats prospects end up playing in winter leagues?
Each offseason, a handful of Nationals prospects get the opportunity to work on their skills and gain valuable playing time experience in winter league competition in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Do the Nationals just send whichever players they want to these teams? Or does the player decide when and where he plays? There is a winter league agreement that's the governing document between Major League Baseball and the winter leagues that mandates how many of these...

No. 6 Nats prospect: Koda Glover

No. 6 Nats prospect: Koda Glover
Right-hander Koda Glover made one of the more astonishing moves in one season when he jumped from high Single-A Potomac to the Nationals in a matter of four months last summer. Glover, 23, out of Oklahoma State, pitched for Potomac, Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse from April to August. During that span, Glover went 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 40 games, striking out 66 and walking only 14. He was promoted to D.C. in July and made two appearances, on July 20 and 21. He arrived back again...

No. 7 Nats prospect: Luis Garcia

No. 7 Nats prospect: Luis Garcia
For the most part, those on the Baseball America top 10 Nationals prospects list have played at least one season in the organization. However, No. 7 prospect Luis Garcia is starting his first season with the Nationals after signing as an international free agent in July. This Garcia is a 16-year-old shortstop out of the Dominican Republic, and not the pitcher of the same name in the Phillies organization. The Nationals signed him for $1.3 million. No. 7: SS Luis Garcia "He was ranked our No. 3...

No. 8 Nats prospect: Carter Kieboom

No. 8 Nats prospect: Carter Kieboom
The Nationals were thrilled to be able to grab shortstop Carter Kieboom in the first round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft. The club had been well acquainted with his brother, catcher Spencer Kieboom, and in their times scouting him got to see Carter work, as well. Carter Kieboom turned down a full scholarship at Clemson University to go pro with the Nationals. Carter, 19, was assigned to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Nationals on June 24. He played 36 games with them, hitting .244...

No. 9 Nats prospect: Pedro Severino

No. 9 Nats prospect: Pedro Severino
The Nationals lost starting catcher Wilson Ramos to a devastating ACL injury at the very end of the 2016 regular season. Ramos is recovering well and was signed by the Tampa Bay Rays to a two-year deal. The Nationals quickly re-signed veteran backstop Jose Lobaton and reacquired Derek Norris, who began his career as a Nationals draft selection in 2007 and went on to success with the Oakland A's and San Diego Padres. But in 2016, the Nationals also got a chance to see the potential of catcher...

No. 10 Nats prospect: Austin Voth

No. 10 Nats prospect: Austin Voth
Accelerating thanks to an incredible end to his Arizona Fall League play, right-hander Austin Voth comes in at No. 10 on the recently released released Baseball America Nationals top 10 prospects list. No. 10: RHP Austin Voth Voth tossed 15 scoreless innings to wrap up his season with the Glendale Desert Dogs. Teddy Cahill, Baseball America's national writer, said Voth's overall numbers this season in the Nationals system, plus his ability to accumulate a ton of innings, gives reason to...

More on Robertson, Colome and Britton as Nats seek closer

More on Robertson, Colome and Britton as Nats seek closer
The Nationals continue discussions with the White Sox regarding closer David Robertson, according to a source with knowledge of the talks. The teams are well acquainted with each other's rosters and prospects following trade talks that involved pitcher Chris Sale and center fielder Adam Eaton last week. The source also confirmed that the talks between the Nats and the Rays have "cooled" regarding closer Alex Colome. He was a name that was brought up during the Winter Meetings as a potential...

Victor Robles leads Baseball America's Nationals top 10 prospects list

Victor Robles leads Baseball America's Nationals top 10 prospects list
The Nationals worked hard during the Winter Meetings looking to improve their team. Three of their top prospects - right-handers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning - were included in a deal with the White Sox for center fielder Adam Eaton. Several teams asked about center fielder Victor Robles in trade scenarios, but general manager Mike Rizzo would not include him in those talks, and for good reason: The 19-year-old Robles is a five-tool athletic center fielder with bat discipline...

Abreu and Johansen head list of Nats prospects eligible in Rule 5 draft

Abreu and Johansen head list of Nats prospects eligible in Rule 5 draft
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - This morning the Rule 5 draft will commence, and there are a handful of Nationals prospects that are exposed and eligible to be drafted. Here are the stipulations to be eligible for the Rule 5 draft: "Players first signed at age 18 must be added to 40-man rosters within five seasons or they become eligible to be drafted by other organizations through the Rule 5 process. Players signed at 19 years or older have to be protected within four seasons. Clubs pay $100,000 to...

More McCutchen trade news, notes on Ross, Agustin and Robles

More McCutchen trade news, notes on Ross, Agustin and Robles
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The Nationals and Pirates continue negotiations for a potential trade of center fielder Andrew McCutchen to D.C. Last week, right-hander Reynaldo Lopez and minor league center fielder Victor Robles appeared to be a part of the initial talks between the clubs. Fast-forward to this week and the deal that sent Chris Sale from the White Sox to Boston. The latest is the Nationals apparently balked at an offering that included Robles and right-hander Lucas Giolito, a source...

Source: Talks back on between Nats and Pirates for McCutchen

Source: Talks back on between Nats and Pirates for McCutchen
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Following the White Sox's decision to trade Chris Sale to the Red Sox, the Nationals' focus has shifted to the possibility of dealing for Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen. Talks with the Pirates regarding McCutchen were back on and a meeting was scheduled in the afternoon, according to a source with knowledge of the talks. The source also confirmed the Dodgers continued to express interest in McCutchen, that no deal was imminent,and talks were "fluid." Last...