Byron Kerr

Goodwin, Martinson, Barrett shine in Salt River's 11-5 victory

November 10, 2012, 5:59pm

Brian Goodwin scored two runs and Jason Martinson added two RBIs as Salt River dropped Phoenix, 11-5. Goodwin, leading off and playing center field, went 1-for-4, but had two walks, the two tuns and a double. He had a stolen base but was also picked off first base in the first inning after reaching on a fielding error. Goodwin's batting average is .239. Martinson, playing for only the second time in a week, went 1-for-3 with a two-run double to give the Rafters a 3-0 lead. He scored a run,...

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Goodwin and Skole have RBI doubles, but Mesa drops Salt River 7-5

November 10, 2012, 2:03am

Nationals

Goodwin and Skole have RBI doubles, but Mesa drops Salt River 7-5

Brian Goodwin and Matt Skole smacked RBI doubles, but a four-run second inning set the tone as Mesa edged Salt River 7-5 in Arizona Fall League competition Friday afternoon. Batting leadoff as the designated hitter, Goodwin went 1-for-5, with a RBI double, a run scored and two strikeouts. His average is at .239. Skole, at first base, went 1-for-3 with a run-scoring double and a walk. His average is .302. Anthony Rendon, playing third base, went 0-for-4 and struck out twice. The Solar Sox...

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Goodwin, Skole get day off; Surprise edges Salt River 5-4

November 09, 2012, 1:46am

Nationals

Goodwin, Skole get day off; Surprise edges Salt River 5-4

Surprise returned the favor Thursday with a 5-4 win at Salt River, despite a furious ninth-inning rally that came up short. Down 5-1 heading into their last at-bat, the Rafters scored three runs, but Chris Owings struck out to end the game. Matt Davidson's solo shot and Jake Marisnick's two-run homer had cut the deficit to one. The Rafters did not have that many opportunities against the Surprise pitching staff, going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Nationals prospect Anthony...

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Skole blasts two-run shot in Salt River's 8-3 victory

November 08, 2012, 2:36am

Nationals

Skole blasts two-run shot in Salt River's 8-3 victory

Nationals prospect Matt Skole picked up where he left off, going 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and four RBIs in Salt River's 8-3 win over Surprise on Wednesday night in the Arizona Fall League. Skole crushed the two-run shot in the fifth inning, walked in the first and smacked a two-run single in the third. He grounded out and flew out in his final two at-bats. His four RBIs marked the second game in a row a Nationals prospect connected for that total, and ran his RBI mark to a team-high 12...

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Rendon with two doubles as Salt River wins slugfest, 14-12

November 07, 2012, 1:45am

Nationals

Rendon with two doubles as Salt River wins slugfest, 14-12

Nationals prospect Anthony Rendon went 3-for-3 with two doubles and four RBIs as Salt River outscored Scottsdale 14-12 in the Arizona Fall League on Tuesday night. Rendon also had a single, two runs, sac fly and a stolen base, raising his average to .317. He has hit .382 (13-for-34) with five doubles, a triple and seven RBIs in his last 10 games. The third baseman has four stolen bases and 12 runs scored in 17 AFL contests. He has totaled 10 RBIs and 11 walks in Arizona. Rendon had the sac...

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Brad Meyers on return to Nationals: "I feel like I am coming back home"

November 06, 2012, 4:34am

Nationals

Right-hander Brad Meyers would just as soon forget 2012. It started off well with a new opportunity with the New York Yankees following his selection from the Nationals in the Rule 5 draft at last year's Winter Meetings. But a shoulder injury and just one appearance altered that momentum quickly. Eleven months later, the Santa Ana, Calif., native has been returned to the Nationals and is excited about being back with the club that originally drafted him. "I feel like I am coming back...

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Offense from Nats prospects helping Salt River pursue AFL crown

November 04, 2012, 7:41pm

Nationals

Offense from Nats prospects helping Salt River pursue AFL crown

Some of the Nationals' best position player prospects are on display in the Arizona Fall League with the Salt River Rafters. Brian Goodwin, Jason Martinson, Anthony Rendon and Matt Skole have combined to provide a good measure of the offense for the Rafters as they pursue the AFL crown. The Rafters are 11-9 with about two weeks remaining in the season. Salt River had hit 16 homers in 20 games, second to Mesa. They have 38 stolen bases, a league-leading total. Their .393 slugging percentage...

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Goodwin shines as East beats West 9-4 in AFL Rising Stars game

November 03, 2012, 8:58pm

Nationals

Goodwin shines as East beats West 9-4 in AFL Rising Stars game

Nationals outfield prospect Brian Goodwin smacked a home run and went 2-for-5 as the East All-Stars beat the West All-Stars 9-4 in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game at Talking Stick Saturday night. Trailing 2-0 in the first frame, Goodwin, a left fielder, crushed a solo homer to start the offense, cutting the deficit in half. Down 4-3 in the fifth, the East scored six times to take control and win going away. Goodwin had an RBI double in the inning to give the East a 7-4...

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Matt Skole playing first base exclusively in Arizona

November 02, 2012, 10:32am

Nationals

Matt Skole playing first base exclusively in Arizona

Nationals prospect Matt Skole is enjoying his opportunity to play for Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League and is anxious to get back on the field after "tweaking" his hamstring last Saturday. "I just tweaked it a little bit," Skole said. "They gave me this week off. I am going to play (today). I think they are being overcautious. It wasn't that big of a deal. Those guys took care of me." Skole is a third baseman by trade. For low Single-A Hagerstown and high Single-A Potomac...

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Prospect Brian Goodwin focusing on bunting in Arizona

October 31, 2012, 6:50pm

Nationals

Prospect Brian Goodwin focusing on bunting in Arizona

Outfielder Brian Goodwin is leading off for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League and has gotten off to a fast start with a league-best nine extra-base hits. His outstanding play earned the 21-year-old an invitation to play in the AFL Rising Stars Game on Saturday night, alongside teammates Aaron Barrett and Anthony Rendon. Pitching coach Mark Grater has watched Goodwin since May and has seen what the talented center fielder has to offer the Nationals. "Brian Goodwin (was)...

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Brian Goodwin named Arizona Fall League Player of the Week

October 30, 2012, 2:01pm

Nationals

Brian Goodwin named Arizona Fall League Player of the Week

Nationals outfield prospect Brian Goodwin scorched the ball the last few games for the Salt River Rafters and was honored as the Arizona Fall League Player of the Week. Rafters and Nationals minor league rehab pitching coach Mark Grater said Goodwin was sent to Arizona in part to get better at bunting, and the multi-talented player now leads the league in slugging percentage (.667) with nine extra-base hits, also a league-high total. Here is what the Arizona Fall League release said about...

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Goodwin, Rendon and Barrett selected for AFL Rising Stars Game

October 30, 2012, 8:14am

Nationals

Goodwin, Rendon and Barrett selected for AFL Rising Stars Game

According to a club source, third baseman Anthony Rendon, outfielder Brian Goodwin and pitcher Aaron Barrett have been selected to play in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game. The all-star game will be held Friday, Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. Eastern time at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. The game will be broadcast live on MLB Network. Rendon, who is hitting .250 with six RBIs, has made every play defensively at third base for the Salt River Rafters and has hit well as he recovers from an...

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Rendon making strides in AFL to look the part defensively

October 28, 2012, 11:47am

Nationals

Rendon making strides in AFL to look the part defensively

Nationals prospect Anthony Rendon continues to work on his defense at third base as the Arizona Fall League's Salt River Rafters work through their schedule. At the plate, it is all about timing. "I am just trying to get my rhythm back while I am hitting," Rendon said. "I am trying to get more efficient and getting started earlier to be ready to hit." Defensively, though, Rendon admitted there has been a perception that he looks on the field like he isn't all the way into every pitch....

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Rendon's ankle at "full strength"

October 26, 2012, 7:37pm

Nationals

Nationals infield prospect Anthony Rendon checked in from the Arizona Fall League, where he is playing for the Salt River Rafters. He is batting .231 in 11 games so far for the Rafters, with four doubles and five RBIs. He has seven walks and eight strikeouts. Rendon has played third base exclusively for the Rafters and said that he feels 100 percent healthy following recovery from a fractured left ankle suffered in April with the high Single-A Potomac Nationals. "It is back to full...

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Prospect updates: Benincasa, Self, Miller, Kieboom

October 25, 2012, 9:54am

Nationals

Prospect updates: Benincasa, Self, Miller, Kieboom

Several pitchers did very well at instructional league, including a couple of right-handed relievers who were noticed by Single-A Potomac pitching coach Chris Michalak over the last few weeks of fall camp in Viera, Fla. Right-handers Robert Benincasa and Derek Self, who spent the summer at short-season Single-A Auburn after their selections by the Nationals in the 2012 draft, made good progress. "Benincasa threw the ball well for us in Florida," Michalak said. "He was an aggressive...

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Cole Kimball "glad to be playing again"

October 24, 2012, 5:54am

Nationals

Right-hander Cole Kimball is finally back to feeling completely healthy following shoulder surgery. He is making his second appearance in Arizona and is excited to be back on the bump. Even though he is one of the older guys in the Arizona Fall League, he said he excited to be pitching again, keeping quiet and working hard. Kimball had rotator cuff surgery in July 2011, and has rehabbed to the point where his shoulder feels strong. He said the injury was a "freak accident," something he...

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Southpaw Mooneyham showed stuff and potential at instructional league

October 22, 2012, 9:55am

Nationals

Southpaw Mooneyham showed stuff and potential at instructional league

One of the 2012 draft picks on the pitching side, left-hander Brett Mooneyham, showed well at instructional league the last few weeks. The Nationals' third-round draft pick pitched in 10 games (nine starts) for short-season Single-A Auburn, going 2-2 with a 2.55 ERA, striking out 29 batters and walking 16. He allowed only three earned runs in his last three starts. That was a very good start for the 22-year-old, but instructional league provided another great opportunity to work on a couple...

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Matt Skole lighting it up for Salt River in AFL

October 21, 2012, 6:58am

Nationals

Matt Skole lighting it up for Salt River in AFL

High Single-A Potomac Nationals third baseman Matt Skole has played in six games so far for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League. He has had at least one hit in each game. Saturday was Skole's third multi-hit game, and he went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. He is batting .500 (11-for-22) with three doubles, one homer and five RBIs. His slugging percentage is .773 and his OPS (on-base plus slugging) is 1.380. Skole has been playing some first base with Anthony Rendon...

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Taylor Jordan hit 94 mph at instructional league

October 20, 2012, 6:27am

Nationals

Taylor Jordan hit 94 mph at instructional league

Right-hander Taylor Jordan completed his season with the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns and moved on to Florida for instructional league workouts that wrapped up last week. A ninth-round selection from the 2009 draft, Jordan recovered from 2011 Tommy John surgery to get back and pitch six games at short-season Single-A Auburn and then joined the Suns for nine starts. Potomac Nationals pitching coach Chris Michalak worked with Jordan in Viera, Fla., up until Oct. 1 while he was at instructional...

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Sammy Solis "on schedule" as throwing program begins following Tommy John surgery

October 19, 2012, 10:50am

Nationals

Sammy Solis "on schedule" as throwing program begins following Tommy John surgery

Left-hander Sammy Solis, who underwent Tommy John ligament replacement surgery in March 2012, is well into his throwing program as he recovers from the injury. Solis was in Florida last month while the instructional league competition took place, according to a Nats source, who said Solis "threw the ball really well and is in good shape." The rehab process is well under way for the left-hander, and Solis is on schedule "as we hoped," the source added. "(Solis) is a ways away from...