Nationals prospect, relief pitcher Cole Kimball, is enjoying his experience pitching in the Arizona Fall League and is thrilled to get an invite to the Rising Stars All-Star Game Sunday.
"It has been great. I am not pitching every other day like I was this summer so it is hard to get into a rhythm when you pitch only every three or four days," Kimball said.
But he hasn't had any trouble adjusting to less work. Kimball is 0-0 with a 1.13 ERA in 7 games with 8 strikeouts and only one run...
Nationals prospects outfielder Michael Burgess and pitcher Cole Kimball have been named to the Eastern Division All-Star team of the Arizona Fall League. The Rising Stars game will be played November 6 in Surprise.
Twenty-eight players who played in last year's Rising Stars game, such as Stephen Strasburg, Drew Storen and Buster Posey, made at least an appearance in the Majors this summer.
The Scorpions' coaching staff will coach the Eastern team, based on having the best record on...
Nationals left-hander Sammy Solis says his month in the Arizona Fall League has been an invaluable experience and he has learned a lot, even from a recent rough outing. More importantly, Solis has been taught a new pitch to add to his other three potent pitches.
On October 28 versus Surprise, Solis went five innings, allowed eight hits, five runs (two of which were earned), one home run, one walk and three strikeouts. Solis says it was one of those games where the opposition was just...
Here is an update on a few of the prospects that continue to improve as the offseason rolls along. All of these players were at the instructional league camp in Viera.
Nationals hitting coordinator Rick Schu says the entire camp went very well and turned out to be an excellent teaching tool for the organization as several players refined their offensive and defensive skills before heading off to winter ball or back home for offseason work.
Carolina League MVP Tyler Moore showed what he has...
Nationals outfielder Michael Burgess and catcher Derek Norris are working hard to play well and improve in their time with the Scottsdale Scorpions this month in at the Arizona Fall League.
Norris and Burgess are each batting above .300 with a combined three homers and 19 RBI through nine games.
Burgess is hitting .303 (10-33) with four runs, two doubles, a triple and seven RBI in nine games so far. He has struck out 11 times, but has committed just one error and is riding an eight-game...
Nationals outfielder Justin Maxwell underwent surgery to replace a ligament in his left elbow October 13. Maxwell says the famed Tommy John surgery will keep him out for four to six months.
Maxwell injured his left elbow the last Saturday of the season in New York against the Mets when he dove for a catch in center field. He made the catch, but the next day his elbow didn't feel good.
"I had injured my elbow before during spring training, but this time my elbow swelled up pretty bad,"...
The Nationals have announced that Jim Riggleman will return as manager for the team in 2011 for his third year as skipper of the club. In 2010, the Nationals improved by 10 victories over their 2009 campaign, from 59 to 69 wins.
Riggleman was very pleased with the announcement, saying "Mike (Rizzo) and I talked some during September, and I was given every indication that" the team would pick up the option. "It is a good thing and I am excited to get going."
Riggleman originally signed...
Nationals hitting coordinator Rick Schu was in Scottsdale this week to coach and monitor Harper and the rest of the Nationals' Arizona prospects, and he recently gave me an update on the number one draft pick's progress.
Harper is batting .375, 3-for-8, with a double and 2 RBI in his first two games. His slugging percentage is .500 and his OPS is .875 with no errors in the field.
In his first game Wednesday, Harper went 1-for-4 with a bases loaded ground rule double. but Schu said Harper...
Harrisburg Senators' second baseman Steve Lombardozzi is enjoying his first week in the Arizona Fall league after fine tuning his game at instructs early in the month. Lombardozzi is batting .238 with four doubles and an RBI in five games, a .429 SLG and with a .789 OPS with no errors.
"It was great," Lombardozzi said. "It was good to see the other coaches like (Tony) Tarasco and (Matt) LeCroy - good to see the guys I hadn't seen in awhile, especially my teammates."
Lombardozzi says...
The Nationals pitching staff continues to be bolstered by the addition of guys with college experience like A.J. Morris and Sammy Solis, but there are also some high school prospects that were signed this year at the top of the draft that could make an impact sooner rather than later.
A.J. Cole and Robbie Ray, a pair of high school pitchers at instructs, made very favorable impressions, and both had major college offers they turned down in order to go pro and play for the Nationals right...
I had a chance to catch up again with the Nationals number one draft selection, Bryce Harper, as he embarks on his first game for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall league Wednesday.
Harper said he is pretty excited to get the invite to play in the AFL.
"I am really happy to be a part of the Arizona Fall league with the caliber of guys at this stage," Harper said. "To be able to go up there and play with Lombo, Norris and Burgess, all those good guys, it is incredible. I am...
Left-hander Sammy Solis put forth a quality debut Saturday in the Arizona Fall League as Scottsdale beat Peoria 6-4 with five runs in the seventh inning.
Derek Norris caught for Solis and went 2-for-4 with a run and a two-out RBI. Stephen Lombardozzi went 1-for-3 with a double and two runs.
Adam Carr pitched two innings of scoreless ball with a walk and a strikeout to earn the victory.
Solis threw three innings, allowed just two hits and one run, one walk, one strikeout and picked off a...
After a full year of injuries and plate inconsistency, Nationals catcher Derek Norris made an emphatic debut in his first two games this week in the Arizona Fall League with a two-run homer, a couple of walks and another safety for the Scottsdale Scorpions.
Norris hopes the minor adjustments he made to his swing at instructs will make the difference throughout the next month of Fall ball.
Nationals hitting coordinator Rick Schu monitored Norris' progress in Viera and says it is no surprise...
There's positive news on catcher Jesus Flores' progress in instructional league competition this month in Viera.
Nationals hitting coordinator Rick Schu says it would be huge to have Flores back 100 percent after shoulder surgery.
"Boy, I sure hope so. I remember watching Flo in 2007. He was a Diamondback killer. That guy can hit. He has an uncanny way of getting the barrel on the ball. He hits the ball the other way, battles with two strikes. He has some power. It would be...
Nationals number one draft selection Bryce Harper has confirmed that he will play in the Arizona Fall League and will report to the Scottsdale Scorpions on Sunday night.
Harper will be on the team's taxi squad and play in Wednesday and Saturday games.
"I am stoked. I am so excited," Harper said. "It has been a goal of mine to be able play in the Arizona Fall league."
Harper will spend time at home this weekend in Las Vegas with his family to celebrate his 18th birthday on...
Nationals No. 1 draft selection Bryce Harper played his final instructional league game today in Orlando and then will head back to his hometown of Las Vegas.
If Harper has time in Las Vegas, he will likely workout with UNLV and his former college coach Tim Chambers on their first day of camp, which opens Wednesday.
But that does not mean Harper is done playing competitive baseball before 2011 spring training.
Despite not being on the initial Scottsdale Scorpions roster, there's still a...
Scottsdale Scorpions
Manager: Randy Knorr, Harrisburg Senators
Pitchers:
RHP Adam Carr
RHP Cole Kimball
RHP Brad Peacock
LHP Sammy Solis
Catcher: Derek Norris
Infielder: Steve Lombardozzi
Outfielder: Michael Burgess
It will be very interesting to see how all four of the Nats pitching prospects do against top flight competition, especially left-hander Sammy Solis, who has been signed for only two months and did very well against instructional league competition the last couple of...
Nationals prospect left-hander Sammy Solis (pronounced soh-lease) is getting ready to start the Arizona Fall league season and head back home.
He says his time in Viera with the instructional league squad has been all about getting in condition to pitch against the best in Arizona.
It is even more impressive to see Solis excel in Florida and get ready for the AFL, after signing with the Nationals less than two months ago (August 14).
"It is actually going really well," Solis said as he...
Left-hander Sammy Solis has adapted well to the instructional league in Viera and is now ready to take on the challenge of the Arizona Fall League.
The Nationals' second round selection, 51st overall, grew up in Arizona and went to school in San Diego, so he is thrilled to get a chance to pitch in such a prestigious offseason league that is stocked with potential superstars of the future. Last year, wunderkinds Jason Heyward and Stephen Strasburg played in Arizona before dazzling in the...
Major league baseball announced Tuesday that pitchers Tim Hudson and Francisco Liriano have each won the Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Hudson won the National league honor and will start Game 3 of the NLDS between the Atlanta Braves and the San Francisco Giants.
Liriano helped guide the Minnesota Twins to the American League Central title with a 14-10 record and a 3.62 ERA. He will start game 1 of the ALDS versus the New York Yankees Wednesday night.
Both players returned from...