Byron Kerr

Nats Caravan: Brian Bruney

Nats Caravan: Brian Bruney
At Sunday's NatsFest I had a chance to talk with one of the newest Nationals, pitcher Brian Bruney, who came over from the New York Yankees. Bruney was 5-0 with a 3.92 ERA in 44 games with the Yankees last season. Bruney went in-depth as to why he likes the Nats and what he wants to change in the way he approaches the game. He also talked about being a part of NatsFest and meeting the Nationals fans and teammates, his impression of Pudge Rodriguez and what he thinks of his new...
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Confident Speier looking toward healthy 2010

Confident Speier looking toward healthy 2010
Nationals reliever Ryan Speier comes over from the Colorado Rockies looking to make the opening day roster for 2010. Speier is a local boy, who went to West Springfield and Radford University. He is excited to get started and attempt to crack the lineup. "This is huge for me and my family," Speier said. "When I was talking to my agent during free agency, there were three teams that were in the mix and we had no idea that I was even on the Nationals' radar." "When the Winter...
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Riggleman on Kennedy

Riggleman on Kennedy
The Nationals have agreed to a deal with veteran second baseman Adam Kennedy. Kennedy has played with the Cardinals, Angels and Athletics. Nats manager Jim Riggleman remembers dealing with Kennedy when he was the minor league field coordinator for the St. Louis Cardinals. "Adam is a professional hitter," Riggleman said. "He is a talented player. Adam can do a little of everything. He can hit. He can run the bases. He can play second very well. He is an all around player and will...
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Desmond ready for new challenge

Desmond ready for new challenge
Last week the Nationals signed second baseman Adam Kennedy to shore up the middle infield for the 2010 season. Mike Rizzo has said he would like to sign one more veteran starting pitcher to finish up the off season changes. A lot of talk last week centered around the possiblity of signing a second baseman and if that did not come to fruition, one scenario had the Nats starting the season with Cristian Guzman and Ian Desmond as the double play combination. Now with Kennedy signed, where does...
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Byron Kerr

Bryce Harper: Week Two

Bryce Harper: Week Two
Two weeks into the season and a very good start for Bryce Harper at College of Southern Nevada. The Coyotes are a perfect 8-0 and have outscored opponents 60-17. Bryce has played catcher and third base. Harper is hitting .323 in 8 starts, 10-31 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers and 9 RBI. His slugging percentage is a team-leading .677 with 5 BB and 4 K and he has a .977 fielding percentage with just one error. Here is a game-by-game recap from last week for the College of Southern...
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Bryce Harper Update from College Coach

Bryce Harper Update from College Coach
Another update on 17-year old collegiate baseball phenom Bryce Harper who is playing for the College of Southern Nevada. He is batting .323, 10-31 with 2 HRs and 9 RBI. The Coyotes are off to a very good start at 8-0. Bryce's baseball coach Tim Chambers on the latest with Bryce and Southern Nevada: "The team has done really well. It was pretty crazy the first week with 40 scouts in attendance for that first game." In the opening week, "Bryce played good. His first game he hit a sac...
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Byron Kerr

Does Garrett Mock want to be a starter?

Does Garrett Mock want to be a starter?
I had a chance to talk with Nationals pitcher Garrett Mock as he prepares for the 2010 season in Viera, Florida. He went 3-10 with a 5.62 ERA in 28 games with 15 starts. His last start was an impressive no-decision against Atlanta on October 1. In that game he allowed 1 earned run, a solo homer, in 6 innings, scattering 5 hits. "I wish I had 15 more games. Last year, I had a few good outings. I was a starter, a reliever and a spot starter. With so many different roles I am learning so...
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Exclusive: Strasburg confirms knee is "100 percent"

Exclusive: Strasburg confirms knee is "100 percent"
I had a chance to catch up with No. 1 overall selection Stephen Strasburg as he embarks on his first professional spring training as a member of the Washington Nationals. It was a busy offseason for Strasburg. He participated in the Arizona Fall League and married girlfriend Rachel Lackey last month in San Diego. Strasburg signed a record $15.1 million contract with the Nationals in mid-August before getting his start in the Arizona Fall League, going 4-1 with a 4.26 ERA in five...
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Marquis not satisfied with .500 season

Marquis not satisfied with .500 season
As we countdown to spring training 2010, let's put a spotlight today on pitcher Jason Marquis, the newest front line starter for the Nats. I had talked to Ryan Speier during NatsFest, who like Marquis, came over from the Colorado Rockies. Speier said some of his breaking pitches didn't do what he expected they would do at 5,280 feet, so he had to adjust a little bit and become more of a power pitcher. I had a chance to speak with Jason with other reporters at last month's NatsFest. I...
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Chico ready to return better than ever

Chico ready to return better than ever
Nationals lefthander Matt Chico missed most of the 2009 season after having elbow surgery in 2008. Chico is optimistic he can return even better than he was before the surgery because he is pain free for the first time since his first spring training in 2004. I had a chance to talk with Matt as he prepares in Viera for spring training. How does elbow feel? "I pitched 83 innings last year in Low A and Double A. I made three or four starts. Everything was good at that point. Some simple...
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Riggleman's thoughts on Chien-Ming Wang

Riggleman's thoughts on Chien-Ming Wang
The Nationals announced today they have signed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang. Wang won 38 games in 2006 and 2007 for the New York Yankees. I asked manager Jim Riggleman what he thought of the signing of Chien-Ming Wang: "I think it is a great signing on the part of the whole organization. It makes a statement by the Lerners, Stan Kasten and Mike Rizzo that we are not standing pat. "We are trying to do everything we can to improve because we know he will likely not be ready early in the season....
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Riggleman: We will push from day one

Riggleman: We will push from day one
I had a chance to speak with Nationals manager Jim Riggleman as spring training 2010 gets underway today. We went over several of the important issues the Nats have solved and that they face as they embark on Jim's first full year as the Nats skipper. On the signing of Adam Kennedy at second base: "At this point, Mike has really addressed every issue we talked about since August with Adam Kennedy being one of those guys. We felt we needed add another infielder. It's a perfect match, a...
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Chico making adjustments after bullpen session (with audio)

Chico making adjustments after bullpen session (with audio)
I spoke with Nationals left-hander Matt Chico today on his first bullpen session. He's in the same group as Stephen Strasburg, which he touches on a little bit in our conversation. Chico talked to me about what pitches he threw and how his arm feels today. He also shared what Steve McCatty and minor league pitching coordinator Spin Williams told him after the session and what refinements he'd like to make to his changeup. Chico even breaks down what, mechanically, he's working on and...
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Mock: "Everything is running very smoothly"

Mock: "Everything is running very smoothly"
Nationals pitcher Garrett Mock gives us an update of how spring training is going so far as I caught up with him for a question and answer session. We talked about his two bullpen sessions and what he thinks of pitching in the first game of spring training. On pitching in the first split squad game March 4th against the Astros (J.D. Martin will start the other split squad game vs. the Marlins): "It should be a fun experience. It doesn't mean that much to me to be the first starter in...
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Could Strasburg debut in Woodbridge?

Could Strasburg debut in Woodbridge?
With all the buzz continuing towards swarm proportions regarding baseball phenom Stephen Strasburg and when he will pitch in the majors, I thought it would be great to check in with the Potomac Nationals, The Nats High Class A affiliate in my beautiful hometown of Woodbridge, Virginia. Potomac has been mentioned as a likely starting point for Stephen as he makes his way to Nats Park in the (hopefully) near future. Jonathan Griffith, the Vice President and General Manager of the Potomac...
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Desmond wants to stay "hungry"

Desmond wants to stay "hungry"
Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond told me this week he gets to camp every day before 7:00 a.m. because he wants to be there "early, as a younger player". He reads on the board what he will work on that day and gets on the field. He spent a few moments with me talking about his experiences so far and the possibility he could be the everyday shortstop for the Nationals. How has spring training gone for you so far? "I got here early and settled in (February 10th). I feel really good. My...
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Baseball Prospectus on the Nats and Strasburg

Baseball Prospectus on the Nats and Strasburg
As the Nationals get ready to play actual baseball against other teams (yes!) at spring training, I thought it would be good to see what others think about the Nationals and some of their young talent. Steven Goldman, one of the editors of the 2010 Baseball Prospectus, joined me recently to preview major league baseball for the upcoming season. Goldman has helped run the annual for five seasons. I had a chance to ask Steven about the Prospectus and how it is put together (not easy), how he...
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Nyjer Morgan's nickname for Maxwell

Nyjer Morgan's nickname for Maxwell
Nats outfielder Justin Maxwell gets his first start in center field Thursday versus the Marlins. I spoke with Justin to get his pulse on spring training so far. He talked about a variety of subjects including how his swing is feeling in spring training, how is stance is set this season in the batters box and the different feeling in the clubhouse this year. Maxwell says expectations are high for this team, and he comments on what the young guys have learned from the veterans who have been in...
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What's it like to face Stephen Strasburg?

What's it like to face Stephen Strasburg?
As we get ready to embark on the first "Strasburg game" March 9th on MASN, I had a chance to check in with a collegiate coach that watched his team face Stephen Strasburg in the NCAA tournament and also coached Ryan Zimmerman. What's it like to face Strasburg? What did Zimmerman mean to the University of Virginia program? What's it like to be ranked #1? One person can answer all of these questions; it's UVA head baseball coach Brian O'Connor. The Cavaliers took on Strasburg and San...
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Stammen ready to take next step vs. Astros Thursday

Stammen ready to take next step vs. Astros Thursday
Nationals pitcher Craig Stammen checked in to talk about his first outing and the strides he's making heading into his second game against the Astros on Thursday. Stammen says the jitters from his first outing are out of the way and his bullpen session went very well on Monday. On his first outing: "I felt good. It was nice for me to pitch without pain and be at full strength and let some things go a little bit. I'm kind of pitching with a new arm a little bit. It took a little time...
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