Dan Kolko

Setting up shop

February 10, 2013, 12:40pm

MELBOURNE, Fla. - After a little bit of a bumpy flight and a 55 minute wait in line to get my rental car, I'm all set up in my hotel room and ready for spring training to get going. I've traded in my winter coat for a pair of sunglasses, and my freezing cold hands for a sweaty back. Too much information? Yeah, I figured as much. Sorry about that. I made a point to swing by the Nationals' spring facilities at Space Coast Stadium in Viera before getting settled at my hotel, but the place...

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Off to Viera we go

February 10, 2013, 3:34am

Nationals

Some people consider the day after the Super Bowl to be the beginning of baseball season. Personally, I consider the beginning of baseball season the day that I first hear the click-clack of cleats against the dugout floor and the loud pop of a ball settling into a mitt. That day is today. I'm taking off for Viera, Fla., and Nationals spring training in just a couple of hours, leaving behind the offseason and 20-degree temperatures in place of long, hardball-filled days and sunny...

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Gio Gonzalez to pitch for Team USA in World Baseball Classic

February 09, 2013, 12:20pm

Nationals

Gio Gonzalez to pitch for Team USA in World Baseball Classic

Gio Gonzalez isn't shying away from the spotlight after being linked to a Miami-area anti-aging clinic accused of dealing performance-enhancing drugs. USA Baseball has announced that Gonzalez, a Hialeah, Fla., native, has accepted an invitation to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. The Nationals now have three players on their 40-man roster who are on the provisional roster for teams competing in the WBC; second baseman Danny Espinosa is set to play for Team Mexico and...

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The Nationals' camp roster

February 09, 2013, 5:36am

Nationals

My remaining hours in the mid-Atlantic region are dwindling. I leave for Viera, Fla., and Nationals spring training tomorrow morning, meaning today is my final day to run errands, pay bills and pack seven weeks' worth of clothes into two suitcases. OK, so there's a laundry room in my hotel, and I don't actually need seven weeks' worth of clothes. But I really hate doing laundry, and as a result, I'm a self-admitted over-packer. I'm also a self-admitted procrastinator, leaving me with...

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Nats announce promotions notes and ticket info

February 08, 2013, 11:12am

Nationals

Nats announce promotions notes and ticket info

I've got another jersey number switcheroo to report. Wilson Ramos will make the switch from No. 3 to No. 40, which was his number in winter ball, according to his publicist. Ramos had only three home runs last season while wearing No. 3, as his torn right ACL and meniscus cut short his season. I bet he wouldn't mind too much if he hit 40 home runs this season wearing No. 40. The Nationals announced today that single-game tickets for this season will go on sale to the general public on...

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A few arms to keep an eye on

February 08, 2013, 5:54am

Nationals

We all know the major storylines involving the Nationals' pitchers this spring. How will Gio Gonzalez react to all the off-the-field issues regarding his linkage to Biogenesis, the anti-aging clinic that allegedly supplied performance-enhancing drugs to major league players? Can Dan Haren stay healthy and showcase the form he displayed over his last seven starts last season, when he pitched to a 2.76 ERA? How many questions about "The Shutdown" will Stephen Strasburg field before getting...

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A Lucas Giolito update

February 07, 2013, 4:57am

Nationals

After months of rehabilitation following Tommy John surgery late last summer, Lucas Giolito has started to pick up a baseball again. Giolito, the Nationals' first-round pick in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft, pitched just two professional innings last season (for the Gulf Coast League Nationals) before needing to undergo surgery to repair a small tear in his UCL. That surgery came in late August, but a little over five months later, the 18-year-old Giolito has begun working his way...

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Nats sign pitcher-turned-first baseman Micah Owings to minor league deal

February 06, 2013, 6:38am

Nationals

Nats sign pitcher-turned-first baseman Micah Owings to minor league deal

The minor league deals are coming fast and furious now. And this one's pretty interesting. The Nationals have agreed to terms with first baseman Micah Owings on a minor league deal with an invitation to big league spring training. Yes, you read that correctly. Owings, a former starter turned reliever who went 8-0 with a 3.57 ERA in 2011 and picked up a win in the postseason, is now a position player. The 30-year-old Owings, who was drafted by the Diamondbacks when Nats general manager Mike...

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Some more on Ramos' health, Gonzalez's future

February 06, 2013, 5:03am

Nationals

Some more on Ramos' health, Gonzalez's future

Just a couple of hours after the Nationals announced that they had signed veteran catcher Chris Snyder to a minor league contract yesterday, a deal that provides even more depth should Wilson Ramos' surgically repaired right knee not allow him to be ready opening day, Ramos sent out a couple tweets. One of the tweets, written in Spanish, roughly translates to the following: "Almost green-lighted to enter action, thank you my God." No, I didn't translate that myself. The Internet helped....

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Nats add to catching depth, sign Snyder to minor league deal (Nats sign Accardo)

February 05, 2013, 9:20am

Nationals

Nats add to catching depth, sign Snyder to minor league deal (Nats sign Accardo)

Of all the positions on the diamond, the Nationals might have the most organizational depth at catcher. Kurt Suzuki and Wilson Ramos appear poised to make up one of the most talented catching duos at the major league level, and waiting in the wings on the farm, the Nats have Jhonatan Solano, Sandy Leon and Carlos Maldonado, ready to step in if needed. But with Ramos coming back from major knee surgery, the Nationals aren't willing to take any chances. That's why they've signed veteran...

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A year later, a look at the Gio Gonzalez trade

February 05, 2013, 4:38am

Nationals

A year later, a look at the Gio Gonzalez trade

Just a little over a year after being shipped out to Oakland as part of the Gio Gonzalez trade, Brad Peacock finds himself switching organizations yet again. Peacock, the former Nationals right-hander who was a key piece in the Gonzalez deal last January, was traded to the Astros last night in a five-player deal that will send infielder Jed Lowrie to the Athletics. The trade threw a minor wrench into Peacock's plans to make a cross-country drive from West Palm Beach, Fla. to Phoenix, where...

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Who has to step up?

February 04, 2013, 6:08am

Nationals

I sarcastically made enough comments about the Ravens and Nationals making the postseason every year that I covered them that I might as well take responsibility for what happened last night, as well. The year that I stop covering the Ravens, they win a Super Bowl. Call it the Reverse Kolko Factor. Now that the NFL season is over, there's nothing but time standing between us and the start of baseball season. I fly down to Viera, Fla., in just six days, and the first official workout for...

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Miami New Times releases images linking Gio Gonzalez to Biogenesis (updated)

January 30, 2013, 10:39am

Nationals

Miami New Times releases images linking Gio Gonzalez to Biogenesis (updated)

The Miami New Times has released images they obtained from the notebooks of Anthony Bosch, an alleged distributor of performance-enhancing drugs, images that appear to connect Gio Gonzalez and his father Max to Bosch and his anti-aging clinic, Biogenesis. The images show the five times that Gonzalez, a 21-game winner with the Nationals last season, appeared in Bosch's records, and the according to the New Times, all five references come from the notebook marked "2012". Gonzalez's name...

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What's next for Gio Gonzalez? (with spring training note)

January 30, 2013, 4:21am

Nationals

What's next for Gio Gonzalez? (with spring training note)

When I woke up yesterday morning, my initial intention was to lead off my morning blog entry writing a couple lines about Nationals infield prospect Cutter Dykstra and former "The Sopranos" actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler getting engaged. Then something slightly (just slightly) more important went down. Yesterday's news that six major leaguers had been linked to an anti-aging clinic called Biogenesis that was heavily involved in the dealing of performance-enhancing drugs shocked the baseball...

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Linked to alleged PED supplier, Gio Gonzalez denies any usage (Nats issue statement)

January 29, 2013, 5:12am

Nationals

Linked to alleged PED supplier, Gio Gonzalez denies any usage (Nats issue statement)

A bombshell has been dropped on the Major League Baseball community this morning, as a report in the Miami New Times details a number of major league players who are linked to a Miami-area anti-aging clinic called Biogenesis, which allegedly supplied massive amounts of performance-enhancing drugs. Among those players is Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez, a Hialeah, Fla. native, who won 21 games last season and finished third in the National League Cy Young voting. Also named in the New Times...

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Desmond feels he "just scratched the surface last year"

January 28, 2013, 5:16am

Nationals

Desmond feels he "just scratched the surface last year"

Entering spring training, every Nationals player - every player in the major leagues, for that matter - has the same goal for 2013. That goal is to be holding the World Series trophy at the end of the year. Pretty simple stuff, really. Nothing too groundbreaking. Beyond that, however, there are individual goals that many players set for themselves, goals that, if accomplished, will help their team get closer to the overarching goal of winning a World Series title. Ian Desmond goes into the...

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Extending the conversation about extensions

January 27, 2013, 4:46am

Nationals

Extending the conversation about extensions

A day after NatsFest, an event which was so popular that some fans unfortunately were held back from entering for an extended period because the Walter E. Washington Convention Center was filled to capacity, there are still plenty of tidbits to pass along from conversations with a number of Nationals players. First, a few more injury notes. Jayson Werth says that his left wrist, which he broke early last May, is not completely healed, but feels good enough that he can play and still be...

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Storen, Clippard react to Soriano signing, crowded bullpen

January 26, 2013, 2:09pm

Nationals

Storen, Clippard react to Soriano signing, crowded bullpen

Drew Storen found out about the Nationals' surprise signing of closer Rafael Soriano just like many fans. He saw it on Twitter. Storen, who saved 43 games for the Nats in 2011 and then returned from elbow surgery last year to post a 2.37 ERA in 30 1/3 innings, then contacted his fellow reliever and in-season roommate Tyler Clippard and broke the news. "I just called (Clippard) and said, 'Did you see this?' And we were like, 'What?' It was kind of a random thing," Storen said. "I...

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Hearing from Harper on declining to play in WBC, lineup positioning

January 26, 2013, 11:20am

Nationals

Hearing from Harper on declining to play in WBC, lineup positioning

Bryce Harper won't enter spring training this year with all eyes on him, like they were last year. He won't enter spring training trying to impress manager Davey Johnson or trying to win a spot on the 25-man roster, like he did last year. This time around, the 20-year-old outfielder will just go in trying to get himself in the best shape possible to be ready for the start of the regular season, when he'll play left field and likely hit somewhere in the top third of the Nationals' batting...

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Werth: "I think we've got the best team in baseball"

January 26, 2013, 10:58am

Nationals

Werth: "I think we've got the best team in baseball"

Ready for some good one-liners so far from NatsFest? Jordan Zimmermann on possibly increasing his innings this season: "The way it looks, I'm going to have to throw five innings and the bullpen should be able to handle it." Ian Desmond on having some more "daddy strength" after the birth of his second son earlier this offseason: "Yup, double dose this year." Bryce Harper, sarcastically, on having all the fans cheering for him here at NatsFest: "Well, Strasburg's not here, so...