Dan Kolko

Nationals add Davis, Karns to 40-man roster

November 20, 2012, 5:20pm

The Nationals announced tonight that they have added right-handed pitchers Erik Davis and Nathan Karns to their 40-man roster. The moves protect the two players from the Rule 5 draft, which will be held on the final day of the Winter Meetings, on Dec. 6. Davis, 26, went 8-3 with five saves and a 2.71 ERA in 48 appearances between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse in 2012. He was acquired from the Padres in the Alberto Gonzalez trade in March 2011. Davis is also 3-0 with a 0.56 ERA...

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Rizzo named Executive of the Year (plus some 40-man discussion)

November 20, 2012, 5:14am

Nationals

Rizzo named Executive of the Year (plus some 40-man discussion)

General manager Mike Rizzo's Nationals made the playoffs for the first time in team history, posting the best record in the majors in the process. His team's skipper won Manager of the Year. His teenage center fielder won Rookie of the Year. He had four players make the All-Star team, had three win Silver Sluggers and one win a Gold Glove. Now Rizzo has gotten some national recognition himself. Rizzo has been named Executive of the Year by the Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers'...

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AFL season provides plenty to like for Nats fans

November 19, 2012, 5:01am

Nationals

AFL season provides plenty to like for Nats fans

Not all that much went on in the baseball world over the weekend, but the last couple days were pretty eventful for Michael Morse. Morse and his fiancÃƒÂ© Jessica got married on Saturday, tying the knot with a number of Morse's Nationals teammates and manager Davey Johnson in attendance. Congrats to the happy couple. Morse tweeted out a number of pictures from the reception and posted a couple to his Facebook page, as well. My favorite is this one, in which the Nationals' left fielder...

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Riggleman's name resurfaces (plus some notes)

November 17, 2012, 6:47am

Nationals

Riggleman's name resurfaces (plus some notes)

How's this for some surprising news: ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the new-look Blue Jays are close to finally naming a manager. OK, that's not the surprising news. Here's the surprising news: According to Olney, two of the finalists are former Rockies manager Jim Tracy and former Nationals skipper Jim Riggleman. Yup, the same Jim Riggleman who many people thought would never have a shot at a major league managerial job again after abruptly resigning as Nats manager because of a...

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Nats release 2013 spring training schedule

November 16, 2012, 7:50am

Nationals

Nats release 2013 spring training schedule

Start planning your vacations, folks. The Nationals have released their full 32-game 2013 spring training schedule today, featuring 15 home games at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Fla. The Nats open their Grapefruit League schedule against the Mets on Feb. 23 in Port St. Lucie and will wrap up spring training with a March 28 home game against the Mets. The first home game on the Nationals' 2013 spring schedule will come Feb. 24 against the Marlins. No report date has been announced for...

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An idea of how big a deal Burnett could land

November 16, 2012, 6:00am

Nationals

An idea of how big a deal Burnett could land

You know your team has probably put together a solid season when five different players receive votes in your league's Most Valuable Player balloting. As I mentioned last night, first baseman Adam LaRoche, shortstop Ian Desmond, left-hander Gio Gonzalez, third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and center fielder Bryce Harper all found their way onto at least one National League MVP ballot. It was nice to see LaRoche recognized for his strong season and finish tied for sixth, and Desmond (tied for...

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Five Nationals receive MVP votes

November 15, 2012, 1:39pm

Nationals

Giants catcher Buster Posey claimed National League Most Valuable Player honors, getting 27 of the 32 first-place votes handed out. The 25-year-old Posey has had a decent year; he won the batting title, got himself a World Series ring and now has taken home the NL MVP award. The Nationals, meanwhile, were well-represented in the MVP voting. Five Nats received MVP votes. Adam LaRoche finished tied for sixth with the Mets' David Wright in the voting, accumulating 86 points. LaRoche received...

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A take on last night's result and a minor signing

November 14, 2012, 9:47pm

Nationals

A take on last night's result and a minor signing

On Tuesday night, shortly after Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton expressed his frustration with the monster trade which shipped five of his teammates to the Blue Jays, Nationals center fielder Bryce Harper sent a tweet Stanton's way. The message, which has since been deleted, read: "you can always come play for the Nats! We will take you anytime! Get some red, white, and blue in your life!" Last night, Stanton replied to Harper via Twitter with the following: "Dang bro, If only my...

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Gonzalez finishes third in NL Cy Young voting (updated)

November 14, 2012, 1:55pm

Nationals

Gonzalez finishes third in NL Cy Young voting (updated)

The Nationals won't go 3-for-3 in the major end-of-season awards. Bryce Harper won the National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year and Davey Johnson won the NL Manager of the Year, but Gio Gonzalez came up short in his bid for the NL Cy Young Award. That went to Mets starter R.A. Dickey, a 38-year-old knuckleballer who has taken the league by storm the last few years. Dickey picked up 27 of 32 first-place votes and 209 points overall. Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw finished second,...

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Nats set coaching staff, add Tarasco to coach first base (Thurman joins Nats)

November 14, 2012, 9:57am

Nationals

Nats set coaching staff, add Tarasco to coach first base (Thurman joins Nats)

The Nationals have announced that Tony Tarasco has been added to Davey Johnson's coaching staff for the 2013 season. Tarasco will serve as the first base coach. Previously a roving outfield instructor/baserunning coordinator within the Nationals' organization, Tarasco will replace Trent Jewett in the first base coach's box. Jewett will move across the diamond and become third base coach, taking over for Bo Porter, who was hired as the Astros' manager. Johnson's coaching staff is now...

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Marlins' megadeal hurts Miami, but helps Nats

November 13, 2012, 9:31pm

Nationals

Marlins' megadeal hurts Miami, but helps Nats

The Marlins have been a bit of a problem for the Nationals in recent years. And that's putting it quite nicely. Over the last five seasons, the Marlins have absolutely dominated the Nats, going 59-30 against Washington in that time frame. Even this year, with the Marlins floundering (awful pun, I know) and the Nationals taking the division title, Miami played Davey Johnson's team tough, and ended up taking half of the 18 games between the two squads. Those days might be over for a while,...

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Johnson discusses his second Manager of the Year award

November 13, 2012, 3:29pm

Nationals

Johnson discusses his second Manager of the Year award

Seventeen months ago, Davey Johnson was working as a consultant for a Nationals team that ended up posting its seventh straight losing season since relocating to D.C. Tonight, Johnson was named National League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America after leading the Nats to the best record in Major League Baseball and an NL East division title. It's Johnson's second time winning the award as a league's top manager, and as you might expect, he yet again was...

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Davey Johnson named NL Manager of the Year

November 13, 2012, 12:56pm

Nationals

Davey Johnson named NL Manager of the Year

The Nationals' 20-year-old center fielder was recognized last night as the National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year. Tonight, the Nationals' 69-year-old manager earned some hardware himself after being named the National League Manager of the Year. Davey Johnson beat out Reds manager Dusty Baker and Giants skipper Bruce Bochy, the two other finalists for the award. Johnson earned 23 first-place votes. Baker received five and Bochy four. You can review the voting

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Watch out for Harper in year two

November 13, 2012, 5:25am

Nationals

After Bryce Harper won the National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year award last night, Davey Johnson has a chance to make the Nationals 2-for-2 in the major end-of-season awards tonight. The Manager of the Year awards will be announced live on MLB Network at 6 p.m. Johnson, who is a finalist along with Reds manager Dusty Baker and Giants skipper Brucy Bochy, is considered the favorite for the NL award. I didn't have a vote for NL Rookie of the Year, but if I did, it would have gone...

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Harper reflects on his season, winning Rookie of the Year

November 12, 2012, 3:25pm

Nationals

Harper reflects on his season, winning Rookie of the Year

Sometimes, the winners of various Major League Baseball awards are notified before the announcement is made publicly, giving them a chance to soak in the moment and share the news with their family and friends. Not tonight. Bryce Harper had no idea he'd won the National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year award until he heard his name live on MLB Network. Harper learned the news just like the rest of us, except he had a camera on him to document his reaction and an earpiece in to allow...

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Bryce Harper wins NL Rookie of the Year

November 12, 2012, 1:52pm

Nationals

Bryce Harper's ridiculous rookie season, one of the best in major league history by a teenager, just got an exclamation point put on the end of it. Harper has won the National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year award, voted on by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The announcement was made live on MLB Network. In an incredibly close vote, Harper got 16 first-place votes to 12 for Wade Miley, who finished in second place in the voting. Overall, Harper earned 112...

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Awards week has arrived

November 12, 2012, 5:06am

Nationals

We've already had The Sporting News Rookie of the Year award and the Players Choice Award for Outstanding Rookie. Tonight, Major League Baseball's official Rookie of the Year award will be handed out. Awards week begins tonight at 6 p.m., with the announcement of the American League and National League's top rookies, kicking off four days of presentations recognizing the top performances put up this season. The Rookie of the Year awards will be followed by the announcement of Manager of...

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Johnson to manage one more season, move to consultant role in 2014

November 10, 2012, 7:15am

Nationals

Johnson to manage one more season, move to consultant role in 2014

The Nationals have officially announced that Davey Johnson will return as manager for 2013. Barring a change, however, this season will be Johnson's last as the Nationals' skipper. A release sent out by the team says that Johnson will move into a consulting role with the Nationals after this upcoming season. Johnson's consulting deal runs through the 2014 season. "I love managing this ballclub in this town, and for that, I owe a debt of gratitude to the Lerner Family and Mike Rizzo,"...

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Searching for southpaws

November 10, 2012, 5:36am

Nationals

During the bulk of the 2012 season, the Nationals carried three left-handed relievers in their bullpen. For the final month of the season, they had four southpaws working in relief. As of today, the Nats don't have a single lefty reliever under contract for 2013. Sean Burnett, Michael Gonzalez and Zach Duke are all free agents this offseason, and will test the market before determining where they land for next year. Tom Gorzelanny is entering his final arbitration year, and while the...

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LaRoche declines Nats' qualifying offer

November 09, 2012, 12:16pm

Nationals

Free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche has declined the Nationals' qualifying offer, which would have given him a one-year contract for the 2013 season worth $13.3 million. In no way should this be a surprise; LaRoche is the top free agent first baseman on the market and clearly has his eyes set on a multi-year contract. LaRoche had until 5 p.m. today to accept the one-year deal. The Nationals knew that LaRoche would decline their qualifying offer, but by extending it to him, they're...