Desmond, Rendon win Silver Slugger Awards

Desmond, Rendon win Silver Slugger Awards
The left side of the Nationals infield was arguably as potent offensively as any team's in the National League this season. And shortstop Ian Desmond and third baseman Anthony Rendon are getting the hardware to prove it. Desmond made it a three-peat, winning his third consecutive Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award, while Rendon takes home the award for the first time. The awards were announced live on MLB Network a short time ago. "Our entire organization is exceptionally proud of Ian...

Desmond, Rendon win 2014 Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Awards

Desmond, Rendon win 2014 Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Awards
Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond and third baseman Anthony Rendon were named recipients of 2014 Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Awards on Thursday night, the third such honor for Desmond and first for Rendon. This is just the second time in the Nationals' short history that they've had two players honored in the same season with the National League's top offensive award (also 2012). "Our entire organization is exceptionally proud of Ian and Anthony," said Nationals President...

Could some Nats take home hardware tonight?

Could some Nats take home hardware tonight?
The Nationals were shut out in the Gold Glove voting this year, with Denard Span coming up short to Mets center fielder Juan Lagares and Adam LaRoche losing out to Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Tonight, we get another chance to see if any Nationals will take home some hardware. The Silver Slugger awards will be announced tonight beginning at 6 p.m. on MLB Network. As I'm sure most of you are aware, Gold Gloves are handed out to the top defensive player in each league at each position,...

A look back at Frandsen's first season in D.C.

A look back at Frandsen's first season in D.C.
It might be easy to forget now, almost a month removed from the Nationals' season coming to an end, but back in late April and into May, Kevin Frandsen was essentially an everyday player for the club, filling in at left field, third base, second base and first base, as needed. Signed by the Nationals to a one-year, $900,000 deal toward the end of spring training after he was granted his release by the Phillies, Frandsen was expected to serve as a bat off Matt Williams' bench, a veteran with...

Nationals announce exhibition game vs. New York Yankees at Nationals Park

Nationals announce exhibition game vs. New York Yankees at Nationals Park
The Washington Nationals announced today that their 2015 Spring Training schedule will conclude on April 4 with an exhibition game vs. the New York Yankees at Nationals Park. Just two days later, on April 6, the Nationals will begin the 2015 regular season by hosting the New York Mets at Nationals Park on Opening Day. This will mark the Yankees' fourth trip to Nationals Park, including a previous exhibition contest in 2013, and regular-season visits in 2006 and 2012. With the Nationals...

Span, LaRoche come up short in Gold Glove voting

Span, LaRoche come up short in Gold Glove voting
Both Denard Span and Adam LaRoche came up short in their pursuits of Gold Gloves today. Span, a finalist among National League center fielders for the second straight year, lost out to the Mets' Juan Lagares, and is still in search of his first career Gold Glove. LaRoche won a Gold Glove with the Nationals in 2012, but this time, he saw Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers take home the hardware. Span made four errors this season and posted a .990 fielding percentage, this after going the entire...

Nationals announce 2015 spring training schedule

Nationals announce 2015 spring training schedule
The Washington Nationals today released their 30-game 2015 Spring Training schedule, which features 14 home games at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, FL, including their Grapefruit League home opener on Thursday, March 5 vs. New York Mets. The Nationals' Grapefruit League slate includes a pair of visits from the NL Central Champion St. Louis Cardinals (Saturday, March 7 and Friday, March 27) as well as the AL Central Champion Detroit Tigers (Wednesday, March 11 and Thursday, March 19). The New...

Jerry Blevins named to Sports Illustrated's Twitter 100 list

Jerry Blevins named to Sports Illustrated's Twitter 100 list
Sports Illustrated recently released its fourth annual Twitter 100 list, compiling 100 accounts of the organization's favorite bloggers, writers and athletes. While we, along with loyal Nationals fans, were probably not surprised to see relief pitcher Jerry Blevins on the list, many may not be very familiar with Blevins - let alone know just how hilarious he can be. If the selfie he took above didn't convince you he deserved to be on the list, check out some of our other favorite tweets sent...

Moore leading Dominican Winter League in power numbers, plus AFL Mesa update

Moore leading Dominican Winter League in power numbers, plus AFL Mesa update
First baseman Tyler Moore is batting .375 (15-for-40) through 12 games in the Dominican Winter League for Toros del Este, with a league-leading five homers, 16 runs and 11 RBIs. He also leads the league with 14 walks. He is leading the league in OPS at 1.294 and on-base percentage at .519, while ranking second in slugging at .775. This is exactly what Moore needed to do: Keep in baseball shape and display that his bat is clicking as he goes after the backup first base/outfield spot next season...

Free agency notes plus more on Fornataro

Free agency notes plus more on Fornataro
The offseason technically began the day after the World Series ended. Now free agency has officially gotten under way. As of 12:01 a.m., teams could officially start making offers to free agents, this after teams had the last five days to exclusively negotiate with their players who were set to hit the open market. The Nationals currently have five free agents - Adam LaRoche, Asdrubal Cabrera, Rafael Soriano, Nate Schierholtz and Scott Hairston. As expected, none of them were presented with a...

Williams a finalist for NL Manager of the Year

Williams a finalist for NL Manager of the Year
Matt Williams was recently selected as the Sporting News National League Manager of the Year, an award voted on by his peers. Tonight, we found out that he's one of three finalists for the league-endorsed NL Manager of the Year award, voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Also nominated for this Manager of the Year award are the Giants' Bruce Bochy and the Pirates' Clint Hurdle. Bochy won the award back in 1996, when he managed the Padres, while Hurdle is the...

What's the area you'd like to see be Nats' biggest focus this offseason?

What's the area you'd like to see be Nats' biggest focus this offseason?
If the Nationals don't end up trading away any of their key contributors this offseason, their roster in 2015 could very well look quite similar to how it did in 2014. After all, the Nats only currently have five players who are free agents this winter. Two of them were starting position players down the stretch and in the postseason (Adam LaRoche and Asdrubal Cabrera), one of them was the closer for the bulk of the season but was demoted to a lower-leverage role in September (Rafael Soriano)...

Nats hire Bob Miller as vice president and assistant GM (Fornataro claimed)

Nats hire Bob Miller as vice president and assistant GM (Fornataro claimed)
The Nationals announced today that they have hired Bob Miller as vice president and assistant general manager, filling the vacancy created when Bryan Minniti left the organization to join the Diamondbacks. Miller comes to the Nats after spending the last nine years as an executive with the Reds, most recently serving as vice president and assistant GM to Walt Jocketty. The 50-year-old Miller will assist the Nationals in all facets of baseball operations. In his recent role with the Reds, Miller...

Nationals acquire right-hander Eric Fornataro

Nationals acquire right-hander Eric Fornataro
The Washington Nationals acquired right-hander Eric Fornataro on a waiver claim from the St. Louis Cardinals today. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. In eight 2014 Major League appearances, Fornataro worked to a 4.66 ERA (5 ER, 9.2 IP), struck out three and walked only one. The hard-throwing right-hander has a 3.90 career ERA in 219 Minor League games. But in the two seasons in which he has been used exclusively as a reliever,...

Nationals name Bob Miller vice president and assistant general manager

Nationals name Bob Miller vice president and assistant general manager
The Washington Nationals welcomed Bob Miller to their front office staff today, naming him Vice President and Assistant General Manager. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Miller, who will assist in all facets of baseball operations, comes to the Nationals after nine seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, serving most recently as Vice President and Assistant General Manager to Reds' President of Baseball Operations and GM Walt Jocketty....

What to do with Detwiler?

What to do with Detwiler?
As I mentioned yesterday, we shouldn't expect to hear much news about Nationals players being non-tendered this offseason. The Nationals have 11 arbitration-eligible players (a list that you can find here), and are expected to tender contracts to pretty much all of them. The only real question mark, in my mind, is Ross Detwiler. Detwiler, a No. 6 overall pick of the Nats in the 2007 draft, has had a bit of an up-and-down last few seasons. In 2012, he established himself as a legitimate major...

A host of arbitration-eligible players

A host of arbitration-eligible players
The Nationals have gotten the option decisions out of the way, with Denard Span returning for 2015, and Adam LaRoche and Rafael Soriano heading for free agency after having their options declined. In the coming days, the Nats will have to continue adjusting their 40-man roster, clearing space for minor leaguers who need to be added, and cutting players who aren't deemed necessary to the efforts to defend the National League East title and make a deeper postseason push next season. But a little...

Catch this week's "Nationals Classics" on MASN HD

Catch this week's "Nationals Classics" on MASN HD
It's been nearly a month since the Nationals played their last game. While spring training is still months away, MASN HD is airing five "Nationals Classics" games this week. Make sure you tune in this week to get your fix of some of the greatest games in Nats' history, including a pair of walk-off wins courtesy of third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Here's what MASN has on deck this week: Monday, Nov. 3, 1 p.m.: Zimmerman has earned the reputation of "Mr. Clutch" throughout his time in...

Saying goodbye to LaRoche and Soriano (updated with 40-man roster moves)

Saying goodbye to LaRoche and Soriano (updated with 40-man roster moves)
We've assumed for a while now that Denard Span would be back with the Nationals next season, with his $9 million being a relative bargain after the excellent 2014 campaign put up by the center fielder. It's now official. Span's club option was picked up by the Nats yesterday, ensuring that Span will return for 2015. The club will retain its leadoff hitter and its center fielder, meaning two very important roles are accounted for. We've also assumed for a little while now that neither Adam...

Nats exercise 2015 option on Span, decline options on LaRoche and Soriano

Nats exercise 2015 option on Span, decline options on LaRoche and Soriano
The Nationals have exercised their $9 million club option on center fielder Denard Span for the 2015 season, Span confirmed this afternoon in a text message. "Very excited about returning," Span said. The Nationals also announced that they have declined to exercise the options on first baseman Adam LaRoche and right-hander Rafael Soriano. Both will become free agents. The decision to pick up Span's option was an easy one for the Nats after the 30-year-old outfielder hit .302/.355/.416 during...