nationals

A little more strength makes all the difference for LaRoche

February 20, 2012, 12:30pm

VIERA, Fla. - The swing is free and easy, and Adam LaRoche hopes that he can soon throw with more strength. The Nationals first baseman can finally cut loose a throw without worrying that lingering soreness would inhibit his movement for a couple of days or more. Having his left shoulder surgically repaired in June turned out to be the right course of action for the 32-year-old LaRoche, who signed a two-year, $16 million deal with Washington last offseason and lasted only 43 games, with a .172...

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Johnson says only three roster spots are up for grabs

February 20, 2012, 11:41am

Nationals

Johnson says only three roster spots are up for grabs

VIERA, Fla. - Not so long ago, the Nationals would report to Space Coast Stadium for spring training with more question marks than sure things. The collection of journeymen, hangers-on, hopeful youngsters, guys who had flamed out elsewhere and a few legitimate talents would go through workouts and play games; the front office and manager would try to piece together a 25-man roster that could last the season. Suffice it to say Davey Johnson's job this spring will be much easier. "I'd say...

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Harper: "I want to play and I want to play in D.C."

February 20, 2012, 10:51am

Nationals

Harper: "I want to play and I want to play in D.C."

VIERA, Fla. - If there's a tagline attached to Bryce Harper's second major league spring training, it's this: D.C. or bust. The Nationals' top prospect arrived at Space Coast Stadium on Monday, still tiptoeing between cockiness and confidence, yet still sure that he can break camp with the Nats and contribute at the major league level as a 19-year-old. "They're going to make their decisions and I'm going to come here and play. ... I think that's the biggest thing," Harper said. "If...

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Rookie Rendon shows respect for his roadblock at third base

February 20, 2012, 7:40am

Nationals

Rookie Rendon shows respect for his roadblock at third base

VIERA, Fla. - Anthony Rendon is no stranger to Space Coast Stadium, having made an appearance here at fall instructional league after the Nationals made the Rice third baseman the sixth overall pick in the June draft. But arriving at his first spring training made the 21-year-old think of how far he's come in a very brief time. "It's crazy," Rendon said after arriving at his locker stall in the Nationals clubhouse Monday morning. "Feels like just yesterday I was playing select ball...

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Rizzo on Cameron, Lombardozzi, Strasburg and more

February 20, 2012, 7:07am

Nationals

Rizzo on Cameron, Lombardozzi, Strasburg and more

VIERA, Fla. - More and more position players are trickling into camp - including the Nats' first-round picks in the last two drafts, outfielder Bryce Harper and infielder Anthony Rendon - and Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo held an extended session with reporters this morning and talked about a variety of subjects. * Rizzo said outfielder Mike Cameron, whose retirement was announced yesterday, called the Nationals "out of the blue" Wednesday to tell them he wasn't going to report....

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With spots available, Jeff Mandel could make big move this season

February 19, 2012, 3:48pm

Nationals

With spots available, Jeff Mandel could make big move this season

Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs reliever

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Notes from the Nationals clubhouse

February 19, 2012, 9:02am

Nationals

VIERA, Fla. - Count Rick Ankiel among the few people happy that Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo is still searching for a center fielder who can hit leadoff. If Rizzo had found elusive quarry this offseason, Ankiel might still be searching for a job. Two weeks ago, Ankiel inked a minor league deal with the Nationals, getting a spring training invitation that's more formality than anything. Barring a collapse of epic proportions, Ankiel will be on the opening day roster at Chicago's...

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Cameron tells Nationals he's retiring (updated)

February 19, 2012, 6:49am

Nationals

VIERA,Fla. - A few minutes ago, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo was joking with reporters about how empty the Space Coast Stadium clubhouse felt with only 55 players needing locker space. It was a far cry from 2007, when 71 players were jammed into the room, necessitating extra locker stalls in the middle of the clubhouse. Now, there's unexpectedly one less player. According to this tweet from the club's public relations department, veteran outfielder Mike Cameron has notified the...

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Nats full of optimism as pitchers, catchers report

February 19, 2012, 8:34am

Nationals

Nats full of optimism as pitchers, catchers report

VIERA, Fla. - Scenes from the first day of Nationals spring training at Space Coast Stadium, where pitchers and catchers reported: Handshakes, hugs and introductions - a necessity considering the team's offseason maneuvering. A clubhouse attendant sits at a table removing the elastic band at the bottom of pants legs with surgical precision, an accommodation for players who prefer a looser fit. One by one, pitchers don their dress white uniforms and head off to be filmed by the club's...

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Strasburg: "When they say I'm done, I'm going to be done"

February 19, 2012, 7:54am

Nationals

Strasburg: "When they say I'm done, I'm going to be done"

To prepare for this season, his first full campaign after Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery, Stephen Strasburg started a little later than usual, ramped up his weight lifting for strength and his running for endurance. He took a page from the past, returning to the yoga poses he practiced while in college at San Diego State University, to increase his flexibility and facilitate quicker recovery. None of that will change the path the Nationals will push the right-hander down ever so...

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Espinosa's goal: Avoid extended slumps

February 18, 2012, 10:40am

Nationals

VIERA, Fla. - Danny Espinosa's main goal this spring? Avoid extended slumps and become more productive more of the time. "I think I'll be able to stop those long slumps," the Nationals' second baseman said. "You're going to have slumps, I don't care who you are. You hit .330 and you're still going to ... have a week of being cold. The difference between the good guys is it's a week of being cold and then being back on track. It's not two, three weeks of being cold, a bad month of...

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Early arrival Werth ready put disappointing 2011 behind him

February 18, 2012, 5:34pm

Nationals

Early arrival Werth ready put disappointing 2011 behind him

VIERA, Fla. - Think Jayson Werth's first season in Washington left a sour taste in your mouth? You've got nothing on Werth, who didn't exactly perform like a player who had signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with the Nationals, then struggled to find his form, often appearing to be battling himself. "Last year was a little odd," Werth, one of the position players to arrive early at spring training, told reporters Saturday. "You are coming into a new place. I really didn't know...

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Finally healthy, Flores wants to prove he can be productive

February 18, 2012, 10:01am

Nationals

Finally healthy, Flores wants to prove he can be productive

VIERA, Fla. - Jesus Flores' impressive performance in the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason was almost offset by the kidnapping of his friend and teammate, Wilson Ramos. Now, Flores has his mind set on showing the Nationals he can again be a starting catcher, even if it means doing so at Ramos' expense. Unseating Ramos will be an uphill battle, since Ramos is viewed as Washington's top backstop entering 2012 after batting .267 with 15 homers and 52 RBIs in 113 games as a rookie last...

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Five questions facing the Nationals as spring training begins

February 14, 2012, 10:01am

Nationals

VIERA, Fla. - Are there four more glorious words in the English language than "pitchers and catchers report"? But before the Nationals' batteries charge from Space Coast Stadium to the Carl Barger Baseball Complex - OK, it's actually more of a leisurely stroll, but after nearly five months off, the pace will be quickened - here are the five most important questions facing the club between now and the April 5 season opener at Wrigley Field in Chicago: Is Bryce Harper ready for prime time?...

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Leading off, it's Desmond by default

February 16, 2012, 6:36am

Nationals

Barring something unexpected, the Nationals will go into spring training with shortstop Ian Desmond as their leadoff hitter. And manager Davey Johnson is perfectly fine with that, even if Desmond is viewed as an imperfect solution atop the order by some observers. "I like him there," Johnson said at the Winter Meetings. "I think he'll do fine." Desmond struggled as a leadoff man at the start of 2011 under manager Jim Riggleman, batting .180 with only one walk and a .212 on-base...

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Nationals ready for VanAllen to take next step at Triple-A

February 16, 2012, 10:06am

Nationals

Left-hander Cory VanAllen looks poised to make the next step to Triple-A Syracuse following his best full season in the minors. The 6-foot-3, 180 lb., Bakersfield, Calif., native became a fixture in the Double-A Harrisburg Senators' bullpen, appearing in 47 games with a 5-4 record, career-best 2.50 ERA in 57 2/3 innings and 71 strikeouts. He ended the 2011 season on a hot streak, posting a 1.32 ERA in his final 10 games, allowing just two earned runs after July 31. VanAllen looked very...

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Davey Johnson reflects on passing of Gary Carter

February 16, 2012, 5:23pm

Nationals

Davey Johnson reflects on passing of Gary Carter

Gary Carter's death at 57 from a brain tumor hits home for Nationals manager Davey Johnson, who skippered the New York Mets from 1984-90 and had Carter as his catcher from 1985-89. Carter backstopped the 1986 Mets who went 108-54 and won the only World Series on Johnson's resume. Carter spent the first 12 year of his Hall of Fame career with the Nationals' predecessors, the Montreal Expos. The affable catcher nicknamed "Kid" hit .269 with 220 home runs and 823 RBIs for the Expos and the...

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Will Nats out of options complicate roster decisions?

February 15, 2012, 5:57am

Nationals

Will Nats out of options complicate roster decisions?

Over at MLBTradeRumors.com (and, really, how did we ever survive without our daily dose of aggregated baseball headlines before this site?), they've constructed team-by-team lists of players who are out of options. These players must make the 25-man roster or be passed through waivers in an attempt to assign them to a minor league club. Some will make it, as teams are disinterested in them, figuring what they have is better than what they could have if they claimed a specific player. Others...

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Single-A Suns closer to moving to Winchester, Va.

February 14, 2012, 6:54pm

Nationals

Single-A Suns closer to moving to Winchester, Va.

According to legal documents which inadvertently failed to redact "Hagerstown Suns baseball club, LLC" from a single line, the Single-A Suns are apparently on the verge of moving their operations to Winchester, Va., for the 2013 season. Winchester must have a suitable stadium in place and the funding by April 21, but this development further illuminates what the parent Nationals expect in field and stadium improvements within their minor league system. Last year, the Nationals were upset...

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Lefty Sam Narron leaves baseball as a player to become pitching coach for Auburn

February 14, 2012, 9:06pm

Nationals

Lefty Sam Narron leaves baseball as a player to become pitching coach for Auburn

His career in the majors lasted one start. He threw 61 pitches and faced 17 hitters, giving up three home runs, five hits and four walks. It was July 30, 2004, and despite giving up four runs, the Texas Rangers rallied to win the game so he didn't get saddled with the loss. That pitcher was Sam Narron. The left-hander spent the rest of his career trying to get back to the majors. This offseason, while considering a return with a major league team at spring training, Narron decided to...