The Washington Nationals today optioned right-handed pitchers Adam Carr and Garrett Mock to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and re-assigned right-handed pitchers Luis Atilano, J.D. Martin and Josh Wilkie, catchers Carlos Maldonado and Jhonatan Solano, infielders Michael Aubrey and Kevin Barker, and outfielders Jeff Frazier and Jonathan Van Every to minor-league camp.
Additionally, the Nationals released right-handed pitcher Cla Meredith.
Nationals Executive Vice President of...
VIERA, Fla. - Nationals fans, please give a warm welcome to MASN's newest color analyst, F.P. Santangelo. The energetic young broadcaster shared his thoughts in this Q&A with Nats Buzz at Space Coast Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
What are your thoughts about the Nationals heading into this season?
"Well, I just think they are playing really good baseball. I don't really want to get caught up in wins and losses in spring training, but I think when you are coming off of a tough year, it's...
VIERA, Fla. - In the wake of the news that Atlanta Braves minor league manager Luis Salazar was struck by a foul ball and hospitalized on Wednesday, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman reflected Thursday on the many hazards of baseball.
Several baseball-related accidents in recent years have created a greater awareness about the safety hazards - for both team personnel and fans sitting close to the action.
"You're not going to a game thinking about a foul ball," Riggleman said. "It almost...
Nationals minor league Pitcher of the Year Tom Milone started against the Houston Astros on Tuesday and pitched well, allowing just one hit over two innings of shutout ball with no walks and no strikeouts. The left-hander, in Nationals accelerated camp and facing Houston minor leaguers, threw between 20 to 25 pitches, inducing a pair of flyouts and three groundouts.
"It felt good coming out of the hand," the former USC hurler reported. "I have no complaints. My arm felt great. I was...
Derek Norris received high praise this week from manager Jim Riggleman, who has been impressed with the way camp has started for the Nationals' top catching prospect.
Norris feels completely healthy after battling through injuries last season. His 2010 campaign was slowed by a broken bone in his hand before the season began. In May, he was hit by a pitch in his head and suffered a concussion. Norris now has a clean bill of health and that has helped him at the plate. In four games this...
Nationals left-hander Sammy Solis pitched a pair of no-hit innings in Sunday's scrimmage pitting Washington farmhands against Houston Astros prospects. Solis threw the seventh and eighth innings and, after a shaky start, settled down and dominated.
"First guy, I got to 0-2 and hit him," Solis said. "It was just a little jitters. It was the first time seeing an opposing hitter in there so I was a little excited. After that, I settled down perfectly, allowed no hits for two innings with no...
Lefthander Ross Detwiler continues to show good mechanics and renewed core strength following offseason rehabilitation from the hip injury that nagged him last season.
The only bump in the first 10 days at spring camp in Viera, Fla., has been a slight head cold and sore throat that left him tired Thursday. But Detwiler will return to throwing live batting practice today.
"Everything is feeling great," Detwiler said. "I think with my offseason program and really honing in on building...
Nationals prospects are getting up to speed (pardon the pun) at the accelerated minor league camp. Big workouts are set for today with a large group coming down on their own from every minor league team in the Nats organization. The first scrimmage is scheduled for tomorrow.
The coaches have worked them out over the past two weeks and two dozen pitchers have been able to continue their winter workout programs while in Viera, Fla.
"About six or seven pitchers have come down religiously each...
The New York Mets' offseason was littered with news about the financial troubles of owner Fred Wilpon and his dealings with disgraced financier Bernie Madoff.
The bad news off the field continues to plague the Mets well into spring training.
Steve Popper, who covers the Mets for The (Bergen) Record, says it is hard to ignore the ownership issues and how that might affect the on field product for the Mets. He says the Mets players have taken notice.
"I think the players are trying to ignore...
The Washington Nationals today re-assigned left-handed pitcher Matt Chico and right-handed pitchers Joe Bisenius and Shairon Martis to minor-league camp. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
The Nationals currently have 58 players in their big league camp.
The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms on 2011 contracts with left-handed pitchers Ross Detwiler and Atahualpa Severino, right-handed pitchers Collin Balester, Brian Broderick, Adam Carr, Cole Kimball, Garrett Mock, Elvin Ramirez, Henry Rodriguez, Craig Stammen and Drew Storen, catcher Wilson Ramos, infielders Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa and Chris Marrero, and outfielders Roger Bernadina, Corey Brown and Nyjer Morgan. Additionally, the Nationals have renewed the contracts of right-handed...
Chase Utley's injury has dominated news out of the Phillies camp in Clearwater, Fla., early in March, according to Matt Gelb, who covers the team for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Utley is nursing patellar tendinitis in his right knee, and the team is not sure when he is going to play.
A few Nationals fans wonder if the Phillies miss Jayson Werth so far in spring training? Former Phillies standout Mike Schmidt thinks they are going to really miss him, but Gelb says for most of the players,...
Opening day 2010 remains one of the worst, most painful memories for Nationals fans in this team's brief history. When thousands upon thousands of Phillies fans marched into Nationals Park last April and declared it their southern headquarters, Nationals fans were outraged.
Phillies fans were unapologetic about their stunt, suggesting that if Nationals fans truly cared about their team, they'd show up night after night.
This season, Nationals fans have an opportunity to drown out those...
Nationals reliever Tyler Clippard has taken to Twitter to poll fans on his entrance song for this season. Though Clippard hasn't started tweeting yet, teammate Drew Storen is spreading the word on his Twitter account and encouraging fans to vote in the poll.
Your choices:
The beloved "Peaches" tune by Presidents of the U.S.A., which Clippard used last season, or The Fugees' classic, "Ready Or Not."
Fans can vote here.
Right-hander Garrett Mock is looking to rebound from neck surgery that derailed his 2010 season. Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty said Mock has worked hard to get healthy and is ready to just put it on the field
"Garrett and I have talked so much the last four years," McCatty said. "All I tell him is, 'Just sit back and let your ability speak for you.' He has tremendous stuff. We all try to get it to surface on the field. Sometimes you just have to get out of your own way, so to...
The Washington Nationals announced today that 106.7 The Fan will serve as the official flagship station for Nationals baseball games beginning with the upcoming 2011 season. Owned and operated by CBS RADIO, 106.7 The Fan has signed on to broadcast Nationals spring training match-ups as well as regular-season and postseason games. Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler will serve as the team's radio voices during these broadcasts.
"With 106.7 The Fan's great roster of talent and focus on local...
A lot of talk has centered around John Lannan, Jason Marquis, Livan Hernandez, Tom Gorzelanny and Jordan Zimmermann as the potential five starters for the Nationals when the season gets going past the off-days early in April.
Making it interesting, though, is the potential of Ross Detwiler and Yunesky Maya. Detwiler is returning from a nagging hip injury, and Maya is learning on the job after his quick introduction to the big leagues late last season.
Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty...
It was a dream that always seemed far off into the future - an obscure plan to host an urban youth baseball development academy in the nation's capital.
That day is arriving, or will be arriving soon, and the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation is busy moving forward at a frenzied pace after overcoming complex bureaucratic obstacles. It's something the Lerner family has poured its hearts into since assuming ownership of the team in 2006.
And this past winter, the final piece fell into...
The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms on professional contracts with 16 international free agents, highlighted by catcher Raudy Read and outfielder Randy Novas. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo and Nationals Director of International Scouting Johnny DiPuglia made the joint announcement.
Read was signed out of the Dominican Republic and has great instincts behind the plate, including exceptional hands, feet and arm strength. The...
Nationals pitcher Cole Kimball has settled in nicely in his first big league camp and is ready to go for today's initial full team workout.
Kimball pitched well over last summer and then saved the championship game of the Arizona Fall League. That experience helped him for this week and he is thrilled to be in Viera, Fla., now.
"This is awesome for me," Kimball said. "Arizona was beneficial because I only had one month off so I didn't have to build back arm strength. I didn't lose it...