Rendon rewrote the Rice record books and other amazing facts

Rendon rewrote the Rice record books and other amazing facts
Nationals top selection Anthony Rendon rewrote the record books at a baseball-rich school in Rice University. In just three seasons, Rendon moved to third in career home runs (52), fifth on the school's all-time list for batting average (.371), sixth in both runs scored (201) and RBIs (194), and fourth in both total bases (463) & slugging (.679). Thanks to John Sullivan of Rice University Sports Information, here are a couple of amazing statistics from Rendon's career with the...

Rachel Levitin: Uniform alteration could fashion change for Nats

Rachel Levitin: Uniform alteration could fashion change for Nats
If I were a Washington National, the ever-changing daily lineup would start to bother me after a while. It's not because I don't trust manager Jim Riggleman to do his job. I do. He's had his eyes and ears inside Major League Baseball for longer than a decent chunk of the roster. The issue to be taken here isn't with Riggleman but rather with a lack of consistency. Imagine being a kid again and playing in a summer league or school league for any sport. In those days, it wasn't about...

Meyer and Goodwin round out impressive first day at draft for Nats

Meyer and Goodwin round out impressive first day at draft for Nats
The Nationals selected University of Kentucky right-hander Alex Meyer and Miami (Dade) Junior College outfielder Brian Goodwin with the No. 23 and No. 34 selections overall, respectively. With Anthony Rendon at No. 6, general manager Mike Rizzo, flanked by director of scouting Kris Kline and Nationals vice president of player personnel Roy Clark, were very happy with the first day haul at the 2011 draft. "These are three guys that we identified very early as a scouting department," Clark...

Rizzo: Rendon's raw power, potential impact too good to pass up

Rizzo: Rendon's raw power, potential impact too good to pass up
In 2010, the Nationals had the No. 1 overall selection in the First-Year Player Draft and picked the best offensive player available in Bryce Harper. In 2011, the Nationals selected No. 6, and many believe they again got the best hitter on the board, Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said the Nats were thrilled to see a player of Rendon's talents fall to them at No. 6. "Rendon is a tough guy to strike out," Rizzo said. "He has great raw power and...

Nationals select right-handed pitcher Alex Meyer at No. 23, outfielder Brian Goodwin at No. 34

Nationals select right-handed pitcher Alex Meyer at No. 23, outfielder Brian Goodwin at No. 34
The Washington Nationals today selected University of Kentucky right-handed pitcher Alex Meyer (23rd overall) and Miami Dade College outfielder Brian Goodwin (34th) in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Nationals Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Personnel Roy Clark and Nationals Director of Scouting Kris Kline made the joint announcement. Meyer went 7-5 with a 2.94 ERA in 14 starts...

Zimmerman continues rehab in Potomac tonight; Strasburg note

Zimmerman continues rehab in Potomac tonight; Strasburg note
Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is slated to continue his injury rehabilitation assignment tonight with the advanced Single-A Potomac Nationals, who will host the Frederick Keys for a 7:05 pm game at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Va. Zimmerman went 2-for-2 with a double and a triple for low Single-A Hagerstown Sunday at Municipal Stadium. This is certainly a good sign that Zimmerman is scheduled to play in back-to-back games as he looks to return to the lineup for the first time...

Nationals draft preview: Virginia LHP Danny Hultzen

Nationals draft preview: Virginia LHP Danny Hultzen
With the major league baseball draft later today, Baseball America has put out its final mock draft, and there have been some changes at the top. No longer does executive editor Jim Callis of Baseball America believe the Diamondbacks will take Virginia southpaw Danny Hultzen. Instead, Callis thinks the Nationals will select him with the No. 6 pick. Hultzen is not only a top-flight pitcher, but also contributed at the plate all season and in the NCAA regionals this weekend in Charlottesville,...

Nationals make Rice 3B Anthony Rendon sixth overall pick in draft

Nationals make Rice 3B Anthony Rendon sixth overall pick in draft
The Washington Nationals today selected Rice University third baseman Anthony Rendon with the sixth-overall pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Nationals Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Personnel Roy Clark and Nationals Director of Scouting Kris Kline made the joint announcement. Rendon hit .371 (253-for-682) with 46 doubles, 52 home runs, 194 RBI, 176 walks and 201 runs...

Nationals select Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon at No. 6

Nationals select Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon at No. 6
The Washington Nationals selected Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon at No. 6 in the first round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The 6-foot, 190-lb. Rendon started the season as the draft's top-rated prospect and has tremendous strength in his hands and wrists. He was considered the best hitter available, according to Baseball America. "I am super excited about it. Just for the Nationals to give me the opportunity to continue my career (is great)," Rendon told MLB...

Bryce Harper in starting lineup tonight for Hagerstown Suns

Bryce Harper in starting lineup tonight for Hagerstown Suns
Nationals top prospect Bryce Harper left Sunday's game for the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns after getting hit by a pitch on his knee during his first at-bat. A club source confirms that Harper is in tonight's starting lineup. This is good news that any problem with Harper's left knee was not serious. Harper would not want to leave the starting nine now as he is enjoying another hot streak at the plate, batting .400 with three homers and seven RBIs in his last 10 games. During one...

So who will the Nationals go for at No. 23?

So who will the Nationals go for at No. 23?
So we have gone over a few possibilities for the Nationals with the No. 6 selection in the Monday draft. Let us now look at a few picks later on. There still will be a ton of talent on the board at No. 23, which is the Nationals' second pick in the first round. And, if the Nationals dig into the fruitful college pitching available in the top 10, would they turn to a position player, specifically an outfielder, with that No. 23 choice? Jim Callis, executive editor at Baseball America, says...

Rachel Levitin: Zimmerman inches back toward D.C.

Rachel Levitin: Zimmerman inches back toward D.C.
It's been a weird summer for baseball in Washington, D.C., without Ryan Zimmerman in the lineup. Without his consistent bat and Gold Glove performances daily, the Nationals have had to do the best with what they've got. That's all they can do under the circumstances. On Sunday, the Nationals got a little closer to getting Zimmerman back. Zimmerman played for the Single-A Hagerstown Suns - his first time playing in a live game since April 9 - as part of a minor league rehabilitation...

Hagerstown lineup with Zimmerman and Harper

Hagerstown lineup with Zimmerman and Harper
Here is today's lineup for the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns against Greensboro at 4 p.m. from Municipal Stadium for Ryan Zimmerman's first rehab assignment after abdominal surgery: Hagerstown Suns (34-22 Overall, 14-13 Home) Blake Kelso SS Adrian Sanchez 2B Ryan Zimmerman 3B Bryce Harper RF David Freitas C Randolph Oduber LF Jason Martinson DH Brett Newsome 1B Michael Taylor CF Starting Pitcher: RHP A.J. Cole (0-4, 3.38)

Nationals draft preview: Prep OF Bubba Starling

Nationals draft preview: Prep OF Bubba Starling
There has been a lot of talk over the past few years regarding the Nationals building up their minor league system by stocking it with pitchers. After all, pitching has taken a front seat in the major leagues the past few seasons and you can never have enough good pitchers as bargaining chips when you are looking for a certain position player to get you over the hump. But then there are those pure athletes or can't-miss prospects on the offensive side you have to take a look at. The Nationals...

Nats place Slaten on DL, recall Stammen from Syracuse

Nats place Slaten on DL, recall Stammen from Syracuse
The Washington Nationals today placed left-handed pitcher Doug Slaten (left elbow ulnar neuritis) on the 15-Day Disabled List and recalled right-handed pitcher Craig Stammen from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Stammen went 5-3 with a 3.84 ERA in 10 starts with Syracuse, posting a 4.0/1 (52 SO/13 BB) strikeout-to-walk ratio in 63.1 International League innings pitched...

Nationals draft preview: UCLA RHP Trevor Bauer

Nationals draft preview: UCLA RHP Trevor Bauer
The Nationals could very well have their shot at not one, but two front-line UCLA right-handed starters Monday in the draft. The hard-throwing Gerrit Cole that we previewed Thursday, and right-hander Trevor Bauer. What is the difference between the two? Cole may throw a little harder, but Bauer makes more hitters miss, according to Jim Callis, executive editor for Baseball America. He sees good things from both choices, but thinks Bauer might be the better long-term choice. "(Bauer's...

Nationals have no answers for D-backs' Collmenter, 4-0

Nationals have no answers for D-backs' Collmenter, 4-0
The Nationals' three-game winning streak has come to an end, thanks to a 4-0 victory Friday night by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Washington managed just three hits off Arizona right-hander Josh Collmenter, while Michael Morse, the team's hottest hitter, went 0-for-4, including striking out for the game's final at-bat. It was the first time Morse had been held hitless in 12 games. Johnny and Phil ask Jim Riggleman his thoughts on the Nats' 4-0 loss to the Diamondbacks Nationals right-hander...

Nationals draft preview: UCLA righty Gerrit Cole

Nationals draft preview: UCLA righty Gerrit Cole
The Nationals have picks No.6, No. 23 and No. 34 to begin Monday's First-Year Player Draft and, according to Baseball America's updated mock draft, could get the most highly touted pitcher in college baseball in 2011. This year's draft appears to be top heavy, strewn with power pitchers with collegiate experience in big time programs, such as Virginia left-hander Danny Hultzen, who will most likely be taken at No. 3 by the Arizona Diamondbacks. A pair of UCLA right-handers could be...

Dave Nichols: History not kind to Nats on West Coast trips

Dave Nichols: History not kind to Nats on West Coast trips
The Washington Nationals' 6-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks kicks off an 11-game West Coast road trip that will see them visit San Francisco and San Diego as well. It's a brutal trip, not as much for the quality of competition - though that's tough enough - but just for the nature of the trip. Imagine how you'd feel waking up in a different city every third day for almost two weeks, four time zones from home. History hasn't been all that kind to the Nats on these extended west coast...

Prospect Hague has "good throwing day" in Florida

Prospect Hague has "good throwing day" in Florida
Single-A Potomac Nationals shortstop Rick Hague played in only four games this season before going down with a shoulder injury. The Nationals have high hopes for the young Rice University product, but want to be careful with his shoulder before they return him to Woodbridge, Va. Hague is currently in Viera, Fla., rehabbing during extended spring training. Nationals infield coordinator Jeff Garber updated Hague's status with some positive news. Garber said Tuesday was a "good throwing day"...