nationals

Baseball America Nats No. 6 prospect: 3B/1B Drew Mendoza

February 11, 2020, 2:56am

First base is a coveted spot in the Nationals organization, especially with Ryan Zimmerman not an everyday player anymore and the club using the likes of veterans Howie Kendrick and Eric Thames at that spot. Former Florida State standout Drew Mendoza has a shot to turn some heads in the near future and become that top candidate for a corner infield spot, similar to the track Carter Kieboom is hoping to attain at third base this season. Baseball America Nats correspondent Lacy Lusk says the Nats...

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Baseball America Nats No. 5 prospect: LHP Tim Cate

February 14, 2020, 4:13pm

Nationals

Baseball America Nats No. 5 prospect: LHP Tim Cate

The Nationals have a talented left-handed pitcher in Tim Cate, who continues to get notice in the Baseball America Nats top 10 in 2020. The southpaw showed well last season for high Single-A Potomac and comes in at No. 5 this season. No. 5 Tim Cate Baseball America Nats correspondent Lacy Lusk said the University of Connecticut product demonstrated he belonged in the Carolina League with some solid pitching in 2019. Cate started 13 games at low Single-A Hagerstown before moving up. "He looked...

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Baseball America Nats No. 4 prospect: RHP Wil Crowe

February 25, 2020, 2:11am

Nationals

Baseball America Nats No. 4 prospect: RHP Wil Crowe

The Nationals started Wil Crowe, one of their top prospects, in Monday's Grapefruit League matchup against the Mets. The right-hander (0-1) allowed a second-inning solo homer to Wilson Ramos, but pitched two innings with that one hit, one strikeout and no walks allowed in the 2-1 loss. Crowe displayed outstanding endurance in 2019 with 26 starts, between Double-A and Triple-A, going 7-10 with a 4.70 ERA with 130 strikeouts over 149 1/3 innings, just 48 walks and his WHIP at 1.33. The...

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Baseball America Nats No. 3 prospect: RHP Jackson Rutledge

March 06, 2020, 1:39am

Nationals

Baseball America Nats No. 3 prospect: RHP Jackson Rutledge

The Nationals' core prospect structure is based around starting pitching, and that is exemplified in the selection of right-hander Jackson Rutledge with their first-round draft pick from 2019. Rutledge arrived after a solid season at San Jacinto Junior College in Texas, and fires to the plate from a 6-foot-8, 250-lb. frame. Baseball America has the big right-hander locked in as the Nats' No. 3 prospect for 2020. No. 3 Jackson Rutledge "He's a huge guy," said Baseball America Nats...

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Baseball America Nats No. 2 prospect: SS Luis Garcia

March 12, 2020, 7:55am

Nationals

Baseball America Nats No. 2 prospect: SS Luis Garcia

No. 2 Luis Garcia Baseball America Nats correspondent Lacy Lusk says shortstop Luis Garcia didn't get off to the best start last season, but then was able to hit better as the year progressed. Garcia hit .241 with no homers and 12 RBIs in the first half of 2019. In the second half, he hit .272 with four homers and 18 RBIs. He was able to drop his strikeout total in the second half from 47 to 39. Lusk says Garcia is a top-notch prospect, but said she would not put him in the elite category just...

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Roster moves include release of veterans Strickland, Hernandez

March 14, 2020, 8:43am

Nationals

Roster moves include release of veterans Strickland, Hernandez

The Nationals made a flurry of moves today, most notably giving veteran reliever Hunter Strickland his unconditional release. The Nats must pay about one-quarter of Strickland's $1.6 million contract. The team also released veteran pitcher David Hernandez. Strickland, 31, went 2-1 with a 5.55 ERA in 2019 over 28 games, with two saves. He appeared in two postseason games for the club, but allowed three homers in two innings for an 18.00 ERA. His connection to the Nats dated to his time with the...

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Baseball America Nats No. 1 prospect: 3B Carter Kieboom

March 16, 2020, 4:20am

Nationals

Baseball America Nats No. 1 prospect: 3B Carter Kieboom

No. 1 Carter Kieboom With All-Star Anthony Rendon moving on to the Angels this offseason, top Nationals prospect Carter Kieboom has an opportunity to take over at third base in 2020. Baseball America Nats correspondent Lacy Lusk said prior to spring training that Kieboom has demonstrated he is worth the risk at that important spot. "I think he's certainly worth giving a chance," Lusk said. "But it's good to have that buffer with AsdrÃºbal Cabrera, sharing time at third. If that's the...

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Nats prospect watch: Rutledge focusing on harnessing strength

March 18, 2020, 3:39am

Nationals

Nats prospect watch: Rutledge focusing on harnessing strength

The Nationals' new pitching coordinator is veteran coach and former major league pitcher Brad Holman, who takes over for Paul Menhart, now the Nats pitching coach. Holman was the pitching coach for the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies last season, and was the bullpen coach for the Texas Rangers from 2015-2017. Holman has had time to get a good look at and work with the pitching prospects in the Nats system, with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs in 2018, Fresno in 2019, in the instructional league and now...

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Nats prospect watch: Braymer fine-tunes changeup in big league camp

March 29, 2020, 4:56am

Nationals

Nats prospect watch: Braymer fine-tunes changeup in big league camp

Nationals pitching coordinator Brad Holman said left-hander Ben Braymer had been focusing on his mechanics with his changeup at spring training before the shutdown. The 25-year-old out of Auburn started 26 games and tossed 139 innings last season. The MLB Pipeline No. 22 Nats prospect, Braymer made one start in spring training and worked in three games. No. 22 Ben Braymer "He's doing good. Obviously, he's been in major league camp the entire spring," Holman said of Braymer. "He knows how...

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MLB announces assistance to minor league players is extended through May 31

March 31, 2020, 7:19am

Nationals

MLB announces assistance to minor league players is extended through May 31

Following up its recent announcement that Minor League Baseball players would be financially covered through April 8, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that it has extended financial support until May 31 or until the beginning of the minor league season, whichever occurs first. MLB said players will continue to receive medical benefits and may continue to use any balance they have in the college scholarship plan or continuing education program. In addition, each club will make its own...

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Kendrick helpful to Nats' next generation of hitters

April 05, 2020, 3:43am

Nationals

Kendrick helpful to Nats' next generation of hitters

Re-watching the Nationals' playoff run gives fans the opportunity to see Howie Kendrick bounce back from a rough start to October baseball and turn into one of the biggest heroes. Kendrick's grand slam against the Dodgers and later the foul pole-clanging two-run shot against the Astros will go down as two of the most clutch hits in Nats postseason history. Kendrick kept on going to begin 2020 spring training, slashing .318/.375/.318 during 10 games. In the 2019 postseason, the 36-year-old hit...

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Minor swing adjustments allow Stevenson to be himself

April 15, 2020, 3:57am

Nationals

Minor swing adjustments allow Stevenson to be himself

Outfielder Andrew Stevenson played in 30 games for the Nationals last season and became a solid contributor off the bench, hitting .367 with a .486 OBP. The talented left-handed hitter is only 25, and has played in the majors over parts of the past three seasons. He made an appearance in one postseason game last year, scoring a crucial run against the Brewers in the 4-3 wild card win. Stevenson scored the tying run on Juan Soto's two-run single in the bottom of the eighth to help put the Nats...

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Robles and Soto's outfield defense played part in Nats' title run

April 20, 2020, 3:21am

Nationals

Robles and Soto's outfield defense played part in Nats' title run

Outs Above Average (OAA) is a range-based metric that shows how many outs a player has saved. It is impressive to look back at the OAA for Nationals center fielder Victor Robles in 2019. His mark of 23 was the best in baseball, and six points better than the next closest in Kevin Kiermaier of the Rays (17). Lorenzo Cain of Milwaukee was third with 14. Nats left fielder Juan Soto had a 6 OAA and right fielder Adam Eaton a 1 OAA. Compare that to the Phillies outfield: Scott Kingery and Adam...

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Zimmerman's take on the Zoom video call to celebrate Game 7

April 20, 2020, 9:08am

Nationals

Zimmerman's take on the Zoom video call to celebrate Game 7

During a conference call Monday on the launch of the Pros for Heroes charity campaign, Ryan Zimmerman provided more insight into last week's Zoom video call with his teammates and coaching staff as they watching MASN's rebroadcast of Game 7 of the 2019 World Series. Zimmerman had a really good time that night, reminiscing with his buddies on the historic franchise win in Houston. So much so he joked at a reporter's query: "How did I feel right afterwards or the morning when I woke up after...

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Fredericksburg stadium baseball-ready for today's virtual opening day

April 22, 2020, 11:45am

Nationals

Fredericksburg stadium baseball-ready for today's virtual opening day

The Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals will be hosting a virtual version of their opening day today. This was supposed to be opening day at their new, state-of-the-art facility, but all of baseball is currently in a shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. The broadcast will be available on the Fredericksburg Nationals Facebook page. The page will be live at 9 a.m. and at 5:30 p.m. will show a tour of the new ballpark, ceremonies honoring local health care workers, and presentations from...

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Club debuts Nationals Philanthropies during pandemic shutdown

April 23, 2020, 12:08pm

Nationals

The

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Even in shutdown, Rizzo says scouting department ready for draft

April 24, 2020, 8:11am

Nationals

Even in shutdown, Rizzo says scouting department ready for draft

The Major League Baseball season has been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic shutdown. So has the First-Year Player Draft, which has been pushed back from early June to at least sometime in July. It has been reported the event also will be cut to anywhere between five and 10 rounds, with the possibility of deferring signing bonuses into the 2022 season. But that doesn't mean the Nationals have stopped scouting, analyzing players or preparing for the draft. In his weekly conference...

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Scherzer's second no-hitter a prelude to an amazing run

April 25, 2020, 3:58am

Nationals

Scherzer's second no-hitter a prelude to an amazing run

It is fun to look back at great games in Nationals history, especially Max Scherzer's no-hitters of 2015, his first season with the Nats. The first no-no was June 20 against the Pirates and the second one that season occurred Oct. 3. "Nationals Classics" this weekend on MASN include Jayson Werth's grand slam in a win over Miami on April 9, 2014 (tonight, 9 p.m.), the April 30, 2017 win over the Mets in which Anthony Rendon crushed three homers and had 10 RBIs in a 23-5 runaway (Sunday,...

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Nats have solutions all over lineup to replace Rendon

April 27, 2020, 3:25am

Nationals

Nats have solutions all over lineup to replace Rendon

The Nationals will need to replace the bat of third baseman Anthony Rendon in 2020. Rendon was able to come through in the clutch for the Nats time and time again, especially in the postseason, and potential third base replacement Carter Kieboom is not expected to have to shoulder the responsibility for that run production all by himself. So who can help in the Nats lineup? Looking around the clubhouse, could Trea Turner, Victor Robles, Juan Soto, Eric Thames, Starlin Castro and others pick up...

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Carpenter safe and sound, optimistic baseball will return in 2020

April 28, 2020, 3:45am

Nationals

Carpenter safe and sound, optimistic baseball will return in 2020

MASN broadcaster Bob Carpenter is back in Oklahoma with his family and is safe and healthy as the coronavirus pandemic unfolds across the globe. Like everyone else, Carpenter is waiting for the baseball season to get started. This will be his 15th season behind the mic for MASN as the television play-by-play announcer for the Nationals. Carpenter returned to Oklahoma on March 12 and has been able to enjoy time with his wife, Debbie, and their kids. I caught him running errands as they worked on...