nationals

Coutts worked hard last two years to build his power game

June 17, 2020, 4:03am

The Nationals have reportedly agreed to a deal with undrafted free agent outfielder/first baseman Jackson Coutts out of the University of Rhode Island this week. The 6-foot-3, 235-lb. left-handed power hitter played three seasons in Kingston, R.I. for head coach Raphael Cerrato. "He's a good player," Cerrato said. "My guess is he would've been like 10th to 15th round on a normal year and would've honestly got a bigger bonus than what he received. I am happy for him. It's an opportunity...

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College coach on Parker: "He's going to be a good one"

June 19, 2020, 3:01am

Nationals

College coach on Parker: "He's going to be a good one"

The Nationals drafted left-hander Mitchell Parker out of San Jacinto College North in the fifth round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft last week. San Jacinto College North, located about 18 minutes from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, has built a reputation as a well-known and very successful junior college in the baseball world, churning out solid pitchers and position players for Division I scholarship offers and professional baseball potential for decades. Nationals assistant general...

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Nats agree to terms with third-round pick Holden Powell

June 19, 2020, 3:33pm

Nationals

Nats agree to terms with third-round pick Holden Powell

The Nationals agreed to terms with third-round pick Holden Powell late Friday afternoon, a team source confirmed to MASNSports.com. The right-hander was a Pac-12 Conference first-team selection in 2019 and had a career 2.26 ERA with 107 strikeouts through his junior season. He was also named the 2019 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year and was a first-team All-American. "Obviously, (I am) grateful for the opportunity from the Nationals," Powell said via Zoom...

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Span on time in D.C.: "I had a lot of fun there"

June 22, 2020, 3:52am

Nationals

Span on time in D.C.: "I had a lot of fun there"

His career did not start off the way he wanted. As a matter of fact, he was surprised he didn't make the team out of spring training back in 2008. Outfielder Denard Span had already spent five seasons in the minor leagues. In spring training with the Twins in 2008, he felt he had done enough to make the squad after hitting .282. The spring prior, Span had hit .302. "My rookie year was a special one to me because I got sent down after spring training," Span said. "I didn't make the team. I...

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College coach on Torres: "One of the best we've had"

June 23, 2020, 3:15am

Nationals

College coach on Torres: "One of the best we've had"

The Nationals went true to their nature in the First-Year Player Draft and in agreeing to deals afterward with undrafted free agents in their focus on stockpiling or restocking pitchers and catchers. The Nats drafted four pitchers in the first five rounds, including their first-round pick, right-hander Cade Cavalli, and their fifth-round selection, left-hander Mitchell Parker. Right-hander Cole Henry was taken in the second round, but is really a first-round talent. Right-handed closer Holden...

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College coach on Rutledge: "He's a complete ballplayer"

June 24, 2020, 3:01am

Nationals

College coach on Rutledge: "He's a complete ballplayer"

Right-hander Jackson Rutledge started 10 games in the Nationals farm system in 2019, split between the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, short-season Single-A Auburn and low Single-A Hagerstown. Rutledge was the Nats' first-round pick in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft after playing for head coach Tom Arrington at San Jacinto College North. The big right-hander was a part of a trio of starters that led the Gators to the top of their division in 2019, alongside Nats 2020 fifth-round pick...

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60-game season might be perfect equalizer for Kieboom

June 24, 2020, 12:26pm

Nationals

60-game season might be perfect equalizer for Kieboom

The decision to play 60 games was a hot topic the past few weeks between Major League Baseball and the players' union. The number was pretty much forced to be around 50 or 60 games because the calendar had already reached late June and the previous official schedule had teams finishing on Sept. 27. The biggest question in the Nats lineup for 2020 was finding a replacement for star third baseman Anthony Rendon, who signed a lucrative offseason free agent deal to join the Angels. The Nats' top...

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With Thames on roster, Nats well-positioned for everyday DH role

June 25, 2020, 6:43pm

Nationals

With Thames on roster, Nats well-positioned for everyday DH role

Major League Baseball has announced that the abbreviated season tentatively set to begin on or around July 23 will have a few changes to rules many fans have gotten accustomed to in the National League. The main difference between the American League and the NL is the designated hitter. During the proposed 60-game season, both leagues will employ the DH instead of the pitcher batting for NL teams. This puts the AL at a distinct advantage in this shortened season, because even though the NL will...

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Nats need to stick with big four to repeat 2019 ending

June 27, 2020, 2:53am

Nationals

Nats need to stick with big four to repeat 2019 ending

With the announcement that Major League Baseball will schedule 60 games in a shortened 2020 campaign, the Nationals now must decide how they can best implement one big advantage they have had over other teams: their top four starting pitchers. Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and AnÃbal SÃ¡nchez were so good last season that they ranked in the top 25 in ERA in the major leagues, top 24 in WAR, top 48 in K/9 and top 35 in WHIP. The Nats' top four starters combined for 65...

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Nats to open against Yankees in prime time

June 28, 2020, 2:46am

Nationals

Nats to open against Yankees in prime time

The Nationals will open defense of their 2019 World Series title on July 23 at Nats Park against the New York Yankees, according to broadcast sources. The likely first pitching matchup is tantalizing, with former Astros star Gerrit Cole taking on Nats ace Max Scherzer. This was supposed to be the World Series Game 5 matchup until Scherzer had to be scratched due to back and neck spasms. Cole was the top offseason free agent acquisition for the Yankees. He is a three-time All-Star whose 2.50 ERA...

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Nats' 60-man player pool includes first-round picks Rutledge, Romero

June 28, 2020, 1:30pm

Nationals

Nats' 60-man player pool includes first-round picks Rutledge, Romero

The Nationals this afternoon announced their 60-man player pool for the 2020 season and it includes 2019 first-round pick Jackson Rutledge and 2017 top draft selection Seth Romero. Of the 60 players in the pool, 22 are non-roster invitees. While some teams like the Astros (56) and Red Sox (47) have opted to not announced full 60-man player pools, the Nats have exactly 60 on their roster. Opening night is expected to be July 23 against the Yankees with spring training 2.0 presumably beginning...

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Torres felt "natural knack for catching" early on

June 30, 2020, 3:25am

Nationals

Torres felt "natural knack for catching" early on

Last week, we had San Jacinto College North baseball coach Tom Arrington preview catcher Ray Torres IV, who has reportedly agreed to join the Nationals organization as an undrafted free agent. Torres got the call from the Nats after the draft and agreed to terms, forgoing a scholarship offer to LSU. He told me he was ready to go pro after high school last year, but opted instead to get better and hone his skills at San Jacinto this past season. The 20-year-old Torres is now back home in...

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Updates on Nats pitching prospects Denaburg and Parker

July 01, 2020, 3:40am

Nationals

Updates on Nats pitching prospects Denaburg and Parker

More on Nationals pitching prospects from undrafted free agent Ray Torres IV. The catcher agreed to a deal with the Nats last week out of San Jacinto College North. Torres played for the Central Florida Gators, an elite travel team that included several top selections in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft. The Gators boast two national titles and 49 college commitments. One of the pitchers he caught was the Nationals' top 2018 selection, Mason Denaburg. In 2018, Central Florida had 13 players...

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Brzykcy brings 100 mph fastball to future Nats bullpen

July 02, 2020, 3:49am

Nationals

Brzykcy brings 100 mph fastball to future Nats bullpen

The Nationals confirmed Wednesday that they have agreed to terms with nine undrafted free agents, including Virginia Tech right-handed fireballer Zach Brzykcy. The others agreeing to deals with the Nats were catcher Ray Torres IV, infielders Quade Tomlin, Gio Diaz and Brian Klein, right-hander Edward UreÃ±a, outfielders Zach Cornell and Landon Dieterich, and slugging first baseman Jackson Coutts. Brzykcy springboarded into his junior season in Blacksburg, Va., with outstanding work as a...

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All in the family as Quade Tomlin signs with the Nats

July 03, 2020, 2:57am

Nationals

All in the family as Quade Tomlin signs with the Nats

The Nationals stayed in the family when they signed middle infielder Quade Tomlin as an undrafted free agent this week. Tomlin's father, Randy Tomlin, was the pitching coach for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators in 2011, spending many years working with Nats prospects. Randy Tomlin was his son's coach at Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Va. During his tenure as coach, the high school has won three Virginia state championships and had been to the state finals during one run five years in...

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Martinez and Rizzo emphasize player safety during day one of return

July 03, 2020, 11:35am

Nationals

Martinez and Rizzo emphasize player safety during day one of return

Nationals manager Davey Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo understand that being successful in the world of Major League Baseball during the coronavirus pandemic boils down to two main challenges: staying safe and playing good baseball. From day one of summer training at Nats Park today, the skipper for the defending world champions already feels the difference in playing baseball during a pandemic. "We have to be socially distant, so that's one thing," Martinez said during his...

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Martinez going with a five-man rotation to begin shortened season

July 04, 2020, 2:50am

Nationals

Martinez going with a five-man rotation to begin shortened season

The Nationals enter day two of summer training at Nats Park with the schedule spread out over 11 hours so the players and coaches are never in big groups. General manager Mike Rizzo said his pitchers hit the ground running on Friday and returned looking like they had taken advantage of the three-and-a-half-month pause due to the coronavirus shutdown, especially Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin. "The important thing is we came into spring training 2.0 in good shape," Rizzo...

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Denaburg recovering from shoulder cleanup: "All reports have been positive"

July 04, 2020, 10:09am

Nationals

Denaburg recovering from shoulder cleanup: "All reports have been positive"

Right-hander Mason Denaburg, the Nationals' top overall selection from the 2018 First-Year Player Draft, has been been progressing well from a shoulder cleanout we reported earlier this winter. Three of the Nats' top four first-round selections the past four drafts are in the current 60-man player pool, including Cade Cavalli, Jackson Rutledge and Seth Romero. Because he is undergoing rehab following the procedure on his right shoulder, Denaburg is not in camp. The arthroscopic cleanout did...

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Martinez on leadership, new extra-inning rule and more

July 04, 2020, 10:59am

Nationals

Martinez on leadership, new extra-inning rule and more

The Nationals had the oldest clubhouse in the major leagues last season. That type of experience and leadership was important to their success. This season, many of those same veterans are back, but the club must adjust without guys like Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman. Manager Davey Martinez was asked Saturday who he felt might step up to take on a more vigorous leadership role on this 2020 version of the Nats? Martinez believes a soft-spoken veteran shortstop might be in line to take on a...

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Martinez eager for full team practices, but understands current safety limits

July 05, 2020, 9:45am

Nationals

Martinez eager for full team practices, but understands current safety limits

Nationals manager Davey Martinez said one major issue with trying to play baseball amid the coronavirus pandemic is that he cannot yet get the entire team together on the field at one time. The "circle of trust" was a big rallying cry for the club the last couple of spring trainings under Martinez's direction, but with current safety protocols in place, it just isn't possible. "For us, we are basically working in groups," Martinez told reporters during a Zoom video call Sunday. "This is...