nationals

Suzuki enjoying a "renaissance" at the plate

November 21, 2018, 2:57am

Catcher Kurt Suzuki is coming off his two best years at the plate, hitting .276 with an .825 OPS over the last two seasons with the Atlanta Braves. Now he is back with the Nationals. And maybe more importantly, not with the Braves. Against the Nats for 12 games in 2017, Suzuki hit .340 with three doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs. In 2018, he was not as formidable against the Nats in 11 games with a .265 average, two homers and two RBIs. He hit .317 in late-and-close situations, according to...

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Suzuki: Rizzo "really aggressive" in pursuit of veteran backstop

November 20, 2018, 10:32am

Nationals

Suzuki: Rizzo "really aggressive" in pursuit of veteran backstop

Veteran catcher Kurt Suzuki has returned to the franchise he was a part of when it made its first playoff appearance in 2012, agreeing to a two-year deal with the Nationals. Suzuki played in 122 games with the Nats from 2012-2013. The catcher said the main reason he is returning is the enthusiasm shown by general manager Mike Rizzo to get the 35-year-old backstop back to Washington. "Speaking to my agent and speaking to Riz, he was really aggressive from the beginning of free agency, and I...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Clinchers, homers and a most unlikely theft

November 19, 2018, 5:31am

Nationals

Man, I'm stuffed. How about you. That buffet dinner was no match for my Thanksgiving appetite and I'm now fueled for an evening of pre-Black Friday shopping.Oh, wait, another piece of pumpkin pie? Well, if you insist. Don't mind if I do. The bargains will still be there when I pull into the Hagerstown Prime Outlets this evening. Hmmm, I wonder if I can get a turkey sandwich in the food court? If you're planning on spending this evening in a food coma - and need to rest your fingers for...

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At a career crossroads, does Taylor have a future with Nats?

November 16, 2018, 11:17am

Nationals

At a career crossroads, does Taylor have a future with Nats?

Hindsight being 50/50, the time for the Nationals to have dealt outfielder Michael A. Taylor was probably last winter, when he was coming off his breakthrough 2017 campaign in the major leagues. Taylor slashed .271/.320/.486 with 19 homers, 43 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. He posted a .333/.444/.733 line in the National League Division Series against the Cubs and was a finalist for a Gold Glove in center field. But 2018 was a lost season for the 27-year-old Taylor, who backslid in almost every...

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Kurt Suzuki returns to Nats on two-year deal

November 19, 2018, 7:11am

Nationals

Kurt Suzuki returns to Nats on two-year deal

The Nationals have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent catcher Kurt Suzuki, pending a physical, a source confirmed to MASNsports.com. If Suzuki passes the physical, the club will announce the deal Tuesday. Suzuki, 35, will be returning to the Nationals, where he was catcher for parts of the 2012 and 2013 campaigns. He arrived in D.C. in 2012 from Oakland, where had caught for five and a years. After leaving D.C. his batting average went up. In 2013, he hit .222 with the Nats and .303 in...

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Nationals add righty reliever James Bourque to 40-man roster

November 19, 2018, 10:27am

Nationals

The Nationals this afternoon selected the contract of right-hander James Borque, adding the reliever to the 40-man roster to protect him from being exposed to the Rule 5 draft at next month's Winter Meetings. Bourque, 25, was 4-2 with six saves and a 1.70 ERA in 41 games between Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg in 2018. He led all Nationals minor leaguers (with a minimum of 50 innings) with 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings and 5.09 hits allowed per nine innings. He was third in the...

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Nationals agree to terms with Kurt Suzuki

November 20, 2018, 8:09am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a two-year contract with catcher Kurt Suzuki on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Suzuki, 35, joins the Nationals after hitting .271 with 24 doubles, 12 home runs, 50 RBI, 22 walks, and 45 runs scored in 105 games for the Atlanta Braves in 2018. Suzuki posted a .485 slugging percentage and an .825 OPS in two seasons in Atlanta - the best marks among Major League catchers during...

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Do the Nats have the prospects to pull off a winter blockbuster?

November 18, 2018, 7:39pm

Nationals

Do the Nats have the prospects to pull off a winter blockbuster?

We've talked a lot so far this offseason about the options available to the Nationals via free agency, whether the big-name starting pitchers, the veteran catchers or the left-handed first basemen and relievers currently out there for the taking. There is, of course, another method for acquiring big league players who can make an immediate impact: a trade. Mike Rizzo certainly hasn't been averse to pulling off a winter blockbuster. Go back to December 2011, when he sent four prospects (A.J....

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Nationals select contract of James Bourque

November 19, 2018, 10:40am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals selected the contract of right-handed pitcher James Bourque on Monday, adding him to the team's 40-man roster. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Bourque, 25, went 4-2 with six saves and a 1.70 ERA (10 ER/53.0 IP) in 41 games between Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg in 2018. He led all Nationals Minor Leaguers (min. 50.0 IP) in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (12.91) and hits allowed per 9.0 innings...

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Would Harper accept hometown discount from Nats?

November 19, 2018, 2:57am

Nationals

Would Harper accept hometown discount from Nats?

The offseason free agency talk continues centering around the Nationals' biggest free agent of their young history in outfielder Bryce Harper. The Washington Post reported a couple of weeks ago an offer to Harper of $300 million over 10 years with no player opt-outs. The New York Post reported this weekend the latest rumor about the possibility of big-name players such as Harper and another current free agent, Manny Machado, going to the same team, say the Phillies. But how remote is the shot...

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Carter Kieboom wraps up strong AFL season

November 17, 2018, 7:01pm

Nationals

Carter Kieboom wraps up strong AFL season

If the Nationals wanted to use the Arizona Fall League to determine how close Carter Kieboom is to playing in Washington, they likely emerged feeling pretty good about their top infield prospect's development. Kieboom wrapped up a strong AFL season Saturday by contributing to both of the Salt River Rafters' runs during their heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the Peoria Javelinas in the league's championship game. The 21-year-old infielder was hit by a pitch and proceeded to score in the top of the...

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Soto caps off season with impressive series in Japan

November 16, 2018, 12:03pm

Nationals

Soto caps off season with impressive series in Japan

Whether in the minors in April and May, the majors from June to September or Japan in November, Juan Soto never stopped hitting this year. Soto capped off his remarkable rookie season by excelling at the plate over the last week as a member of the Major League Baseball All-Star Series team that traveled across the Pacific Ocean to face the Japanese national club in six-game series. The Nationals' 20-year-old outfielder hit .350 (7-for-20) with two doubles, two homers, five RBIs and a 1.159 OPS...

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Nats instructional league wrap-up: catchers and an outfielder

November 15, 2018, 5:38am

Nationals

Nats instructional league wrap-up: catchers and an outfielder

Here is a list of the catchers who attended Nats instructional league: Adalberto Carrillo, Tyler Cropley, Geraldi Diaz, Alex Dunlap, Alejandro Flores, Israel Pineda, Wilmer Perez, Jakson Reetz and Onix Vega. Reetz played 69 games for high Single-A Potomac this past season, hitting .224 with a .324 on-base percentage. He smacked eight doubles and five homers with 27 RBIs. Cropley, an eighth-round selection out of Iowa, split time between the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and short-season...

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Friday morning Nats Q&A

November 15, 2018, 7:09pm

Nationals

Has it really been seven weeks since the Nationals' season ended? Yep, it has. We are well into the offseason now, with players having become free agents, a few having already signed and all the big awards having been handed out. It's still relatively early as far as the Hot Stove League goes. That usually doesn't pick up until December, and it certainly will begin to get hectic when the Winter Meetings open for business Dec. 10 in Las Vegas. But that doesn't mean there isn't already...

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Sitting down with Ross Detwiler

April 24, 2016, 7:59am

Nationals

Ross Detwiler is a 24-year-old left-handed pitcher drafted in the first round of the 2007 MLB Draft. He is back from offseason hip surgery and in the Nats' rotation. He and Rob Dibble sat down to discuss a variety of topics including the health of his hip, the impact of catcher Ivan Rodriguez and the young staff of the Washington Nationals, now and in the future. Watch the video below to see the whole interview between Rob and Ross.

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Nats hurlers mow 'em down

November 13, 2018, 7:39am

Nationals

Hot on the heels of the national observance honoring veterans of the armed services, MASN this week celebrates the arms of some veteran hurlers serving the Nationals. As are most teams, the Nats this offseason are taking stock of their starting pitching and trying to figure out how they can improve it. That's entirely right and proper, but the telecasts in this latest batch of "Nationals Classics" offer a reminder that at least three of the guys in the club's 2018 rotation have at times...

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Report: P-Nats agree to stadium deal in Fredericksburg, Va.

November 14, 2018, 4:06am

Nationals

Report: P-Nats agree to stadium deal in Fredericksburg, Va.

The Fredericksburg City Council announced it has reached an agreement to build a multipurpose stadium at Celebrate Virginia South that would move the Single-A Potomac Nationals to the site after playing in Prince William County for decades, according to a report in the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. The stadium plans to be operational for the 2020 campaign, beginning April 1, 2020, and will cost $35 million to build. The agreement reportedly calls for the Silber family, which owns the P-Nats,...

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Scherzer, Rendon finish 10th, 11th in MVP voting (plus my ballot)

November 15, 2018, 1:31pm

Nationals

Scherzer, Rendon finish 10th, 11th in MVP voting (plus my ballot)

Though neither was a serious candidate for National League MVP, it was always going to be interesting (and telling) where Max Scherzer and Anthony Rendon ranked on the ballot. Would Scherzer improve on his previous 10th-place finishes? Would Rendon crack the top five for the second time in his career? Tonight we got our answers. While Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich ran away with the MVP Award, Scherzer finished 10th for the third straight year and Rendon finished right behind his teammate...

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Return to top of NL East is only getting tougher for Nats

November 14, 2018, 7:35pm

Nationals

Return to top of NL East is only getting tougher for Nats

If you've been following this week's Baseball Writers' Association of America awards announcements, you've perhaps noticed two developments: 1) The Nationals only had a finalist in two of the four award categories, and had no winners, and 2) The rest of the National League East has been front and center in these proceedings. The Nats had taken home at least one BBWAA award in each of the last four seasons, beginning with Matt Williams' Manager of the Year honor in 2014, continuing with...

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Scherzer finishes second to deGrom for Cy Young Award

November 14, 2018, 12:10pm

Nationals

Scherzer finishes second to deGrom for Cy Young Award

Max Scherzer's league-leading stats in most pitching categories weren't enough to retain the Cy Young Award against the guy who led the majors in the most important category: ERA. Jacob deGrom was revealed tonight as the National League's top pitcher in 2018 in a lopsided vote over Scherzer, who was trying to join elite company with his fourth career and third consecutive Cy Young Award. The Mets ace received 29 of 30 first-place votes and 207 total points to Scherzer's one first-place vote...