The Washington Nationals selected the contracts of infielder Yasel Antuna and right-handed pitcher Joan Adon on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Antuna, 21, is the No. 4 prospect in Washington's Minor League system, according to Baseball America. He is also cited by Baseball America as being the "Best Hitter for Average" and the "Best Power Hitter" among Nationals Minor Leaguers. A switch-hitting, versatile infielder,...

MASNsports.com Orioles beat writer Roch Kubatko has been nominated as a finalist for the Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award presented annually by the National Sports Media Association. Kubatko, who has been with MASN since 2008, is one of three finalists for the Maryland award, joining Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun and Bill Wagner of The Capital in Annapolis. Voting will be conducted among NSMA members from Dec. 1-31, with the winners to be announced in early January and feted at the...

MASNsports.com Nationals beat writer Mark Zuckerman is a finalist for the Washington, D.C., Sportswriter of the Year award presented by the National Sports Media Association. Zuckerman, who joined MASNsports.com in 2016, is one of six finalists for the annual award, along with David Aldridge, Fred Katz and Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic, and Thomas Boswell and Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post. Voting will be conducted among NSMA members from Dec. 1-31, with the winners to be announced in...

Two institutions team up to make sure Thanksgiving goes as planned for many in the D.C. region. Medium Rare Restaurants is proud to announce it's partnering with the Washington Nationals for its 12th Annual Thanksgiving Day Turkey Fry. Because of social distancing and occupancy guidelines, Medium Rare can't hold its iconic event as usual at one of its locations. Instead, the Nationals have generously provided the perfect location at the ballpark, assuring the tradition continues while...

As he left his job running the Chicago Cubs baseball operations this week, Theo Epstein addressed what he sees as issues in baseball. Issues that he believes he helped create and now wonders if the game will fix them. The issues involve a lack of action in the sport. There are too many strikeouts, too much swing and miss. Strikeouts are fun if you're the pitcher, but they are piling up more and more each year. More whiffs and fewer balls in play. Fewer chances for plays at the plate and great...

Some news and notes for you on this Friday morning ... * Today is the deadline for all clubs to add players to their 40-man roster and protect them from the Rule 5 draft, so look for the Nationals to make an announcement on a few guys at some point. The Rule 5 draft, which is scheduled to take place Dec. 10 to wrap up the virtual Winter Meetings, allows clubs to select away minor leaguers from other organizations and add them to their major league roster. Any player drafted for $100,000 must...

Leaving players unprotected in the Rule 5 draft comes with varying levels of risk, though they usually wind up back in their organizations as teams give up trying to carry them through an entire major league season. There's the occasional waiver claim, which is how the Orioles acquired shortstop José Morban on March 28, 2003. The Twins would have offered him back to the Rangers, but the Orioles intervened and utility player Jeff Reboulet was pulled off the field and told that he actually...

As I watch the National Football League and college teams try to make it through their seasons with the COVID-19 interruptions and rescheduling - Maryland's games against Ohio State and Michigan State have been canceled, for example, as the Terrapins pause all activities - I'm still amazed that Major League Baseball reached the finish line. I didn't like the chances at the outset and lost the last ounces of faith after the Marlins debacle. The biggest win recorded at Camden Yards was the...

The Nationals will play Triple-A baseball in Rochester, N.Y., in 2021, a club source has confirmed. The Nats' contract with the Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League expired after last season. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Nats ended up playing only 140 games affiliated with Fresno. There is no confirmation how long the Nats' contract is with Rochester. The Nats had a two-year deal in Fresno, and their Triple-A team was based in Syracuse, N,Y., from 2009-18. The...

It's way too soon to start penciling in potential Nationals lineups for 2021, because there is so much that still needs to be determined before pitchers and catchers report a mere three months from now. But there is one fairly important question that probably needs to be asked right now, because the answer isn't entirely clear. Do the Nats need a new leadoff hitter? They haven't needed one in quite some time. Whether it's been Davey Martinez managing the last three seasons or Dusty Baker...