Nationals sign outfielder Schierholtz to minor league contract

The Washington Nationals today agreed to terms with outfielder Nate Schierholtz on a minor league contract. Schierholtz will be assigned to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Schierholtz is a .254 career hitter (520-for-2050) with 117 doubles, 51 home runs and 224 RBI in 776 career games with the Cubs (2013 - '14), Phillies (2012) and Giants (2007 - '12). Earlier this season, he tallied 19 extra-base hits (10 doubles, three triples, six home runs) in 99 games for the Cubs. A left-handed hitter, Schierholtz is a career .289 pinch hitter (48-for-166) with four home runs and 23 RBI. Schierholtz's .763 OPS in the pinch ranks fourth among active players with at least 150 career plate appearances in a pinch-hitting role. The 30-year-old Schierholtz is one season removed from his finest offensive campaign. In 2013, his first year with the Cubs, he hit .251 and established career highs in home runs (21), doubles (32), extra-base hits (56), RBI (68) and runs scored (56). Schierholtz is a veteran of 11 postseason contests and earned a pair of World Series rings, both with the Giants (2010, '12). A U.S. Olympian (bronze medal) in 2008, Schierholtz was originally San Francisco's second-round selection in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft.