Nationals Farm Authority

The trade deadline is only three days away and the name that most Nationals fans have heard discussed most often is 1B Adam Dunn and the team most often linked to Dunn is the Chicago White Sox. Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com reported yesterday that

Any deal for Dunn would have to include Daniel Hudson, the White Sox’s top pitching prospect. The Nationals also want one of three White Sox prospects: catcher Tyler Flowers, outfielder Jordan Danks or injured infielder Brent Morel

Who are these four guys?

• RHP Dan Hudson (FutureSox scouting report)- 23-year old, 6’4″ 220-lb starting pitcher was the Whit Sox #3 prospect according to Baseball America’s pre-season rankings. According to BA, his strengths are “Hudson throws three solid pitches from a three-quarters arm slot with a crossfire delivery, a la Jered Weaver. His motion gives him natural deception, making his lively 91-93 mph fastball seem even quicker. His second-best pitch is his changeup, which elicits swings and misses. He also has a low-80s slider with average tilt, and he occasionally throws a slow curve. He pounds the strike zone and commands his fastball to both sides of the plate.” but that is countered with concerns that his delivery can get out of whack. From everything I’ve read, he projects best as a #3 or 4 starter. He was 11-4 with 108K and 31 BB over 93 1/3IP in Triple-A and has been 1-1 with a 6.32 ERA, 14K and 11B in 15 2/3 major league innings in 2010. You can slot him in at #3 or 4 in the Nats current rotation (and higher if Strasburg is out for any extended time).
• CA Tyler Flowers (FutureSox scouting report)- 24-year old, 6’4″ 220-lb right-handed catcher. Flowers was ranked as the Sox #2 overall pre-season prospect by BA. Their description of his strengths, “Flowers combines light-tower power with plate discipline, making it easy to project his bat into the middle of a big league lineup. He generates his pop through his strength and size, and he has good hand-eye coordination and advanced pitch recognition. Pitchers like throwing to him because he’s a good communicator and works hard on gameplans. Managers rated him the top defensive catcher in the Double-A Southern League last year. He has an average arm and has improved his footwork and release, thowing out 29 percent of basestealers last year.” Thus far in 2010, he is hitting 217/327/453 in 79 games for Triple-A Charlotte with 16 homers and 49 RBI; he’s struck out 104 time and walked 40 times over 276AB. He could immediately replace Wil Nieves as the backup catcher and provide the Nationals a healthy option as #2 for 2011.
• 3B Brent Morel (FutureSox socuting report)- 23-year old, 6’2″ 220-lb right-handed 3B. BA had him as the Sox #4 pre-season prospect. BA’s strengths, “Morel is a manager’s dream, with solid tools, outstanding instincts and a blue-collar work ethic. He’s one of the system’s top pure hitters, making good contact with a compact, line-drive swing. He has excellent pitch recognition and attacks fastballs. He has the power to hit 15 homers per year, and could show more as he matures. He runs well enough for a third baseman and is a good baserunner, but he doesn’t project as a basestealer. He’s a natural third baseman with first-step quickness and a plus arm.” A drawback is his lack of power for a corner IF. He started the season in Double-A where he hit 326/376/440 over 49G and has to date, hit 279/317/402 in Triple-A. Obviously, playing 3B is out of the question, what would be interesting is whether or not Morel could play 2B.
• OF Jordan Danks (FutureSox scouting report) – 6’4″ 210-lb left-handed hitting outfielder. BA had him as the Sox pre-season #5 prospect. BA’s strengths “Danks is an excellent athlete and a hard-nosed player. He’s a natural hitter with good bat speed, gap power, surprising bunting ability and above-average speed. He has the range and instincts to play center field, and he also has a solid-average arm.” He’s battled injuries but could be a solid major league regular center fielder. He is currently listed on the DL, hitting 243/314/377 with 6 homers and 32 RBI in Triple-A. Assuming he’s healthy, he’s a viable option for center in 2011.

I was a big fan of the Gordon Beckham rumors, but also realized there was very little chance of that happening. The White Sox would be crazy to trade their starting 2B for Dunn. The comparison that needs to be made is Dunn versus the potential for two draft picks (this assumes he does not sign an extension).

Hudson and any one of the three above guys is a better return (or more accurately, a known quantity) than the two draft picks they’d receive. The picks we are looking at are likely to be one pick in the #15-30 range (most likely) and one pick in the #31-35 range. If you were to tell me the Nationals could choose from a #4 starting pitcher in the majors and a backup catcher for 2011-2014 or two unknown picks that may develop into something better than that but could also turn into guys that top out in the Sally League, I’ll go with the known quantities.

All that being said, my first preference is extending Dunn for no more than three years. If he isn’t willing to agree to a 3-year deal, I’d strongly consider the offer of Hudson plus one of those three to the unknown of the two draft picks. And the order of preference would be: Flowers, Morel & Danks.

With the Nationals sending LHSP John Lannan to Harrisburg (to work with pitching coach Randy Tomline per Ben Goessling at MASNSports), the Nationals shifted around a few of their arms at both Syracuse and Harrisburg

• RHRP Joel Peralta is added to the 25-man (and 40-man) roster from Syracuse
• LHSP Ross Detwiler was activated from the 60-day DL and optioned to Harrisburg (along with Lannan)
• RHP Garrett Mock was transferred from the 15- to 60-day DL
• RHSP Jason Jones was promoted from Harrisburg to Syracuse
• RHSP Erik Arnesen was demoted from Syracuse to Harrisburg

Nationals Park was as loud as I have ever heard it as RHP Stephen Strasburg struck out Andy LaRoche … his 14th of the game (a new Nats record) … seventh in a row (tying a Nats record [Chris Schroder of all people]) … eight of his last nine. He ended up one strikeout short of tying the record for a major league debut (15) … by J.R. Richard and Karl Spooner (according to the Sporting News record book).

When Strasburg went back to the mound for the top of the seventh, I figured that he was going to get a batter, maybe two and then enjoy the standing ovation as he left the mound. Instead, I saw Strasburg as sharp as he was at any point in the game. He struck out Garrett Jones, Delwyn Young, and LaRoche to finish his major league debut with seven innings pitched; four hits; two runs (resultant of a two-run HR by Young); fourteen strikeouts and no walks. He threw 94 pitches, 65 of them for strikes. After a couple of early deep counts, he settled down and made the Pirates look bad with a mixture of 98-99 mph fastballs and filthy breaking pitches.

If possible, Strasburg was better than expected and an electric Nationals Park got to see one damn impressive major league debut.

Update: Nationals ended up getting Strasburg a 5-2 win his debut. One quick comment from the press conference … Strasburg did not look at a scouting report prior to tonight’s game against the Pirates

Now that it appears that Stephen Strasburg is ready for the majors, I wanted to take a look an see how his starts might map out over the next few months.

First, here is a calendar tracking the schedules of both Washington and Syracuse.

I figure the Nationals are lining up Strasburg to make his major league debut at home some time during the June 4-10 homestand against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. It makes sense from a business standpoint to have Strasburg debut at home (see CapPun).

Here are two ways things may play out …

Scenario One: He stays on his regular turn, going every fifth game.

• at Pawtucket on 5/17
• VS TOLEDO on 5/22
• at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on 5/27
• at Buffalo on 6/1
• VS CINCINNATI on 6/6 [MLB debut]
• at Cleveland on 6/12
• VS CHICAGO (AL) on 6/18
• VS KANSAS CITY on 6/23
• at Atlanta on 6/29
• VS NEW YORK (NL) on 7/4
• VS SAN FRANCISCO on 7/10

That’s not bad. They get one more home start for Strasburg in Syracuse and five of his first seven at Nationals Park, including a 4th of July showdown with the Mets.

Scenario Two: Throw in some extra days of rest.

• at Rochester on 5/18 (+1 day of rest has been rumored)
• VS TOLEDO on 5/23
• VS SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE on 5/29 (+1 day of rest)
• VS CINCINNATI on 6/4 (+1 day of rest for his MLB debut)
• VS PITTSBURGH on 6/10 (gets an extra day due to an off day on 6/7)
• at Detroit on 6/16 (an off-day for the Nats is included)
• VS KANSAS CITY on 6/21
• at Baltimore on 6/27 (an off-day for the Nats is included)
• VS NEW YORK (NL) on 7/2
• VS SAN DIEGO on 7/8 (an off-day for the Nats is included)

Once again, the Nats get five of his first seven major league starts at home, but they have Strasburg facing the Pirates instead of the White Sox (Chicago seems likely to draw better). And he also wouldn’t face the Mets on July 4 which is likely to draw regardless of who may be pitching. The added benefits here are an extra home start for the fans in Syracuse along with a benefit for DC fans, having Strasburg start up the road in Baltimore vice down in Atlanta (plus it throws a bone to MASN).

The only wild card I could see is this schedule

• at Rochester on 5/18 (+1 day of rest)
• vs Toledo on 5/24 (+1 day of rest)
• at San Diego on 5/30 (MLB debut at home for Strasburg)
• VS CINCINNATI on 6/4
• VS PITTSBURGH on 6/10 (gets an extra day due to an off 0n day on 6/7)
• at Detroit on 6/16 (an off-day for the Nats is included)
• VS KANSAS CITY on 6/21
• at Baltimore on 6/27 (an off-day for the Nats is included)
• VS NEW YORK (NL) on 7/2
• VS SAN DIEGO on 7/8 (an off-day for the Nats is included)

Would the Nationals give Strasburg the chance to debut in his hometown?

The news has been released elsewhere and I wanted to confirm the story. The Washington Nationals have granted media credentials to five “online-only” Nationals blogs (I have no problem calling myself a blog). Nationals News Network, Federal Baseball, Nationals Daily News, Nats320, and I have media credentials for the 2010 season at Nationals Park. I’ll leave it to Patrick and Dave to discuss the specifics.

First, I want to thank the Nats for granting me this opportunity. I never intended to receive any such consideration when I started this site back in 2005. I consider it a compliment.

It’s surreal to think that a site created to track the progress of Ryan Zimmerman in Savannah and Harrisburg has led to this.

Second, and more importantly, I am trying to get my head around this. As the guy who has tracked the minor leagues for almost five years, I am not sure how much new content I can provide at Nationals Park itself. I see the value when players like Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen make their major league debuts. Additionally, I see some value in facilitating some in person relationships with Nats management, specifically the guys who run the scouting and player development.

I am trying to determine how I can most effectively utilize this new responsibility.

Courtesy of Mark Zuckerman, the Nationals made some major league moves today. They placed Mike Morse on the DL with a strained calf and recalled Roger Bernadina from Syracuse. Hopefully, Bernadina will get some regular playing time in RF and not just sit on the bench. With Ryan Zimmerman’s hamstring injury, maybe Willie Harris can play some 3B while Bernadina handles right field (though apparently Adam Kennedy is starting at 3B today).

Additionally, the Nats made room for Livan Hernandez, today’s starting pitcher, by sending Garrett Mock to Syracuse. The Nats don’t need to worry about another SP until later in the week and an extra arm in the bullpen should help.

• The Adam Kennedy signing is official. This again puts the Nats at 41 on their 40-man roster. A corresponding move is being made but has yet to be announced.  My guess is it’s going to be an arm. The names that jump out at me are Luis Atilano, Jess English, or Doug Slaten.
• The Post has apparently brought Adam Kilgore back to replace Chico Harlan on the Nats beat (H/T to Mike Harris). Kilgore has been covering the Patriots for the Boston Globe but has some history covering baseball. It’s a solid hire.
• And Baseball America has their latest round of minor league transactions: Nats signed: LHP Mike Venafro and re-signed OF Edgardo Baez. The 36-year old Venafro was born in Takoma Park, MD; he has not pitched at the professional level since 2007. While Baez returns to the Nats in 2010. The 24-year old Baez will have to sit out the first 17 games of the season as he completes his suspension for violation of the drug policy; I’ll say he starts in Harrisburg.

Pete Abraham of Boston.com has just tweeted that former Yankees RHSP Chien Ming Wang has decided to sign with the Nationals.

From MLB.com’s Bill Ladson

Wang is still recovering from arthroscopic shoulder surgery that he had in late July. As of last week, Wang was throwing from 120 feet and is not in any pain. There is no timetable as to when Wang will throw off a mound.

I really like this gamble. Entering the off-season, there were three rehabbing pitchers I hoped the Nationals. Ben Sheets was my #1 guy but Wang was a close #2. As a sinker ball pitcher, I think any potential loss in velocity is minimized.

Update … it seems that Abraham may have jumped the gun. Mark Zuckerman, Ben Goessling, Chico Harlan and Bill Ladson are all reporting that no deal is done

Thanks to those who contributed. If you check the counter on IE vice Firefox, you’ll see that Mark Zuckerman reached his $5,000 goal in less than 36 hours.

For those who contributed, thank you.

If you haven’t, you should still feel free to contribute. The cost that Mark estimated was $5,000 but I am certain he cut that estimate to the bone. Any extra can help him in carrying his work over into the regular season (i.e. getting to out of town locations [hotel, travel, food]).

It’s amazing and impressive what a grassroots effort can pull together. We’ve all given Mark the resources to get to and stay in Viera for spring training. Now, he has the opportunity to deliver on his plans for Nats coverage from mid-February through early April.

It appears that some time over the next few days, the Washington Times sports section will be no more. I’ll refer you to Dan Steinberg’s Bog posting for the details.

I wanted to take the time to thank them for everything they’ve done with regards to Nationals coverage. While the Post only had one beat writer following the team, the Times employed two guys to cover a team that just turned in back-to-back 100 loss seasons.

The Times was the one local media source that provided regular coverage of the minor leagues for the Nationals.

Putting aside the politics of the Times as a whole (which really had no influence on the sports coverage), we as Washington sports fans and specifically fans of the Nationals are going to be considerably poorer when the inevitable end of the sports section arrives.

I want to thank the entire Times sports staff and wish them best of luck.

But I would like to single out Mark Zuckerman and Ben Goessling. They have been tremendous resources for me here at NFA and I am, without question, going to miss their coverage.

So when you are toasting in the new year, please consider thanking these guys for what they’ve provided and wish them best of luck wherever their future may take them.

I know I will.