Pardon the Interruption
Posted by Brian Oliver in Across the Affiliates on March 1st, 2010
Sorry for the quiet folks. A combination of student teaching and a balky internet connection have left me with little time to stay up to date with the happenings around the Nats.
Most of this stuff is old. Hopefully I will be able to get back in the swing of things this week.
- MASN will be broadcasting Stephen Strasburg’s first spring training start at 1PM on March 9
- Three Nats made Baseball America’s top 100 list. The names are no surprise with Stephen Strasburg at #2, Derek Norris at #38, and Drew Storen at #92. To be candid, the Nationals still have a ways to go in rebuilding the system. If, as expected, Strasburg & Storen make the majors in 2010, the Nationals will have just one guy (for now) remaining in the top 100 (assuming no one breaks through or rebounds this year). That’s a concern from my focus on the future of the Nationals
- Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has his top 11 Nationals. It is a similar top of the list as Baseball America. The other names mentioned are also familiar with Danny Espinosa, Ian Desmond, Michael Burgess, and Chris Marrero making appearances. The one thing that stands out, as highlighted by Kevin in this post, is the lack of pitching outside of Strasburg & Storen. The only other arms that make the list are RHPs Juan Jaime and Paul Demny. Both seem most likely to be relievers which speaks volumes to the development (or lack thereof) of starters. I understand that guys like Ross Detwiler and Jordan Zimmermann have “graduated” to the majors, but the fact that high visibility guys like Colton Willems, Josh Smoker, and Jack McGeary are not on this list tells a story. Either (a) the Nationals are not adept at identifying young arms or (b) they are not adept at developing young arms. Mike Rizzo drafted quite a few college arms in 2009 and it will be interesting to see if the results improve with a more experienced stable of arms
- Speaking of Zimmermann, the Nationals placed him on the 60-day DL to open up a spot for Chien-Ming Wang. I’d be surprised if we saw Zimmermann make much more than a cursory appearance in the majors in 2010
- The Nationals added another minor league invite and it was a familiar face … Livan Hernandez. Add Livan to the list that includes Eddie Guardado, Miguel Batista, Ron Villone, Willy Taveras, and Chris Duncan as guys who could somehow find themselves in that 24th or 25th guy on the roster … though I’d be surprised if more than two of those guys were on the opening day roster
- There has been a bit of news around the Nats inking of RHRP Rafael Martin out of the Mexican League. It is progress internationally, but I am still holding out hope that there are going to be more moves internationally
- Nats also signed CA Carlos Maldonado, OF Sean Smith, LHP Ron Villone (spring invite), and re-signed LHP Doug Slaten
- Here are the spring training minor league games
- Syracuse
- March 20 - vs Gwinnett in Orlando, FL 1:00 pm
- March 21 - vs Toledo in Viera, FL 1:00 pm
- March 22 – vs Round Rock in Kissimmee, FL 1:00 pm
- March 23 – vs Toledo in Lakeland, FL 1:00 pm
- March 25 – vs Round Rock in Viera, FL 1:00 pm
- March 26 – vs Gwinnett in Viera, FL 1:00 pm
- March 27 – vs Round Rock in Kissimmee, FL 1:00 pm
- March 28 – vs Toledo in Viera, FL 1:00 pm
- March 29 – vs Gwinnett in Orlando, FL 1:00 pm
- March 30 – vs Gwinnett in Viera, FL 1:00 pm
- April 1 – vs Toledo in Lakeland, FL 1:00 pm
- April 2 – vs Round Rock in Kissimmee, FL 1:00 pm
- April 3 - vs Gwinnett in Viera, FL 1:00 pm
- Harrisburg
- March 20—Harrisburg Senators @ Mississippi Braves in Kissimmee, Florida
- March 21—Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) @ Harrisburg Senators in Viera, Florida
- March 22—Harrisburg Senators @ Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros) in Kissimmee, Florida
- March 23—Harrisburg Senators @ Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) in Lakeland, Florida
- March 24 – Camp Day
- March 25—Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros) @ Harrisburg Senators in Viera, Florida
- March 26—Mississippi Braves @ Harrisburg Senators in Viera, Florida
- March 27—Harrisburg Senators @ Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros) in Kissimmee, Florida
- March 28—Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) @ Harrisburg Senators in Viera, Florida
- March 29—Harrisburg Senators @ Mississippi Braves in Kissimmee, Florida
- March 30—Mississippi Braves @ Harrisburg Senators in Viera, Florida
- March 31 – Camp Day
- April 1—Harrisburg Senators @ Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) in Lakeland, Florida
- April 2—Harrisburg Senators @ Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros) in Kissimmee, Florida
- April 3—Mississippi Braves @ Harrisburg Senators in Viera, Florida
- Potomac
- March 20th vs ATL
- March 21st @ DET
- March 22nd vs HOU
- March 23rd vs DET
- March 25th @ HOU
- March 26th @ ATL
- March 27th vs HOU
- March 28th @ DET
- March 29th vs ATL
- March 30th @ ATL
- April 1st vs DET
- April 2nd vs HOU
- April 3rd @ ATL
2010 Upper-end Draft Prospect Reviews: Jameson Taillon
Posted by Todd in Draft, Future Focus on February 28th, 2010
(Note: Brian has been gracious to allow me to continue to post here and there about nat-worthy topics).
With the high school seasons starting now that its late February (remember DC folks; not everyone in the country got 4 feet of snow) and the college seasons 2-3 weeks in, lets take a look at some of the big names in the draft. I’ll talk about at least Harper, Taillon, Renaudo, Renden and McGuire.
While lots of pundits and readers already believe Bryce Harper is the presumptive #1 overall pick for the Nats, a lot can happen between now and June. Harper might tail off badly, get hurt, decided he wants more money than Strasburg, etc. So lets take a look at the top 4-5 names on most scouts minds. This is the first in a series of articles focusing on the top draft prospects that the Nationals might be considering.
Jameson Taillon is RHP from The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, TX (near Houston). This big high school righty already has a big league body (6′6″ 225) and his fastball is already is “sitting” in the 95-97 range. Wow. Imagine how much better this guy can get if he continues to grow and gain strength on what is already a 70-75 fastball. (Here’s Keith Law’s latest scouting post talking about Taillon, dated 2/26/10, and Jason Churchill’s latest scouting post dated 2/24/10, both ESPN insider only). He seems like the next in a series of hard throwing big Texas kids along the lines of Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Josh Beckett or Huston Street. He’s verbally committed to Rice but there seems little chance he passes up on a major signing bonus.
Taillon’s problem: no right-handed prep pitcher have ever gone #1 overall, and the two lefty prep pitchers that did go #1 overall (David Clyde in 1973 and Brien Taylor in 1991) didn’t really turn out that great. Clyde’s story is rather infamous; Texas took him out of a local HS #1 overall in 1973 and he was pitching for the team by late June. Despite a fantastic debut he struggled (who wouldn’t with zero minor league time?) and made his last major league start when he was 24. Tayler was even more infamous; signing with the Yankees after showing an upper 90s fastball in highschool and then destroying his left shoulder in a bar fight two years later.
Truth is, prep players are huge gambles no matter how much upside they have or how level headed they may be. If you look at the Nationals’ HS draft picks over the past 4-5 years only one is really showing major promise (Derek Norris). The likes of Hood, Burgess, Marrero, Englund, King, Willems, McGeary and Smoker have all struggled and disappointed, contributing to the lower rankings of our overall farm system right now.
That being said, in modern baseball circles a guy like Taillon has already done enough traveling and pitching in various competitions that one could argue that he is as prepared for professional baseball as any college guy. Taillon has been on all-USA teams for years, was the leader of the under-18 team that won the World Championships down in Venezuela and has so many opportunities to pitch and compete in these “showcases” that he had to turn some down in order to stay eligible for his high school academically.
Taillon features very high on most draft boards (most have him 2-3, some have him #1 over Harper), but I cannot see the Nats taking him over Harper at this point. Rizzo generally wants more polished, quicker to the majors players (read, College guys). The Nats are now suddenly full of pitching prospects after 2009’s arm-heavy draft. Some team just below us in the 2010 draft will take Taillon and possibly have the next Rick Porcello on their hands. Possibly a team like Baltimore (drafting #3) since Pittsburgh seems to like college players as well.
What does NatsFarm think?
Accelerated Camp Roster
Posted by Brian Oliver in Across the Affiliates on February 24th, 2010
Hat tip to Mark Zuckerman who posted the Nats accelerated camp roster.
As he notes, Glenn Gibson (traded for Dukes) has returned to the organization
Andrew Brown is a name I am unfamiliar with. A search turns up a former Cardinal pitcher named Andrew Brown.
Rafael Martin appears to be from the Mexican League. He is the only other new name (to me).
Happy Valentine’s Day
Posted by Brian Oliver in Players on February 14th, 2010
Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone who visits NFA.
And what’s a better Valentine’s Day story than the Post writing about NFA favorite Josh Wilkie and his wedding.
Congrats to Josh & Jesse.
Couple of Items
Posted by Brian Oliver in Players, Washington (MLB) on February 12th, 2010
- 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.
P-Nats Headed to Fenway
Posted by Brian Oliver in Potomac (A) on February 10th, 2010
The Potomac Nationals will be playing a game at Fenway Park on July 10. The Boston Red Sox have been playing the Futures at Fenway for the past five years, giving Red Sox fans a chance to see some of the team’s top prospects.
It’s something that I hope the Nationals will adopt themselves some time in the near future. With Harrisburg, Potomac, & Hagerstown as close as they are, it makes sense. I’ve asked Nats President Stan Kasten about this and he understood my interest in the game but was not sure there would be enough fan interest.
Report: Nats Sign Chien Ming Wang (Update)
Posted by Brian Oliver in Washington (MLB) on February 10th, 2010
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
Goal Reached …
Posted by Brian Oliver in Spring Training, Washington (MLB) on February 9th, 2010
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.
Help Send Mark to Viera
Posted by Brian Oliver in Spring Training on February 8th, 2010
Most are aware that the Washington Times eliminated their sports section at the end of 2009 leaving fans of the Nationals with just the Post as a local mainstream media voice for the team. Not only did we as fans lose that local voice, it was in my opinion the best voice. Mark Zuckerman and Ben Goessling provided consistently strong coverage of the team both in print and online. Ben has since resurfaced with MASN while Mark has recently started his own blog Nats Insider.
Why do I bring this up now? Well, Mark has decided to go to spring training on his own and is looking for Nats fans to help him get and more importantly stay down there.
Why should we care? Honestly because we need to maintain the institutional knowledge from within the Nats coverage we have. Bill Ladson does a great job for MLB Advanced Media and Ben was a great hire for MASN; both guys have been doing this for some time and have the knowledge and connections necessary to provide in-depth Nats coverage.
After that, we have Chico Harlan who is a short timer for the Post. If the reports are true, Harlan may be around for part of spring training but is soon to be replaced. His replacement is almost certainly going to be someone with little or no knowledge of the Nationals.
That’s not a good thing. Nats fans who want informative discussions of the whos, whats, and whys of the team need to have a voice there who knows the right people, understands the brief history of the team and has established their own voice.
This is my long way of saying support Mark in whatever form you can. This is an opportunity for us as fans to influence the coverage of the team. Mark is aiming to raise $5,000. Money to cover his costs. He has established some donation levels that come with some additional benefits
- $20 — Exclusive daily audio file of Jim Riggleman’s morning or postgame media session
- $40 — Exclusive daily audio file of Jim Riggleman’s morning or postgame media session, plus another daily audio file of an interview with a Nats player, coach or front-office member
- $60 — Exclusive daily audio file of Jim Riggleman’s morning or postgame media session; plus another daily audio file of an interview with a Nats player, coach or front-office member; plus the opportunity to submit a question to be asked of Riggleman or a prominent player during a spring training interview
These are levels established by Mark but any amount you can provide will help in getting the Nats coverage we, as fans, hope to have.
Running sites like Mark’s or NFA takes time and costs money. Much of the information I get comes from reading the stuff from the mainstream media. I know how valuable those voices are. I have never asked anyone for any money to run this site. Not to sound to NPRish, but if you enjoy the Nats stuff you read here and elsewhere on the internet, donate whatever you can to help Mark get to Viera.
New Podcast
Posted by Brian Oliver in Across the Affiliates on February 5th, 2010
Steven of FJB and I recorded the latest Natmosphere in Your Ear this afternoon with a special guest. Joining us to discuss Adam Kennedy, Ian Desmond, Tyler Walker and more importantly what he’s been up to is Mark Zuckerman, formerly of the Washington Times, now blogging at Nats Insider (linked on the right as well).
