Nationals Farm Authority

This week’s press release from the Nationals Bill Gluvna

WASHINGTON, DC – The Nationals minor league report is a weekly window into the Nationals farm teams, with updated standings, league leaders, team and individual player stats, and the latest team and player news.

This Week’s Top Headline … DEREK NORRIS FACTS: Including his 2 homer, 4 RBI effort last night at Hickory (Rangers), Hagerstown C Derek Norris has blasted 6 home runs and recorded 11 RBI in his last 4 games…Norris ranks among full-season minor league leaders with 20 home runs (t-3rd), a .605 slugging percentage (7th) and 64 RBI (t-10th)…additionally, the 20-year-old paces all catchers in professional baseball in homers and RBI…he leads the Single-A South Atlantic League in nearly every offensive category, including home runs, RBI, total bases (170), slugging and OPS (1.021), while ranking among the leaders in OBP (2nd, .416), walks (3rd, 44), runs (3rd, 53), batting average (5th, .320) and doubles (t-6th, 20)…Norris has posted a team-best 27 multi-hit games…the Kansas native has thrown out 36% (32-for-88) of would-be basestealers…per Baseball America, he entered the season rated as the No. 6 prospect and top overall catching prospect in Washington’s system.

Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs – International League North Division, 45-38, 2nd Place, 4.0 Games Back

•  ARE YOU MOCKING ME?: RHP Garrett Mock has won 4 straight starts, posting a 0.66 ERA (2 ER/27.0 IP) in those outings…since being optioned to Syracuse on May 21, Mock has gone 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA (8 ER/39.1 IP) in 7 starts…in 12 IL appearances (7 games) this season, he is 4-1 with 2 saves and a 3.14 ERA…Mock has fanned 43 and walked just 13 in 43.0 innings overall…he is scheduled to make his next start on Thursday vs. Rochester (Twins)
• JUST DOMINANT: RHP J.D. Martin allowed 2 runs (one earned) in 8.0 innings, but received a no-decision on Saturday vs. Lehigh Valley (Phillies)…Martin is 8-2 with a 2.14 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) overall…he has allowed 2 runs or less in 11 of those 14 starting assignments…Martin has issued just 9 walks in 84.0 innings of work, an average of 0.96 walks per 9.0 innings…he leads the league with an 6.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio (61 SO/9 BB), and ranks among the International League leaders in WHIP (2nd, 0.92), wins (t-2nd) and ERA (2nd)…Martin signed with Washington as a minor-league free agent, November 24, 2008.
• CURIOUS JORGE: OF Jorge Padilla, a 2009 IL All-Star selection, leads full-season minor leaguers with a .365 batting average…Padilla has hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games, going 30-for-75 (.400) with 9 multi-hit games during the tear…his .432 on-base percentage leads the league and ranks 12th in all of minor league baseball…he has reached base safely via hit, walk or HBP 108 times in 72 games (1.5 times per contest).
• MORSE CODE: INF Mike Morse is batting at a .481 (13-for-27) in 7 games since being acquired from Seattle in exchange for OF Ryan Langerhans on June 28…he has hit safely in all 7 games, posting multi-hit efforts in 5 of those contests…in a combined 73 games with Tacoma of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League and Syracuse, Morse is hitting .328 with 17 doubles, 10 homers, 52 RBI and 42 runs scored.

Double-A Harrisburg Senators – Eastern League Southern Division, 35-48, 5th Place, 19.0 Games Back

•  EASY-E: RHP Erik Arnesen has gone 8-3 with a 3.03 ERA in a combined 17 games (16 starts) with Harrisburg and Single-A Potomac…he is tied with J.D. Martin (Syracuse) for the most wins among Washington minor leaguers, and ranks 2nd with 80 strikeouts, trailing only Potomac’s Terrence Engles (90)…Arnesen is 4-2 with a 3.47 ERA (23 ER/59.2 IP), 55 strikeouts and just 11 walks (5.0 SO/BB ratio) in 11 games (10 starts) since joining Harrisburg on May 11…the 25-year-old went 4-1 with a 2.23 ERA (8 ER/32.2 IP) in 6 starting assignments with the P-Nats.
• CAPTAIN JACK SPRADLIN: In 17 appearances beginning May 23, LHP Jack Spradlin, has allowed just 3 earned runs in 27.1 innings pitched (0.98 ERA)…overall, the southpaw is 4-1 with 3 saves and a 2.31 ERA in 28 appearances…Spradlin, 24, was selected in the 8th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Southern California.

Single-A Potomac Nationals – Carolina League Northern Division, First Half: 37-30, 2nd Place, 3.0 Games Back; Second Half: 8-4, First Place,2.5 Games Ahead

• MAKE ROOM ON THE MANTLE…: RHP Brad Meyers was named Single-A Carolina League Pitcher of the Week by MILB.com for the period of June 29-July 5…it marks the second time this season Meyers has won the weekly award in the CL (previously May 4-10)…he went 2-0, tossing 13.0 scoreless innings in his 2 starts to garner the selection…on Tuesday, the 23-year-old was rewarded with a promotion to Double-A Harrisburg…he joins Harrisburg having fired 21.0 consecutive scoreless innings over his last 3 starts…Meyers’ 1.43 ERA led the Carolina League and ranks 2nd among full-season pitchers in all of minor league baseball…for the season, he is 6-2 with a 1.04 WHIP in 15 appearances (14 starts)…Meyers was selected in the 5th round of the ’07 Draft out of Loyola Marymount University (CA).
• DON’T DISS CHRIS: 1B Chris Marrero is 24-for-78 (.307) with 5 home runs, 15 RBI, 11 walks and 12 runs scored in his last 21 games…Marrero has reached base via hit, walk or HBP in 63 of 76 games this season…the 20-year-old ranks among the league leaders in hits (t-2nd, 81), RBI (t-5th, 48) and home runs (6th, 11)…Marrero entered the season rated by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect -the top hitter- in Washington’s system…he was the Nationals’ top selection (15th overall) in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.
• RIGHT ENGLES: In a combined 15 games (14 starts) with Single-A Hagerstown and Potomac, RHP Terrence Engles has fanned an organization-best 90 in 79.2 innings, an average of 10.2 strikeouts per 9.0 innings…he is 5-5 with a 3.62 ERA in those 15 games…Engles, 23, is scheduled to toe the rubber tomorrow vs. Myrtle Beach (Braves).

Single-A Hagerstown Suns – South Atlantic League Northern Division, First Half: 31-36, T-6th Place, 10.5 Games Back; Second Half: 3-10, 8th Place, 5.5 Games Back

• EVEN STEPHEN: 2B Stephen Lombardozzi leads the South Atlantic League with 55 runs scored, and ranks 4th in hits with 87…in 77 games overall, the 20-year-old is hitting .293 with 14 doubles, 4 triples, 3 homers and 33 RBI…Lombardozzi was a 19th-round pick in the 2008 Draft.
• START ME UP: RHP Marcos Frias, a 2009 SAL All-Star selection, is 4-2 with a 2.85 ERA (18 ER/56.2 IP) in 11 starts beginning May 2…overall, he has fanned 67 against just 17 walks (4.0 SO/BB ratio) in 14 games (13 starts)…Frias, 20, signed with Washington as a minor league free agent, March 5, 2007.

Short-Season Single-A Vermont Lake Monsters – New York-Penn League Stedler Division, 8-9, 2nd Place, 3.0 Games Back

• YOU DON’T KNOW JACK: LHP Jack McGeary tossed 6.0 shutout innings of one-hit ball to earn the win, July 4 vs. Hudson Valley (Rays)…in 3 starts with the Lake Monsters, he has allowed one run in 16.1 innings pitched (0.55 ERA)…opposing batters are hitting just .142 (8-for-56) against him…McGeary, was selected by the Nationals in the 6th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft…he entered the season rated as the No. 5 prospect in the Washington chain according to Baseball America.
• CLEGGS AND EGGS: LHP Mitchell Clegg is 1-1 with a 1.29 ERA in 4 games (2 starts) to begin his pro career…he has walked one and struck out 8…Clegg was selected by Washington in the 21st round of 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of UMass.
• FRANCSICO TREAT: INF Francisco Soriano is batting .345 with 2 doubles, 8 RBI, 6 walks and 3 steals while posting a .457 on-base percentage in his first 11 games this season…Soriano, a switch-hitter, signed with the Nationals as an international free agent, July 5, 2007.

Gulf Coast League Nationals – Gulf Coast League East Division, 6-6, 3rd Place, 2.0 Games Back

• POWER UNDER THE HOOD: OF Destin Hood, Washington’s 2nd-round selection in the 2008 Draft, is hitting .310 with 4 doubles, 2 home runs and 13 RBI in 12 games overall…he ranks among the league leaders with 13 RBI (2nd), 23 total bases (t-4th) and 13 hits (t-8th).
• WALK THIS WAY: C Adrian Nieto’s 10 walks pace the GCL, while his .488 on-base percentage is 2nd best…Nieto, 19, was selected by Washington in the 5th round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.