Nationals Farm Authority

Congrats to Lombardozzi for his selection to the SAL “all star team” and to Norris for the recognition as oustanding prospect.

Is it a bad sign that Norris was named the DH of the team?

I would not give up on Norris as a catcher yet. The Nats haven’t. Keep in mind that Norris was drafted out of HS in 2007. So, he has completed what would essentially be his sophmore year in college. There is no doubt that his offense is miles ahead of his defense, but Norris has a good arm and has the tools to develop into at least an average defensive catcher.

Pilchard :Norris has a good arm and has the tools to develop into at least an average defensive catcher.

Agree on the arm, but disagree about his overall catching tools.

Norris just needs some time to develop behind the plate. It just does not happen overnight. He needs a couple of more years before anyone could say he will not be able to do it. His rapid development as a hitter is unreal, and I think people get “spoiled” and expect that of his defense. Patience!

Lineup for today’s playoff game: Perez, Eu CF Jimenez 2B Cuevas SS Newsome 1B Sanchez, Ad DH Tejeda 3B Nieto, Ad C Montilla, A RF Washiya LF Rosenbaum P

Just underway, Cuevas with 1b and SB but stranded.

Pachecho is 37 months older than Norris btw

GCL Nats 0, GCL Twins 0 after 5, Rosenbaum has given up 2 hits, no walks, K-ed 5.

top of order due up for the Nats, our man Eury to lead off.

btw the Twins have 2 Choi, Hy. Choi Hyeong-rok and Choi Hyun-wook.

Brian Oliver :

It doesn’t matter that Norris & Harper play the same position. If both end up developing (which is by no means a certainty) then you cross that bridge then. There are worse problems than having two major league ready catching prospects. You can trade one. Or convert one to a corener IF or OF … not a bad problem to have

It might be why they didn’t promote him. He would have to convert to a new position first? Given Flores injury they do need additional catching prospects. None appear to be showing that they are ready?

Bryce Harper will not be a catcher in the “bigs”. That is a surety. And its going to be 3-5 years from the end of NEXT SUMMER!? Before he even gets close? ~smiles~

I wouldn’t even worry about that guy.

Peric- how many times have you seen Harper play? If you can tell us what position 16 year olds will play in the big leagues then you are being sorely wasted as a poster on this site

Eury Perez thrown out at the plate to end the top 8th, still 0-0

This is all ridiculous. I think there’s a chance that the Nationals change Norris’ position in mid-season 2011 if he’s still not progressing, but most likely it will be 2012. He’s 20 years old. He throws out 40+% of opposing basestealers. You don’t move a guy like that off the plate because he’s having problems adjusting to blocking balls in the dirt.

He’s not going to be in the majors before September 2011, and he’s not going to compete for a full-time major league job until 2012, at the earliest. That’s plenty of time.

If you can switch Adam Dunn’s position in mid-season without killing your team, you don’t need to move a 20-year old catcher off the plate 3 years early.

Thank you Scott

For some reason, they took out Adrian Sanchez who was 2-for-3. Some seriously questionable decisions by the Nats.

Or to put it another way – if the Nationals were willing to let Lastings Milledge play the worst CF in the NL for the better part of a season just to see if he make the adjustments necessary to play there, I guarantee they’re not going to give up on Derek Norris because he’s struggling behind the plate in frickin’ low-A ball.

Wow, so they’re saying they would have had him at the plate

Well done boys! Goes to best of 3 now vs Yankees/Marlins winner starting tomorrow

pic of Perez on the front of milb.com also

Scott : You don’t move a guy like that off the plate because he’s having problems adjusting to blocking balls in the dirt.

I totally agree that they aren’t going to switch his positions. Give the kid some time to develop.

But just as an FYI, past balls and blocking balls in the dirt are totally different things. Balls in the dirt are generally classified as wild pitches, even if the catcher misplays the ball or a better catcher would have had it. (It is much like how first basemen rarely, if ever, get charged with an error for failing to make even the easiest scoop.) Past balls are, generally speaking, balls that the catcher just doesn’t catch or where it is obviously his fault.

Now, I can’t cite Norris’ past balls total off the top of my head, but failing to catch over 20 balls is horrendous. He has to get better at that. I believe that he will.

These days at the MLB level (and probably in the minors) the coaching staff calls most of the pitches especially with a young catcher.