Washington Nationals News

Will money influence Nats' decision for SS?
Comment
March 15
Foxsports.com
 
"On Sunday morning, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore, "Money has nothing to do with who's going to play." But later that day, Rizzo balked when I asked him about the possibility of releasing Cristian Guzman if Ian Desmond won the shortstop job. Guzman is guaranteed $8 million this season. "He's still a long way from that type of discussion," Rizzo said. "He's a .300 hitter. He can still play short. He's not an old player by any means." Guzman, who turns 32 on Sunday, is not a .300 hitter — his career batting/on-base/slugging line is .271/.307/.386. He also is coming off arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder. Desmond, 24, batted .280-.318-.561 ..."
Strasburg's performance leaves Cardinal hitters impressed
Comment
March 15
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
 
"The sample size was admittedly very small. In his three innings or work against the Cardinals on Sunday, Stephen Strasburg threw 49 pitches. It was how he threw those 49 pitches, however, which impressed almost everyone wearing a St. Louis uniform. Strasburg, the number one pick in last year's amateur draft and the recipient of the largest signing bonus in the 45-year history of the draft, started for the Washington Nationals against the Cardinals in his second appearance of the spring. Cardinal players and manager Tony La Russa, who had heard and read all of the hype, were happy to have a first-hand opportunity to see if what they witnessed in person could match the advance billing. The ..."
Nationals' Strasburg impresses Cards
Comment
March 15
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Cardinals righthander Adam Wainwright led the National League in wins with 19 last year and, in some circles, was seen as the rightful winner of the Cy Young Award. But he almost was like a warmup act Sunday, what with Stephen Strasburg, the highly touted No. 1 selection in the 2009 amateur draft, pitching for the Washington Nationals. Wainwright worked four effective innings on yet another windy day, giving up a run-scoring triple to good friend Adam Kennedy of the Nationals in a two-run Washington third. Strasburg blanked the Cardinals on two hits over three innings, walking one before the rest of the Washington staff walked 10 more hitters, enabling the Cardinals, winning their fourth ..."
Strasburg pitches three scoreless innings in second spring start
Comment
March 15
Washington Post
 
"Stephen Strasburg's spring training debut last Tuesday had done little to quell the curiosity among those who wanted to see him pitch, even among men who have spent their lives inside the game. At 10 a.m. Sunday, Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan stood on the Space Coast Stadium field and shared the prevailing sentiment. "I'm anxious to see Strasburg," he said. With three more scoreless innings in Washington's 7-3 loss to St. Louis on Sunday, Strasburg validated his sterling debut and only ratcheted the anticipation for him to arrive at Nationals Park. Strasburg handled an unnerving crosswind in allowing the Cardinals two singles and a walk while striking out two. He did not dominate ..."
The Nationals are 0-10. Who cares?
Comment
March 15
Washington Post
 
"The Nationals' losing streak hit a nice, fat round number today with a 7-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. It included all the hallmarks of ugly baseball. They walked 11 -- E-L-E-V-E-N -- batters. Ron Villone had an inning ending, 1-2-3 double play in his hands, and he threw it under Jamie Burke's glove and to the backstop. All spring long, the Nationals have maintained they don't care about the results this spring. Even as their streak drags on, that has not changed. "I don't really know what the right word is," Riggleman said. "I know I don't feel good about. Any win would be better than what we are. But I still have to keep focused on, as this is a group right now trying to become a ..."
Strasburg, Chapman at top of wave of pitching talent
Comment
March 14
Baltimore Sun
 columnist Phil Rogers
"Davey Johnson dropped a Dwight Gooden on Stephen Strasburg. Scouting legend Art Stewart, who chiseled his first reports on stone tablets, upped the ante in describing Aroldis Chapman. Stewart called the lanky Cuban the "best young left-handed arm I've seen since Herb Score," and in doing so crossed a bridge that spans 55 years, to Score's rookie season with the Indians. A few phenoms have come and gone since then. So who's better: Chapman or Strasburg? That's the great baseball argument of the moment, one that turned white hot after the two newcomers combined for this pitching line in their spring debuts: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO. There's no right or wrong answer. The amazing thing ..."
Strasburg ready for round two
Comment
March 14
Washington Examiner
 
"The Nationals got their first glimpse of top prospect Stephen Strasburg last Tuesday and no one in the organization was surprised by what they saw. A blazing fastball that regularly hit 97 mph. Biting breaking balls. The raw stuff that makes up Strasburg's pitching repertoire was as advertised. As long as the weather holds in Florida this weekend -- no sure thing, apparently, after a few recent rainouts -- Washington will get another chance to see Strasburg pitch. This time it will likely be for more than the two innings he tossed against the visiting Detroit Tigers in Viera last week. The Nats are set to host the St. Louis Cardinals at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday with Strasburg on the mound. It ..."
McLaren is bench coach for Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman
Comment
March 14
Washington Post
 
"On June 19, 2008, John McLaren lost the only major league managerial position he ever held, a job he had spent nearly 30 years chasing. The Seattle Mariners fired McLaren less than one year after they hired him as their manager. They replaced him with his bench coach, the first name McLaren had thought of when he got the chance to hire one, the friend he talked to in his office after every game. The new manager of the Mariners would be Jim Riggleman. This season, McLaren and Riggleman will sit across a desk and speak after each game, same as they did they did for a half of a season two years ago in Seattle. They'll just be wearing Washington Nationals uniforms and sitting on different ..."
Capitals are eager for a challenge on visit to face Chicago Blackhawks
Comment
March 14
Washington Post
 
"The morning after a perplexing loss to Tampa Bay, the Washington Capitals participated in a vigorous workout on Saturday 24 hours before a week-long trip commences in Chicago in what may be a preview of the Stanley Cup finals. Capitals players know they will have to show considerably more concentration and vitality than in Friday night's 3-2 loss to the Lightning if they are to log a rare road win at United Center. Chicago has lost just seven times at home, tied for the third fewest in the league, and is tied with Washington for most home victories (26). The Blackhawks also are in the mix for the Presidents' Trophy, awarded to the team with the most points at the end of the regular ..."
Washington Nationals are better, but they're at a loss to prove it
Comment
March 13
Washington Post
 columnist Thomas Boswell
"Brian Bruney sat by his Nats locker and gave what could be a slogan for his whole team. "For years, I was okay with just being okay," said the reliever. "Now I'm not okay with it anymore." That's how the Nats' culture-of-losing franchise and its long-abused fans felt when this spring training opened. Enough is enough. And they thought the last 12 months had started to prove it. Purge the front office. Fire the whole bullpen. Can the manager. Give grouchy vets pink slips. Sign five recognizable free agents. Add every scout in sight. Showcase high-draft-pick pitchers. Even raise the budget, some. But it's not quite working out just yet. The Nats are, at the moment, the only team in baseball ..."
The Nationals' draft plot thickens
Comment
March 13
Washington Post
 
"For a while now, I've harbored a deep suspicion the Nationals would ultimately use their No. 1 overall draft pick this June on someone other than 17-year-old catcher Bryce Harper. It was an educated hunch, based on a few facts: 1. Multiple scouts have told me he had not separated himself from the rest of the elite class of No. 1 contenders, the way Stephen Strasburg did a year ago. 2. Some scouts have said they don't project Harper as a catcher, long-term. 3. Harper is being advised by Scott Boras, and has more negotiating leverage than Strasburg did a year ago, since Harper has the option of going back into the draft up to three more times if he doesn't reach a deal with the team that ..."
Stephen Strasburg's magic number: 158 innings pitched
Comment
March 13
Washington Post
 
"The question of where Stephen Strasburg will pitch this season has of course been a dominant storyline this spring training, and it seems the most likely outcome will be 15 starts in the minors, a mid-June call-up, and then he's in the majors to stay. But what about how much Strasburg will pitch? Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman discussed the Nationals' policy of trying to protect young pitchers by using a system to limit innings. Their pitches will not exceed 120 percent of the number of innings they threw the previous year, whether that was in college, the majors, or the minors. Last year Strasburg pitched 109 innings at San Diego State and 19 innings in the Arizona Fall League, a total ..."
Stephen Strasburg in Washington -- in April?
Comment
March 13
Washington Post
 
"After the Nationals refigured their pitching schedule to cope with the rain, Stephen Strasburg will still start Sunday against the Cardinals. That keeps him on a potentially interesting pace, one that could have him making a start in Washington even if he begins the year in the minor leagues. Sheinin pointed out to me today that if you extrapolate Strasburg's schedule so he pitches every fifth day, he would need to pitch April 3 - the day the Nationals host the Red Sox at Nationals Park in an end-of-spring exhibition. Pitching him that game would draw an outstanding gate - a weekend day game and Strasburg pitching in his major league city for the first time against a marquee opponent. It ..."
Ex-Cardinal Duncan gets fresh start with Washington
Comment
March 11
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"While several members of the Cardinals' were irked, even angered, by the turbulent end last season to Chris Duncan's time with the club, the outfielder's view was more pragmatic, even understanding. It had nothing to do with how he felt or how others felt about him. It was all about how he played. "Bottom line, I wasn't playing well and we were competing for a pennant," Duncan said before the Cardinals' exhibition game Wednesday against Washington, his new team. It was his first game ever against the Cards and his father, pitching coach Dave Duncan. "Every opportunity that I got and I didn't play well was costing the team games." He was traded to Boston for Julio Lugo, then released. He ..."
Ex-Cardinal Duncan gets fresh start with Washington
Comment
March 11
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"While several members of the Cardinals' were irked, even angered, by the turbulent end last season to Chris Duncan's time with the club, the outfielder's view was more pragmatic, even understanding. It had nothing to do with how he felt or how others felt about him. It was all about how he played. "Bottom line, I wasn't playing well and we were competing for a pennant," Duncan said before the Cardinals' exhibition game Wednesday against Washington, his new team. It was his first game ever against the Cards and his father, pitching coach Dave Duncan. "Every opportunity that I got and I didn't play well was costing the team games." He was traded to Boston for Julio Lugo, then released. He ..."
Strasburg dazzles in debut
Comment
March 10
Washington Post
 
"The crowd had swelled to about 200 in the right field corner of Space Coast Stadium, the location of the Washington Nationals' bullpen. Shortly after the public address announcer introduced the starting pitcher stretching in center field -- "none other than No. 37, Stephen Strasburg!" -- the mob grew by one: none other than perhaps the greatest catcher of his generation. "Yo, Pudge!" one of the fans leaning on a railing yelled. Wearing a navy sweat suit, Iván Rodríguez had snuck into the bullpen to watch Strasburg warm up, reduced to the same status as everyone else here -- a spectator with a ravenous curiosity for what Strasburg would do in his spring training debut, his first start ..."
The wait is just about over to watch Stephen Strasburg
Comment
March 9
Washington Post
 
"Tuesday morning, presuming he has not changed his routine since college, Stephen Strasburg will arrive in the home clubhouse at Space Coast Stadium and act like any other pitcher. "I don't know of any superstitions he has," said Erik Castro, Strasburg's catcher at San Diego State. "He doesn't do anything out of the ordinary. Pretty much, he does anything a normal pitcher would do." And then he'll climb the mound and any normalcy about him will cease. Aside from the hordes who crowded around his early bullpen sessions, Strasburg has blended into Nationals spring training, a quiet rookie who rarely speaks if not tacitly invited into a conversation by a veteran. "All ears," Manager Jim ..."
Nationals pitcher Scott Olsen working on return to form
Comment
March 8
Washington Post
 
"Even before the Washington Nationals traded for him, Scott Olsen loved to visit the city. "I've seen every museum," he said; the National Museum of American History is his favorite. In school, he always preferred history to science or math. You don't have to solve problems in history, Olsen reasoned. You just have to learn and remember. This spring, Olsen is trying to recapture a different kind of history: his own. Watching old video with coaches, Olsen last week discovered a change in his delivery that altered the way he pitches and likely led to his arm trouble. Immediately, he started working to reclaim the mechanics that made him a promising young pitcher for the Florida Marlins and to ..."
Mets hammer Nats pitching
Comment
March 7
Florida Today
 
"Coming into Saturday's spring training home opener against the New York Mets, the Washington Nationals pitching staff had been generous, allowing 36 runs, 47 hits and seven home runs in three games. Things didn't get any better Saturday, in fact, they got worse. The Mets teed off on Nationals pitchers for 14 runs, 20 hits and three home runs in a 14-6 victory that ran the Nationals spring record to 0-4 and its pitching line to 50 runs, 67 hits and 10 home runs allowed. Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman blamed the pitching woes on one factor: "Everybody just came out . . . just not really throwing enough strikes, behind hitters, and getting balls in the air . . . these first several days when ..."
Pudge brings leadership to Nats
Comment
March 7
Florida Today
 columnist Peter Kerasotis
"There are two distinct images I have from the 2003 World Series, the one that the Florida Marlins won against the New York Yankees. Both involve Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. Both will mean something special for the Washington Nationals, who played their spring training home opener Saturday and hope to escape the NL East cellar and the 205 combined losses (worst in baseball) over the past two seasons. Rodriguez, 38, might not be a leader on this Nationals team. He'll likely be the leader. Certainly, he'll be more than just the catcher for a young Nats' pitching staff. And that's where those two distinct images from the 2003 World Series come in. The first image I have occurred before Game 2, in ..."
Nationals pitchers continue to struggle in spring training
Comment
March 7
Washington Post
 
"The pitching staff of the Washington Nationals entered Saturday with a collective 12.75 ERA, and before day's end it went up. In a 14-6 loss to a New York Mets team comprised predominately of spring training fodder, the Nationals submitted their third consecutive day of atrocious pitching. In their first four spring training games, the Nationals have allowed 50 runs, 67 hits, 18 walks, and 10 home runs. With few exceptions, "we haven't a lot of good innings, never mind games," Manager Jim Riggleman said. The ERA now stands at 12.82. With likely opening day starter John Lannan, projected setup man Sean Burnett, and likely bullpen member Tyler Walker pitching, the Nationals still couldn't ..."
Washington Nationals put John Lannan, Jason Marquis at top of starting rotation
Comment
March 7
Washington Post
 
"John Lannan's spring training debut came Saturday, and Jason Marquis will follow him Sunday. The Washington Nationals planned for them to pitch those precise days because of what they have known since the dead of winter: Lannan and Marquis, in some order, will top their rotation. Just knowing that, for the Nationals, is something new and different. The Nationals are leaning toward naming John Lannan their opening day starter, but the decision has not been finalized, Manager Jim Riggleman said. The Nationals have aligned their rotation to let Lannan pitch April 5 versus the Philadelphia Phillies, but they could also give the ball to Marquis. "The likelihood is that Lannan will pitch," ..."
Jesus Flores's shoulder and Jason Marquis's bat
Comment
March 7
Washington Post
 
"First, a quick update on catcher Jesus Flores, who is recovering from surgery on the labrum in his right shoulder: He still has not swung a bat this spring and he has still not set any kind of timetable for his return. "It's going to be a while," he said. His best milestone so far has been throwing 120 feet. Pessimism remains the general theme for Flores, still an amiable presence. When the Nationals signed Jason Marquis in order to place him atop their rotation, they also added a potential bench player. Manager Jim Riggleman said today Marquis, an outstanding athlete, may be used as a pinch hitter and a pinch runner this season. In his career as a pinch hitter, Marquis is 6 for 26 with a ..."
Ian Desmond hits grand slam, has six RBI in Nationals' loss to Braves
Comment
March 6
Washington Post
 
"After the Washington Nationals surrendered another bushel of runs Friday in an 11-8 loss to the Atlanta Braves, they could take solace in Ian Desmond, whom Manager Jim Riggleman called, "the best player on the field today, really." Desmond mashed a grand slam, the first Nationals home run this spring, and added a two-run single to finish with six RBI. In the field, he made two diving stops and threw out a runner at home as the starting shortstop, then moved to right field and handled a few routine plays. For a player fighting for a roster spot, it could hardly have been a better audition. "I'm just doing the best I can," Desmond said. "If they want to take me, then they take me. If not, ..."
Zimmerman takes a larger leadership role for the Nationals
Comment
March 6
Washington Post
 
"One day this spring training, Ryan Zimmerman wanted to speak with Jim Riggleman about the routine the manager performs after each game. Upon his hiring last year, Riggleman walked from locker to locker with, depending on circumstance, instruction, encouragement or excoriation. Zimmerman thought both he and the Nationals had evolved. "We can't expect you to always do that," Riggleman recalled Zimmerman telling him. "We got to take on that role a little bit." More than ever, the Washington Nationals follow Zimmerman for his ability and his example. He is their best player and their hardest worker, and no one has appeared in more games as a National. He is also overshadowed this spring ..."
For Drew Storen, the Washington Nationals' future closer, the future can't get here quick enough
Comment
March 5
Washington Post
 
"Drew Storen wants to do everything fast. For example, he hates shopping online. "If I want something," he said, "I want it to come now." On long drives to youth baseball games, Storen sat in the back seat and sketched fast cars. When he takes off and puts on his sneakers, he leaves them tied. Storen signed his first contract with the Washington Nationals the day after they drafted him. He flew to Washington for a news conference, and afterward a team official asked him when he wanted to start playing. Storen replied, "How about Friday?" It was a Wednesday. "I'm not," he said, "a patient person." Storen is the Nationals' closer of the future, and for him the future is always too far away. ..."
Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann recovering from Tommy John surgery
Comment
March 4
Washington Post
 
"For most of Wednesday morning, Jordan Zimmermann blended in with all the other Washington Nationals pitchers. He jogged in a pack from field to field, everyone wearing red hooded sweatshirts against the chill. He mimicked throwing pitches and fielding comebackers. He honed his bunting form. His cheeks puffed while he ran sprints. But at the start of the workout, while a group of pitchers gathered and listened to a lesson about controlling base runners, Zimmermann stripped down to his blue uniform and stood by himself in shallow center field on Field 3. Zimmermann played catch for roughly 15 minutes with one trainer while another watched, a typical act of spring that represented one more ..."
Washington Nationals' Adam Dunn focuses on playing the field
Comment
March 3
Washington Post
 
"Adam Dunn can't really explain his aversion to becoming a designated hitter. He thought about it for a moment Tuesday, shrugged, and said, "I don't know." Stubbornness plays a part. He thinks playing in the field is fun, and he is not going to play in the American League no matter how often he hears he should. Basically, Dunn knows what he wants and what he doesn't want, and that more than anything accounts for Dunn's dual aspirations this spring training: mastering first base and signing a contract extension with the Washington Nationals. His future for the moment remains uncertain, but not his present. This season, Dunn will focus on first base full-time for the first time in his career, ..."
Stephen Strasburg's starting point seems to be in the minors
Comment
March 2
Washington Post
 
"There is little doubt Stephen Strasburg will begin this year as a minor leaguer, and yet his launching point -- like his bullpen sessions and everything else he does -- remains a dominant topic of discussion. This morning, manager Jim Riggleman explained that the Nationals will base their decision not on his spring performance, but on how best to promote his development. In doing so, he seemed to suggest Strasburg will begin the year in the minors. "It's going to come down to more of a philosophical decision more so than a performance decision," Riggleman said. "We anticipate he's going to throw good. It's going to come down to, what do we think is best for Stephen Strasburg as an ..."
Rafael Martin is the most improbable story of Washington Nationals spring training
Comment
March 1
Washington Post
 
"After he finished high school, Rafael Martin took a job at a local contractor not far from Riverside, Calif., where he lived with his parents. He spent weekdays pouring concrete and laying pipe and at night he played beer league softball. On Sundays he pitched in a men's baseball league. That was his life for four years, and life wasn't bad. On Sunday morning, Martin pulled on a crisp, white Washington Nationals jersey and took his turn posing on the infield of Space Coast Stadium so a photographer could turn him into a baseball card. He waited until noon before heading out to practice the pitches that the team's highest-ranking evaluators believe will soon make him a major league pitcher, ..."
Pitching rotation unclear
Comment
February 28
Florida Today
 
"Don't expect any early decisions when it comes to the Washington Nationals' starting pitching rotation. "After (Jason) Marquis and (John) Lannan, after those two guys, it could fall a lot of different ways," Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman told reporters on Saturday. "We got guys like (Craig) Stammen and (Miguel) Batista who could pitch in the rotation or pitch out of the bullpen, Livan (Hernandez) has just been added, (Scott) Olsen's continuing coming back from his physical problems last year, that will help determine it. (Garrett) Mock, J.D. (Martin), there's just too many scenarios there to really clear itself out. "That could go all spring." But the time will come when roster moves ..."
Nationals closer Matt Capps begins new season following father's death
Comment
February 28
Washington Post
 
"First, the old man would have dispensed some tough love. That's how Mike Capps always was. "You brought this on yourself," he would have told his son. "Don't blame the Pirates." But after that, he would have shown the way. He would have picked through the many contract offers and helped Matt Capps see the right choice, the place where the young man could set about resuscitating his career in 2010 -- after the Pittsburgh Pirates, the only franchise he had ever known, trash-heaped him in December. Mike Capps -- Matt's first baseball coach, his life adviser and his father -- would have steered him to the place that made him feel wanted again, where he could take possession of the ninth ..."
Jesus Flores's injured right shoulder will not let him play in the initial Nationals spring training games
Comment
February 28
Washington Post
 
"This morning, Jim Riggleman said Jesus Flores's injured right shoulder will not let him play in the initial Nationals spring training games, which is not surprising considering he most often flips the ball to a coach after the ball hits his mitt. It has been speculated that Flores will not be healthy enough to play even by Opening Day, and Flores himself admitted as much today. "I don't see any opportunity to start Opening Day," Flores said. "But I'm not thinking much about it. I'm taking it day-by-day. I'm doing what I can to feel positive." Flores, recovering from SLAP (superior labrum from anterior to posterior) repair surgery, is pleased with how his shoulder is coming along. His ..."
Stephen Strasburg's next step
Comment
February 28
Washington Post
 
"This morning, Craig Stammen jogged behind the batting cage at Field 1 at the Washington Nationals training complex, darting off to another field to perform his own duties. He looked out to the mound, saw which pitcher was warming up, and grinned. "I kind of want to just watch this," Stammen said. No matter what he is doing, Stephen Strasburg is the main attraction at Nationals spring training. Simple drills for others transform into milestones for him. Today, Strasburg threw to hitters for the first time, an occasion he said he treated "just like another bullpen session." For Strasburg, of course, there is not just another anything. He threw to four batters - Eric Bruntlett, Roger ..."
What to do with Ian Desmond?
Comment
February 28
Washington Post
 
"In regard to shortstop Ian Desmond, Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman can make one concrete guarantee. "He's going to play a lot of baseball one way or another," Riggleman said. "He's going to be playing every day at Triple A or he's going to be getting enough playing time with us. We're not going to slow down his development." The question the Nationals have about one month to figure out: What's the best outcome for both the team and for Desmond? The answer could be a number of options. The possibility regarded as most likely for the start of the regular season seems to be Desmond, 24, playing shortstop every day at Class AAA Syracuse. Riggleman said Desmond playing only shortstop is ..."
Scott Olsen: "I'll be ready" for Opening Day
Comment
February 27
Washington Post
 
"On Thursday, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman reiterated that lefthander Scott Olsen is assured a spot in the starting rotation if his shoulder is healthy. A day later, Olsen vowed to make the "if" segment of that statement unnecessary. "It's going to take hell and high water to keep me off that field on Opening Day," Olsen said. "If I can get my arm over my head, I'm going to be there." Olsen, 26, underwent surgery late last July to repair a small tear in his shoulder. He said he is "getting stronger by the day" and has experienced no setbacks since the surgery. Olsen feels certain he will be the team's third starter behind Jason Marquis and John Lannan when the season begins. "I'll be ..."
Nationals spring training features new ingredient: hope
Comment
February 27
Washington Post
 
"Before Friday, Mike Rizzo had never addressed a team -- his team -- as general manager on the first full day of spring training. At 8:30 in the morning, the 2010 Washington Nationals formed a rectangle at their lockers around Rizzo, who was joined by team President Stan Kasten and Manager Jim Riggleman, to hear how and why this year is going to be different. Rizzo's speech was the shortest -- "my two-minute rant," he said later. In those 120 succinct seconds, Rizzo delivered the basic imperatives of the Nationals' season. "We're putting 2009 behind us," he said. "Our expectation is to win." As they came together for their first full-squad workout, the Nationals formally started spring ..."
Washington Nationals' Dominican operation is making progress one year after scandal
Comment
February 26
Washington Post
 
"One year ago Thursday, suitcase packed with just enough shirts for a 72-hour trip, Mike Rizzo took a flight to Santo Domingo, the capital city of a country in which the Washington Nationals had spent big and messed up bigger. Rizzo, then the franchise's assistant general manager, faced a clean-up job that required far more than three days, and ultimately even more than a year. Fifteen miles west of Santo Domingo, in the hills of San Cristobal, the Nationals' long-established international baseball academy had transformed into ground zero for scandal and embarrassment. So Rizzo arrived in the Dominican Republic and headed to ground zero. When Rizzo reflects on that trip, he recognizes a ..."
Stammen could be a starter, reliever or both
Comment
February 26
Washington Post
 
"For now, Craig Stammen is fighting for one of at least two open spots in the Washington Nationals' pitching rotation. At least four or five other pitchers -- J.D. Martin, Matt Chico, Garrett Mock and Liván Hernández, to name a few -- are fighting for the same thing. But Stammen belongs in a different category than the others. His role is more fluid. His future is far less defined. Unlike other pitchers competing for a rotation spot, Stammen is also seen by the Nationals as a bullpen possibility -- a potential long reliever on a team that hasn't yet identified a perfect candidate for such a role. Stammen, 25, spent his rookie season (4-7, 5.11 ERA) exclusively as a starter, but the ..."
General Manager Mike Rizzo gives Nationals an offseason makeover
Comment
February 25
Washington Post
 columnist Thomas Boswell
"You feel General Manager Mike Rizzo's influence everywhere here. Invariably, his touch is measured, modest, mildly humorous and soaked in lifetime study of how a big league team should be built. But most of all, his emerging body of work is coherent and cohesive, the pieces interlocking. As he and President Stan Kasten work together, each move of this offseason has complemented or anticipated the next. There really has been a plan. And every failure, so far, has revealed that a backup plan was ready. Less than a year after replacing disgraced GM Jim Bowden, Rizzo may soon be the most valuable National. Somehow, Rizzo and Kasten are accomplishing this on a typical love-a-bargain Lerner ..."
Nats sign Livan Hernandez to minor league deal
Comment
February 25
Washington Post
 
"Addressing their persistent need for starting rotation depth, the Washington Nationals on Wednesday renewed one of their most enduring relationships, signing right-handed pitcher Livan Hernandez to a minor league deal. Hernandez, who turned 35 last week, will be in camp Friday, and becomes the clearest candidate for a spot at the back end of the rotation. Now entering their sixth season since relocation, the Nationals have seen Hernandez at almost every stage of his career -- first when he was an all-star caliber ace, later when he developed a reputation for ordinary numbers but extraordinary durability. Hernandez started the first regular season game in D.C., in 2005. He won 15 games that ..."
Nats' Rodriguez terms Strasburg 'amazing'
Comment
February 24
Washington Post
 columnist Thomas Boswell
"Before his bullpen session here on Tuesday, Stephen Strasburg glanced to see who'd be his catcher of the day. In his first work of spring training Sunday, it was minor leaguer Derek Norris. This time he saw Iván Rodríguez, 14 All-Star games, 13 Gold Gloves. "The first couple of pitches, I lost focus when I saw [whom] it was," said Strasburg, who hit Pudge in the toe with his first pitch. "It was unreal, throwing to a [future] Hall of Famer." For 10 minutes, the 21-year-old who has been called -- maybe prematurely but not necessarily incorrectly -- the best pitching prospect ever, pounded Pudge's mitt with four different pitches."
Nationals' Jesus Flores battles shoulder injury that continues to linger
Comment
February 23
Washington Post
 
"First the shoulder was bruised, and then it was fractured, and then later still it was completely and utterly busted. Then the shoulder was surgically repaired, and then rested, and then tested and strengthened. All of this happened during the previous 289 days, a span in which Jesús Flores, once the Washington Nationals catcher of the future, learned how one lousy body part can disrupt a career. Sometimes, these days, Flores wishes his shoulder belonged to somebody else, because none of his talents matter until he can throw again. Monday morning, the second day of formal workouts for Washington Nationals pitchers and catchers, Flores joined four other catchers in a bullpen practice area, ..."
Phillies' model gives Nationals hope for future
Comment
February 22
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"If Stephen Strasburg's right arm were the sole hope for the Washington Nationals, the franchise would have little chance to emerge from its deep malaise. As with government in the nation's capital, Washington baseball needs fundamental reform before true change can arrive. Mike Rizzo understands this, so the Nationals' new general manager views Strasburg as the centerpiece of his organization, but not the only answer. Before the 21-year-old with an already-legendary fastball and $15.1 million contract threw his first bullpen session of the spring yesterday, Rizzo emphasized organizational improvement. He has a model at the top of his own division. In the National League East, a ..."
Strasburg brings new buzz to Nats' spring
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February 22
Washington Post
 
"Commencing their first formal day of spring training, a morning of basic drills for pitchers and catchers, the Washington Nationals divided their players into workout groups, such that Group 2A included right-hander Joel Peralta, left-hander Matt Chico, right-hander Tyler Walker, left-hander Aaron Thompson, and lastly a right-hander known to at least a few of his teammates as Jesus. Why Jesus? " 'Cause what's the first thing you say when you see him pitch?" center fielder Nyjer Morgan said, excited just to answer his own question. "Jeee-sus!" Stephen Strasburg now knows how much unbounded fascination awaits even the activities he finds routine, so sometimes, he shakes his head at the ..."
Riggleman says that Strasburg will start season in minors
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February 22
Washington Post
 
"Sunday morning, in a span of eight minutes, Stephen Strasburg threw 37 pitches in a fenced-in practice area behind a labyrinth of ballfields. For Strasburg, the activity was no big deal. For the Washington Nationals, it represented a high-water mark for spring training excitement. I'll have more detail on the Strasburg bullpen session later in the day -- the fishwrap story, by rule, will be Strasburg-centric -- but here are the things to know for the moment: For all the raves Strasburg drew, Manager Jim Riggleman later said that the No. 1 pick will open the season in the minors, barring extraordinary circumstances. Asked whether Strasburg is competing for a rotation job, Riggleman said, "I ..."
Gotta love game of baseball
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February 21
Florida Today
 columnist Mark DeCotis
"Baseball's back and it should be savored for what it is: A game that demands perfection yet rewards with failure. As the Washington Nationals pitchers and catchers hold their first formal workout of the spring this morning in Viera, they will prepare for the 162-game grind that will test them and their teammates to their limits for precious little in return aside from the monetary compensation. Quick, name another group of practitioners -- the lunkheads on Wall Street aside -- who are paid so well to come up short. I'm waiting. Meanwhile, consider these numbers: Songs are written about teams such as the New York Yankees that won 103 regular-season games en route to their 27th World Series ..."
Nats' new faces bring some renewed hope
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February 21
Washington Examiner
 
"After back-to-back 100-loss seasons, the Nationals return to spring training with some new faces and renewed hope. Pitchers and catchers reported Friday morning, and Sunday is their first workout. Position players begin their season Wednesday. The first spring training games are a split-squad date March 4. The regular season begins at home April 5. Here's a look at some spring training storylines at each position group: Catchers Not much question here. Jesus Flores isn't ready yet after shoulder surgery in September. He has just begun a throwing program, and the Nats won't rush him. So free agent signing Ivan Rodriguez is the starter with Wil Nieves the likely backup. Does I-Rod, a future ..."
Washington Nationals pitchers Sean Burnett, Brian Bruney lose out in arbitration
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February 21
Washington Post
 
"Saturday, no longer consumed by all that grim business from earlier in the week, Washington Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo again called Brian Bruney and Sean Burnett two of his favorite guys on the team. "Both," Rizzo said, "are going to be huge not only in 2010 but beyond." Bruney, a righty, is 28. Burnett, a lefty, is 27. In previous months, Rizzo orchestrated trades to acquire both of them, the clearest possible sign that they are wanted. For the most part, despite all those mixed messages from the past week, Bruney and Burnett still believe this. The relationship between the Nationals and their two relief pitchers only grew complicated because of something both sides found ..."