Potomac Nationals catcher Derek Norris has one more day at instructional league before heading to the Land of the Sun and the Arizona Fall League. The first workout is scheduled for Thursday and the first game is October 12.
Norris says he is excited to be able to catch Brad Peacock, Adam Carr and Cole Kimball. Norris caught Kimball for one game and has never caught Carr. He says he can learn from calling games for other pitchers.
"I am really looking forward to working with a guy like...
Right fielder Michael Morse says he will spend the offseason working out with soon-to-be Hall of Famer and Nationals teammate catcher Ivan Rodriguez.
Morse is hoping his .290, 15-home run season will translate into an every day starter job for the Nationals in 2011 and feels learning from one of the best will help him make that final step.
"That will be kind of interesting. We are planning to workout with his trainer in Florida during the offseason," says Morse.
"It will definitely help...
A quick update on how some of the Nats' prospects are hitting in Viera after the first two weeks of instructional league competition.
Rick Schu, Nationals hitting coordinator, broke down a few of the guys on the roster. For our update on Bryce Harper, check this capsule from earlier this week.
OF Destin Hood, Hagerstown
"He is swinging the bat really well. We want him to execute situationally. We are looking for Destin to be more aggressive in hitters counts and use his lower half. He...
A quick update on the pitching prospects and how several of them are progressing after a couple of weeks at instructional league in Viera, Florida:
The team was in Vero Beach today to take on Team China.
First, an update on veteran Chien-Ming Wang - He threw a simulated game earlier this week and will throw a scheduled side session today.
If everything goes well, they will likely put him in a game soon. Wang has been recovering from major shoulder surgery which took place about 14...
Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa is preparing to finish up the season strong and then play winter ball for one month in Puerto Rico for Ponce.
Espinosa feels that playing winter ball will help refine his hitting skills and will give him more reps at second base after the major league season concludes.
"I am very excited," Espinosa said. "I am really looking forward to the opportunity. I think that it is going to be great for my hitting, especially. That is the main reason I am...
Left-hander Ross Detwiler takes to the hill in the series finale with the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday night at Nats Park, opposed by right-hander Joe Blanton.
Detwiler was thrilled to get that win last time out but says a lot of credit goes to the defense behind him.
"I went six innings and the team really picked me up," said Detwiler on the Nats defense.
"After they pinch hit for me there, I think they scored four or five runs and it ended up being the winning run....
Nationals' number one overall selection Bryce Harper connected on his first home run in an instructional league game against the Atlanta Braves today from Viera, Florida.
Nationals hitting coordinator Rick Schu said it was an opposite field shot and that Harper also added a double in the rain-shortened game that was called in the third inning.
Harper also smacked a triple on Friday and has fit in well in his first week at instructs, working with coach Tony Tarasco and others on defense in...
Left-handed pitcher Tom Milone has been named the franchise's 2010 Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Milone went 12-5 with a 2.85 ERA in 27 starts for Double-A Harrisburg.
Milone was very happy to be chosen for the honor by the Nationals because a lot of previous winners have gone on to pitch in the majors.
"Obviously, it is a great honor being named player of the year for the whole system. That right there is an honor," Milone said.
"There is long list of guys who have received...
Nationals number one pick Bryce Harper continues to get his work in after five games at the instructional league from Viera, Florida.
Nationals hitting coordinator Rick Schu reports Harper went 1-for-4 Monday with a base hit to right field, a strikeout, a flyout to right field that just missed, and a groundout to the first baseman.
Schu recounts Harper's work over the weekend, saying he is showing his talent and learning from each at bat.
"Harps has got it a little bit tougher than...
First baseman Tyler Moore has been named the Nationals Minor League Player of the Year.
Moore hit a franchise-record 31 homers with 111 RBI, 43 doubles, 78 runs and a .269 batting average in 129 games, guiding the Potomac Nationals to the Carolina League title. He led the League in doubles, home runs, RBI, extra-base hits (77), total bases (277) and slugging percentage (.552).
Moore says he is thrilled to be honored with the award.
"I feel blessed finishing strong like that, the way the...
One critical component of a winning baseball team is accountability in the clubhouse by the players themselves.
Veteran teams have leaders that lead by example. Small problems are solved before they become major fissures. The players in the clubhouse police themselves.
When one player is not doing something on the field he should be doing, a veteran goes to him and fixes the problem.
Sometimes when it comes from a teammate instead of a higher figure in the organization, like the...
Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman missed a couple of games with a rib strain, but before he went down with that injury, I had a chance to talk to the Nats' silver slugger about the season and what lies ahead for the Nationals in 2011.
He explained why he has been so consistent at the plate and continues to make the case for resigning slugger Adam Dunn.
Zimmerman says hitting .300 is certainly a goal each year, but feels being consistent at the plate is the key every year to reaching that...
Right-hander A.J. Cole makes his Nationals instructional league debut Friday and will throw one inning against Houston at the Astros complex in Florida.
It seems like just yesterday that Cole had to make a big decision: whether to start playing pro ball now or go to college.
The Nats presented a big contract. The University of Miami offered him a full ride baseball scholarship.
Cole says it was a pretty easy decision.
"It all came down to that I really wanted to just play baseball for a...
Bryce Harper went 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts as the Braves beat the Nationals 5-3 in the first game of instructional league from Viera, Florida.
It was the first live pitching the team had seen in 20 days and the Nationals did have the winning run at the plate in the late going.
The Nationals are at Houston tomorrow in Game 2 of the instructional league schedule. A.J. Cole will pitch one inning in that game. The Nats are throwing nine pitchers in each game, one for each inning.
Nationals prospects are busy from the early morning hours this week as they get ready to take on the Atlanta Braves in game one of the instructional league schedule on Thursday.
Nationals hitting instructor Rick Schu says they are in the batting cage at 7:00 a.m. every morning. They then get on the field to work on defensive drills. The guys have workouts with individual coaches based on pre-camp evaluations of each players' specific areas of need.
"These players are special guys. These...
Destin Hood, 20, is capping off a great season in Hagerstown by playing for the Nationals instructional league team in Viera, which begins play Thursday against the Braves.
The 6'1", 225-pound outfielder from Mobile, Alabama played in 129 games for the Suns, batting .285 with 30 doubles, three triples, five homers and 65 RBI, totalling 140 hits and 56 runs.
Hood struggled a little bit last season (batting .246 in 38 games with Vermont) so the Nats asked him to work hard to get into baseball...
Nationals left-hander John Lannan (8-7, 4.61) is looking for his ninth win of the season as he takes to the mound tonight against the Houston Astros.
If he can secure the victory tonight at Nats Park, it will mark the third consecutive campaign in which he has won nine games in a season for Washington.
Lannan has experienced an incredible surge the last half of the season after struggling out of the blocks.
Since August 6, Lannan has won six of eight starts and has struck out 19 batters...
The Nationals instructional league team has completed their first weekend of work in Viera, Florida, with game one set for Thursday against the Atlanta Braves.
Bryce Harper had a good opening three days, getting started in the pros with his new teammates and coaches.
Nationals hitting instructor Rick Schu says the team's number one pick should have no trouble switching from his familiar catching spot to the outfield.
"He can catch. He can play infield, he can play outfield," Schu said....
The Nationals look to salvage game three of their series with the Phillies Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. They will have to do it with a pitcher who has yet to win a major league game and who faces a veteran hurler that has not lost a game since July 21.
Right-hander Yunesky Maya has had a tough early inning to get through in his first two starts and then has been able to settle down. Last time out in Atlanta, he allowed four runs in the second inning, including two balk calls, but...
Potomac defeats Winston-Salem 2-1 to win Carolina League championship series 3-1 from Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge.
Bill Rhinehart and Tyler Moore with RBIs and Marcos Frias didn't allow an earned run as the P-Nats stunned the Dash, a team that had won 12 out of 20 meetings between the clubs during the regular season.
Frias went five innings, allowing just four hits and one run with no walks and four punch outs. Joe Testa pitched two and two-thirds innings not allowing a base hit for...