Nats' top prospects - No. 2: Derek Norris

Nats' top prospects - No. 2: Derek Norris
What a season it was for catcher Derek Norris. After fighting through a hand injury and getting hit in the head with a pitched ball, Norris rebounded with championships in the Carolina League and the Arizona Fall League. Baseball America ranks Derek Norris as the No.2 overall prospect in the Nationals organization. Aaron Fitt of Baseball America says Norris has the potential to be as good offensively as what the Nats have at the major league level. "(Norris) has got more offensive upside...

Riggleman: "Subtle" move will pay dividends for years to come

Riggleman: "Subtle" move will pay dividends for years to come
Manager Jim Riggleman is excited about how the 2011 Nationals shape up with a new right fielder - and now a new first baseman in Adam LaRoche. "I think the acquisitions that Mike Rizzo has made and that the Lerners were supportive of throughout this off season have been outstanding," Riggleman said. "They are going to pay dividends in (2011) and the future." Riggleman points to the Jayson Werth signing and Josh Willingham trade as the first two big alterations that really could adjust...

Arizona writer: LaRoche "so natural and so smooth" at first base

Arizona writer: LaRoche "so natural and so smooth" at first base
Nick Piecoro covers the Diamondbacks for the Arizona Republic and saw first-hand last season what kind of player Adam LaRoche is and how he set the bar very high at first base for his team. Piecoro witnessed a transition in Arizona at first base that the Nationals are embarking on today. He says Nats fans will see a big difference defensively between Adam Dunn and LaRoche. "At one point, Adam Dunn was here in Arizona, then Conor Jackson and Chad Tracy were converted first basemen,"...

Nats' top prospects - No. 3: Danny Espinosa

Nats' top prospects - No. 3: Danny Espinosa
Making a big splash for the Nationals in September 2010 was shortstop/second baseman Danny Espinosa. The Long Beach State product smacked three homers and had 10 RBIs in his first five games, including a dramatic grand slam, getting the home crowd pumped for the future of an Ian Desmond/Espinosa double-play combination in the middle of the Nationals' infield. Espinosa followed up his September debut with an impressive run in Puerto Rico during the winter, hitting .281 with six doubles, two...

Nats' top prospects - No. 4: A.J. Cole

Nats' top prospects - No. 4: A.J. Cole
One of the other big signings coming out of the 2010 draft is Oviedo, Fla., right-handed pitcher A.J. Cole. The Nationals gave the 18-year-old (he turns 19 Wednesday) a $2 million signing bonus, reportedly the highest ever given a fourth-round selection. The 6-foot-5 Cole pitched one inning for Single-A Vermont last summer, and then spent a great deal of time honing his skills at fall instructional league in Viera, Fla. Aaron Fitt of Baseball America ranked Cole as the No. 4 overall prospect...

Nats' top prospects - No. 5: Wilson Ramos

Nats' top prospects - No. 5: Wilson Ramos
Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos did quite well for himself after being acquired from the Minnesota Twins organization last season in the Matt Capps trade. Ramos batted .278 in 22 games with 79 at-bats, seven doubles, one homer and five RBI. Even with such a short amount of time in D.C. with his new team, Baseball America rates Ramos as the No. 5 prospect in the Nats system. Aaron Fitt of Baseball America says Ramos' play is impressive because of the way he protects his pitcher. "Ramos...

Nats' top prospects - No. 6: Sammy Solis

Nats' top prospects - No. 6: Sammy Solis
Not a bad summer at all for left-handed pitcher Sammy Solis. He gets drafted by the Nats in June, signs a deal over slot, pitches well in Hagerstown with two starts and then with Scottsdale, minutes from his home, wins the championship game of Arizona Fall League. Not bad, not bad at all. Solis was 1-0 with a 3.80 ERA with the Scorpions, starting five games, striking out 12 batters and allowing only 10 earned runs. And now Solis is ranked No. 6 on the Nationals' Top 10 prospect list...

Nats' top prospects - No. 7: Cole Kimball

Nats' top prospects - No. 7: Cole Kimball
Coming in at No. 7 on Baseball America's Top 10 Nationals prospects is right-hander Cole Kimball, who made a meteoric rise up the rankings with a very successful 2010 in several challenging leagues. The 25-year old Kimball was ranked fourth among minor league hurlers in the Nats organization in 2009, after posting 122 strikeouts for Single-A Hagerstown in 2008. The 2006 12th-round selection was so good this year, he was rewarded with a place on the 40-man roster last month. Aaron Fitt of...

Nats' top prospects - No. 8: Eury Perez

Nats' top prospects - No. 8: Eury Perez
Greetings from Alabama where it snowed here in Birmingham for the first time ever! (That is the rumor.) I am here with George Washington basketball as they take on Alabama-Birmingham tonight. As we did in Oregon last week, how about all the major league ball players from Alabama? Okay, so that would take awhile. The list is much longer than in Oregon, headed by all-time players like Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige, Ozzie Smith, Bo Jackson, George Foster and Willie Mays plus former Nats outfielder...

Nats' top prospects - No. 9: Chris Marrero

Nats' top prospects - No. 9: Chris Marrero
Nationals prospect first baseman Chris Marrero had another solid year at Double-A Harrisburg and followed that up with a superb campaign in the Puerto Rican winter league. Last month, the Nats placed Marrero in the 40-man roster. Marrero was impressive, to say the least, with the Senators, batting .294 in 141 games, smacking 18 homers with 82 RBIs. That included 154 hits, 28 doubles and 73 runs scored. Showing it was no fluke, he continued to hit well for Ponce, batting .306 in 26 games with...

Nats' top prospects - No. 10: Brad Peacock

Nats' top prospects - No. 10: Brad Peacock
In case you missed Ben Goessling's outstanding update on Baseball America's list of Top 10 prospects in Nationals organization, here it is again. I spoke with Aaron Fitt of Baseball America who works to put together the prospect list each season and asked him to run down the Nats top prospects. We begin at number 10, right-handed pitcher Brad Peacock. Peacock's numbers were pretty impressive in 2010, as he was promoted from Single-A to Double-A. He finished 6-11 with a 4.50 ERA overall in...

How is Philadelphia reacting to loss of Werth?

How is Philadelphia reacting to loss of Werth?
So how is Philadelphia reacting to the loss of Jayson Werth? Former Phillies standout John Kruk was on ESPN talking about the team's signing of Cliff Lee. He told the story of when he woke up his son with the news, "Guess who the Phillies signed?" His son answered, "Did they get Jayson Werth back?!" It gives you an idea of the impact of Werth had on the Phillies and their fans. Matt Gelb covers the Phillies for the Philadelphia Inquirer. I asked Gelb to go back to the first time...

Knorr on Norris: Potential future All-Star catcher

Knorr on Norris: Potential future All-Star catcher
Catcher Derek Norris made quick leaps at the end of the 2010 season with a championship at Potomac, expert education at instructional league, followed by another title in the Arizona Fall League. Along the way, newly appointed Syracuse manager Randy Knorr kept tabs on the talented backstop and liked what he saw. Knorr says Norris is closer to making that next step but still has work to do in the minor leagues. "I don't see him as a big league catcher yet," Knorr said. "I think there is...

Will Werth play in D.C. into his 40s?

Will Werth play in D.C. into his 40s?
Greetings from the spectacular Pacific Northwest, I am writing to you from Corvallis, Ore., on the campus of Oregon State University. I am here with George Washington basketball for a game tonight. (By the way, who are the most famous major league baseball players from Oregon? My picks are Harold Reynolds, Dale Murphy, Aaron Rowand, Wally Backman and Larry Andersen. Do you have a few?) But I am always thinking Nationals baseball and have contemplated the long-term impact Jayson Werth in...

Willingham on new opportunity: "I'm excited"

Willingham on new opportunity: "I'm excited"
The Nationals took another step with the trade of popular outfielder Josh Willingham to the Oakland Athletics for right-hander Henry Rodriguez and outfielder Corey Brown. Willingham confirmed the trade and is excited about his new opportunity but also is appreciative of his time with the Nationals. As for his new team, Willingham says the Athletics are going in the right direction and have talent in the outfield. "Oakland has got a .500 baseball club and already has some good outfielders...

Lerner impressed first meeting Werth

Lerner impressed first meeting Werth
Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner knew from his first meeting with outfielder Jayson Werth that this is a player he wanted and could play in D.C. for a long time. Lerner was struck by what kind of man Werth was during their initial conversation and how they shared a similar vision for the Nationals. "No surprise as far as I am concerned," Lerner recalls. "When we went and interviewed him in Scott Boras' office in California a couple of weeks back, we were so impressed with the young...

Knorr: Lombardozzi "just knows the game"

Knorr: Lombardozzi "just knows the game"
The Nationals like what they have seen so far from young infielders Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa, who appear to be the shortstop and second basemen of the future for the Nats in 2011 and beyond. The next second baseman set to impress in the chain is Stephen Lombardozzi, who displayed solid numbers in Single-A Potomac, Double-A Harrisburg and Scottsdale of the Arizona Fall League this season. Lombardozzi produced the game-winning RBI hit to lift Scottsdale to the AFL championship. He...

Knorr: Harper has "great baseball instincts"

Knorr: Harper has "great baseball instincts"
New Syracuse Chiefs manager Randy Knorr guided the Scottsdale Scorpions to the Arizona Fall League title last month with several Nationals prospects on his roster, including No. 1 overall selection Bryce Harper. Harper had a great month in Arizona, batting .343 with three doubles, two triples, a homer and seven RBIs in nine games. He had an RBI single in the championship game, a 3-2 win over Peoria. "Everybody sees him hit the ball out of Yellowstone Park, per se, and he does do that,"...

Strasburg's goal: "Best shape of my life"

Strasburg's goal: "Best shape of my life"
Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg is rehabilitating on schedule from Tommy John surgery in early September. Strasburg is in good spirits and says he is one or two months away from baseball activities. "They have a plan in place that is normal to start throwing about four or five months after surgery," Strasburg said. "I am now three months post-surgery. So, in a month or two, I will be able to get throwing again. Right now, I am concentrating on getting my elbow stronger." Strasburg...

Harper and Werth same outfield in 2012?

Harper and Werth same outfield in 2012?
With the Nationals signing of Jayson Werth this week, the focus on 2012 becomes even more exciting for Nats fans with the prospect of a healthy Stephen Strasburg paired with Werth, Ryan Zimmerman and say, even Bryce Harper? That is what Bryce is hoping for. He talked about making his debut in 2012 with Strasburg to MLB Network during the Arizona Fall League championship. But a more realistic debut for Harper would be 2013, according to Jim Callis, executive editor for Baseball...