Kimball said it's "tough" to leave Nationals

Kimball said it's "tough" to leave Nationals
Right-handed reliever Cole Kimball was claimed off waivers Wednesday by the Toronto Blue Jays, ending his tenure with the Nationals after only 12 big league games. Kimball made a quick rise to the Nationals early last season before a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder shut down his year. He finished with 14 innings, 1-0 record and a 1.93 ERA, including 11 strikeouts. So when Kimball received the call Wednesday morning, he understood it was a business move, but that did not make it any...

Baseball America's top Nats prospects - No. 6: Alex Meyer

Baseball America's top Nats prospects - No. 6: Alex Meyer
The Nationals' prospect list has moved into the fast lane this offseason, thanks to the franchise's big take in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. The team was able to select Anthony Rendon, Matt Purke, Brian Goodwin and pitcher Alex Meyer with their early June selections. Meyer, at 6-foot-9 and 220 lbs., could be an imposing force in the Nationals' rotation once he gains experience and consistency. Recently in Florida at the team's instructional camp, Nationals director of player...

Nationals announce coaching staff for 2012

Nationals announce coaching staff for 2012
The Washington Nationals today announced that hitting coach Rick Eckstein, pitching coach Steve McCatty, third base coach Bo Porter, first base coach Trent Jewett and bullpen coach Jim Lett will return as members of manager Davey Johnson's coaching staff for the 2012 season. The Nationals also announced that Randy Knorr will join the staff as bench coach. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Eckstein and McCatty return...

Pitcher's perspective: The art of throwing a ball

Pitcher's perspective: The art of throwing a ball
While watching and listening to postseason baseball, I came upon a conversation going on during a radio broadcast of the Texas Rangers/Detroit Tigers series. The announcer and newly appointed Marlins hitting coach Eduardo Perez were discussing how difficult it is for a pitcher to throw a ball instead of a strike. One of the pitchers in the series had given up a game-changing home run when attempting to throw a pitch out of the zone. Perez opined it was actually a very difficult art for the...

Baseball America's top Nats prospects - No. 7: Matt Purke

Baseball America's top Nats prospects - No. 7: Matt Purke
BERKELEY, Calif. - Greetings from the Golden State. College basketball season is under way and this weekend, I am on assignment with the George Washington Colonials as they venture into Haas Pavilion to take on the No. 24 California Golden Bears. When we arrived, I got a good report on the pitching of left-hander Matt Purke, who threw another scoreless inning in the Arizona Fall League on Saturday. The Nationals are very proud of the progress the former TCU standout has made since a rocky...

Baseball America's top Nats prospects - No. 8: Sammy Solis

Baseball America's top Nats prospects - No. 8: Sammy Solis
Scottsdale left-handed starter Sammy Solis gave up three early runs, only two earned, in Wednesday's loss to Phoenix, 5-0, but has continued to show the stuff in the Arizona Fall League that has the Nationals abuzz over the potential of the former University of San Diego standout. The Nationals have always been very pleased with the makeup Solis possesses, especially his plus-plus fastball and changeup. He has worked on adding a traditional 12-to-6 curve to complement his rare knuckle curve....

Baseball reacts to Ramos' kidnapping

Baseball reacts to Ramos' kidnapping
Many major leaguers, including some Nationals players and prospects, spend their offseasons playing winter ball in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and other places. Since yesterday's news of catcher Wilson Ramos' kidnapping, several of them have expressed their concern via Twitter or on Internet blogs. Nationals pitching prospect Ryan Tatusko is playing in the same Venezuelan winter league that Ramos was about to play in before he was kidnapped. Tatusko is playing for a...

Baseball America's top Nats prospects - No. 9: Derek Norris

Baseball America's top Nats prospects - No. 9: Derek Norris
Scottsdale Scorpions catcher Derek Norris' bat has made a lot of noise in the Arizona Fall League, with coaches, scouts and media noticing across the nation. Considered one of the Nationals' top catching prospects for a few seasons now, Norris hit just .210 during the season at Double-A Harrisburg. But Norris said he realized he was freezing up a bit in the batters' box this summer but now is swinging "free and easy" in Arizona. The results have been very impressive. Norris is tied with...

Dream Foundation to take part in "Give to the Max" day

Dream Foundation to take part in "Give to the Max" day
Beginning at midnight on Wednesday, November 9, Washington Nationals fans are encouraged to visit http://give2max.razoo.com/story/Washington-Nationals-Dream-Foundation to donate money to the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation as part of "Give to the Max Day: Greater Washington," a one-day regional online fundraiser to help raise money for D.C.-area nonprofit organizations. The Dream Foundation is calling on the support of Nationals fans across the region to donate money during the 24...

Stuff those stockings with Nationals tickets

Stuff those stockings with Nationals tickets
The holidays are less than two months away and, let's face it, nobody wants another itchy sweater or a deluxe meat and cheese platter. Looking for something special to put under the tree or for that sixth night of Hanukkah? How about a three- or five-game ticket plan for the Nationals? Right now, fans can purchase Nationals Holiday Gift Packs, complete with tickets to either three of the Nationals' 2012 games or, for a few bucks more, five games. One option is the Opening Day Pack. At...

Baseball America's top 10 Nationals prospects

Baseball America's top 10 Nationals prospects
Baseball America is out with its annual top 10 list of prospects for the Nationals and it is no surprise who is listed at No. 1. Here's the full list: 1. Bryce Harper, OF 2. Anthony Rendon, 3B 3. Brad Peacock, RHP 4. A.J. Cole, RHP 5. Brian Goodwin, OF 6. Alex Meyer, RHP 7. Matt Purke, LHP 8. Sammy Solis, LHP 9. Derek Norris, C 10. Steve Lombardozzi, 2B/SS Harper has torn up the Arizona Fall League, batting over .314. He has hit .462 with six homers and 21 RBIs in his last 10 games. Joining...

Solis wins AFL Pitcher of the Week honors

Solis wins AFL Pitcher of the Week honors
Scottsdale left-hander Sammy Solis has been named the Pitcher of the Week for Week 5 of the Arizona Fall League. Solis worked eight innings, allowing no earned runs with 14 strikeouts in his last two outings. He shone Friday in his only start of the week, striking out nine batters in four scoreless frames in a win over Phoenix. The nine punchouts were a single-game best in the AFL this season. Solis ranks second in strikeouts (23) and is tied for third in innings pitched (23). It is big for...

Duquette finally gets another shot; forget Fielder, Nats should focus on pitching

Duquette finally gets another shot; forget Fielder, Nats should focus on pitching
In 2002, when Dan Duquette was fired by the Boston Red Sox as their general manager, he vowed to make a comeback. Now, he gets his chance as the Orioles' top executive. Duquette left Boston in cloud of controversy, and because of that, he probably didn't get proper credit for his role in building the Red Sox's 2004 World Series championship team. His strengths are his Latin American connections and his ability to develop players. He gets credit for pulling off the most lopsided trade in...

Bo Porter will remain third base coach for the Nationals

Bo Porter will remain third base coach for the Nationals
Bo Porter will remain the third base coach of the Nationals, according to general manager Mike Rizzo. Porter spoke with Rizzo about the vacancy on the coaching staff at the bench coach position, following manager Davey Johnson's announcement that Pat Corrales would not return at that post next season. The Nationals believe Porter is very valuable to the organization as a coach, especially as the third base coach. They mutually decided that Porter best serves the Nationals at third base and...

Harper, Solis and Norris AFL updates

Harper, Solis and Norris AFL updates
Nationals prospects Bryce Harper and Derek Norris played in Saturday's AFL Rising Stars Game in Surprise, Ariz. The AFL West, led by former Virginia standout Danny Hultzen, beat the AFL East 11-2 at Surprise Stadium. Harper connected on an RBI sacrifice fly in the fourth for the East. He finished 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts. Norris went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout. As the second half of the season begins Monday, Norris is batting .339 and Harper connecting at .314. The...

Nationals agree to one-year contract with Chien-Ming Wang

Nationals agree to one-year contract with Chien-Ming Wang
The Washington Nationals today agreed to terms with free-agent right-handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang on a one-year contract for the 2012 season. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Wang went 4-3 with a 4.04 ERA in 11 starts with the Nationals in 2011, returning to the big leagues after missing more than two seasons with a right shoulder injury. The 31-year-old went 4-1 with a 3.71 ERA in his final nine starts last...

Harper goes yard again as Scottsdale rolls over Surprise

Harper goes yard again as Scottsdale rolls over Surprise
So much for a slow start. That is ancient history, again, for Bryce Harper. The Scottsdale outfielder slammed a home run in the third inning, his fifth round tripper in the past six games, leading the Scorpions to a 10-6 win over Surprise in Arizona Fall League play. He went 3-for-3 with two runs, a homer, two walks and three RBIs in the victory. Harper is now hitting .323 with three doubles, one triple, six homers and 23 RBIs in 17 games. He has now hit six homers in AFL play, and has 17...

Solis adds traditional curve to pitching repertoire

Solis adds traditional curve to pitching repertoire
Scottsdale Scorpions left-hander Sammy Solis has the stuff: a lethal, high-velocity fastball and mesmerizing changeup. Since high school, he has featured a rarely seen knuckle-curve taught to him by his father Bob, who was a southpaw at Notre Dame. But as the competition got better and he had trouble throwing the knuckle-curve for strikes, Solis, pitching for the Nationals in the Arizona Fall League, realized he would have to make a change to be successful at the next level. "It has always...

Lehman believes adjustment is helping delivery; also working on slider

Lehman believes adjustment is helping delivery; also working on slider
Scottsdale Scorpions right-hander Patrick Lehman believes the mechanical adjustment recently implemented by pitching coach Paul Menhart is having a positive effect on his delivery. "(Menhart) observed a bad habit coming from where my legs were positioned," Lehman said. "I needed to throw in more of a downhill plane instead of a straight line. My focus was to stay tall and throw down more." He did not see the results instantly, but said sometimes it takes time for an adjustment to...

Bryce Harper, Derek Norris named to AFL Rising Stars Game

Bryce Harper, Derek Norris named to AFL Rising Stars Game
Two of the topNationals prospects, Bryce Harper and catcher Derek Norris, have been named to the East squad for the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game set to be played Saturday night in Surprise, Ariz., according to the league's Twitter account. The AFL Rising Stars game is Saturday at 8:10 p.m. Eastern time at Surprise Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the MLB Network. Norris has had a tremendous fall season behind the plate for the Scottsdale Scorpions, batting .356 in 13 games...