Nationals Announce that Jim Riggleman to Return as Field Manager in 2011

Nationals Announce that Jim Riggleman to Return as Field Manager in 2011
The Washington Nationals today announced that field manager Jim Riggleman will return in 2011. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. In 2010 under Riggleman, the Nationals increased their win total from 59 to 69. Washington's 10-game improvement tied for the fourth-best in MLB this season and trailed only San Diego (+15), Cincinnati (+13) and Tampa Bay (+12). Riggleman's third season as Nationals skipper will be his...

Nats Buzz approves of this message: Vote for Zim

Nats Buzz approves of this message:  Vote for Zim
A little play on campaign season there. We'll spare you the commercials and fundraising emails. Vote for Zimmerman for the 2010 Heart and Hustle Award! Each year, the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association votes on one winner among the 30 nominees representing each club. Zimmerman has represented the Nationals in both 2009 and 2010, but he needs your votes. Fan voting will represent 5% of the total voting pool. I know NatsTown couldn't get Zimmerman to the All-Star Game, but...

Coaches impressed with Harper's first week in Arizona

Coaches impressed with Harper's first week in Arizona
Nationals hitting coordinator Rick Schu was in Scottsdale this week to coach and monitor Harper and the rest of the Nationals' Arizona prospects, and he recently gave me an update on the number one draft pick's progress. Harper is batting .375, 3-for-8, with a double and 2 RBI in his first two games. His slugging percentage is .500 and his OPS is .875 with no errors in the field. In his first game Wednesday, Harper went 1-for-4 with a bases loaded ground rule double. but Schu said Harper...

Nats quiz to start your week

Nats quiz to start your week
Can you name every player in the Nats' Opening Day lineup since baseball returned to Washington? Want to prove it? Fellow Nats blogger Harper at Nationals Baseball posted a link to this quiz today on Sporkle. It asks you to name every Opening Day starter from 2005-2010 in eight minutes for a possible 60 points. For what it's worth, I scored 52 out of 60, but I missed two really obvious ones. Take the quiz and let me know how you do in the comments below! Good luck!

Lombardozzi happy season continues in Arizona

Lombardozzi happy season continues in Arizona
Harrisburg Senators' second baseman Steve Lombardozzi is enjoying his first week in the Arizona Fall league after fine tuning his game at instructs early in the month. Lombardozzi is batting .238 with four doubles and an RBI in five games, a .429 SLG and with a .789 OPS with no errors. "It was great," Lombardozzi said. "It was good to see the other coaches like (Tony) Tarasco and (Matt) LeCroy - good to see the guys I hadn't seen in awhile, especially my teammates." Lombardozzi says...

More awards for Strasburg, Zimmerman and Ben's Chili Bowl

More awards for Strasburg, Zimmerman and Ben's Chili Bowl
On Friday, the Washington Post Express newspaper published its Best of 2010 list, naming Stephen Strasburg the "best offseason acquisition" of 2010. That category is a bit misleading, since Strasburg was signed in the summer of 2009, but we'll take it, right? Ben's Chili Bowl at Nationals Park was also named "Best Stadium Food." The Best of 2010 awards were decided by two rounds of reader nominations and voting. Also, on Thursday evening, the Power 30 Under 30 organization honored...

High school prospects make good progress at instructs

High school prospects make good progress at instructs
The Nationals pitching staff continues to be bolstered by the addition of guys with college experience like A.J. Morris and Sammy Solis, but there are also some high school prospects that were signed this year at the top of the draft that could make an impact sooner rather than later. A.J. Cole and Robbie Ray, a pair of high school pitchers at instructs, made very favorable impressions, and both had major college offers they turned down in order to go pro and play for the Nationals right...

Nationals Promote Mike Rizzo to Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager

Nationals Promote Mike Rizzo to Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager
Rizzo signs five-year extension, will continue to revamp roster that by season's end contained only 10 players remaining from Opening Day 2009. The Washington Nationals today announced that Mike Rizzo has been promoted to Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager and signed a new five-year contract. Managing Principal Owner Theodore N. Lerner made the announcement. "Mike Rizzo is unquestionably one of the best baseball minds in the game," said Lerner. "He has a...

Exclusive one-on-one with Bryce Harper

Exclusive one-on-one with Bryce Harper
I had a chance to catch up again with the Nationals number one draft selection, Bryce Harper, as he embarks on his first game for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall league Wednesday. Harper said he is pretty excited to get the invite to play in the AFL. "I am really happy to be a part of the Arizona Fall league with the caliber of guys at this stage," Harper said. "To be able to go up there and play with Lombo, Norris and Burgess, all those good guys, it is incredible. I am...

Could Solis follow Strasburg path to Nats?

Could Solis follow Strasburg path to Nats?
Left-hander Sammy Solis put forth a quality debut Saturday in the Arizona Fall League as Scottsdale beat Peoria 6-4 with five runs in the seventh inning. Derek Norris caught for Solis and went 2-for-4 with a run and a two-out RBI. Stephen Lombardozzi went 1-for-3 with a double and two runs. Adam Carr pitched two innings of scoreless ball with a walk and a strikeout to earn the victory. Solis threw three innings, allowed just two hits and one run, one walk, one strikeout and picked off a...

Zimmerman and Strasburg named Power 30 Under 30 Finalists

Zimmerman and Strasburg named Power 30 Under 30 Finalists
Recently, Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg were named as finalists for Washington D.C.'s Power 30 Under 30 Awards. The Power 30 Under 30 Awards honor outstanding individuals under the age of 30 who have achieved extraordinary success. Young leaders are recognized in Arts, Entertainment, & Media, Business, Community Service, Politics, Science & Technology and Sports. Both Zimmerman, 26, and Strasburg, 22, were nominated in the Sports category, along with Alexander Ovechkin, Devon...

Pumpkin Carving Time

Pumpkin Carving Time
The Nationals are once again holding a pumpkin carving contest this fall. The lucky winner will receive an official game-worn Adam Dunn jersey! All you have to do is carve something Nats-related into a pumpkin and send the team a photo of your creation. Photos should be 720 x 486 pixels in size and no larger than 1MB. More contest information is available on Nationals.com. To participate, you must enter before 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010. The Nationals also offer four Nats...

Good start for Norris in AFL debut

Good start for Norris in AFL debut
After a full year of injuries and plate inconsistency, Nationals catcher Derek Norris made an emphatic debut in his first two games this week in the Arizona Fall League with a two-run homer, a couple of walks and another safety for the Scottsdale Scorpions. Norris hopes the minor adjustments he made to his swing at instructs will make the difference throughout the next month of Fall ball. Nationals hitting coordinator Rick Schu monitored Norris' progress in Viera and says it is no surprise...

Flores makes strides with big plays at instructs

Flores makes strides with big plays at instructs
There's positive news on catcher Jesus Flores' progress in instructional league competition this month in Viera. Nationals hitting coordinator Rick Schu says it would be huge to have Flores back 100 percent after shoulder surgery. "Boy, I sure hope so. I remember watching Flo in 2007. He was a Diamondback killer. That guy can hit. He has an uncanny way of getting the barrel on the ball. He hits the ball the other way, battles with two strikes. He has some power. It would be...

Mickey Mantle Book Discussion with Frank Howard

Mickey Mantle Book Discussion with Frank Howard
On November 9th, the Smithsonian will host New York Times bestselling author Jane Leavy to discuss her new book, "The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood." Former Senators slugger Frank Howard will be among the special guests invited to speak about Mantle at Baird Auditorium in the National Museum of Natural History at 7 p.m. on that Tuesday evening. He will be joined by former Mantle teammates Jim Bouton and Phil Linz. Phil Hochberg, former Washington Senators and...

This Year in Baseball Awards

This Year in Baseball Awards
Now through December 3rd, Nats fans can show support for Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg and Nyjer Morgan by voting in the annual This Year in Baseball Awards. You watch your Gold Glove third baseman make sparking defensive plays night after night at Nationals Park and on MASN. Make sure he gets selected as "Defensive Player of the Year" by voting here. Stephen Strasburg is also up for two awards -- Performance of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Rookie is tough, both because he only...

Harper "stoked" to play in Arizona Fall League

Harper "stoked" to play in Arizona Fall League
Nationals number one draft selection Bryce Harper has confirmed that he will play in the Arizona Fall League and will report to the Scottsdale Scorpions on Sunday night. Harper will be on the team's taxi squad and play in Wednesday and Saturday games. "I am stoked. I am so excited," Harper said. "It has been a goal of mine to be able play in the Arizona Fall league." Harper will spend time at home this weekend in Las Vegas with his family to celebrate his 18th birthday on...

Door still open for Harper to participate in AFL

Door still open for Harper to participate in AFL
Nationals No. 1 draft selection Bryce Harper played his final instructional league game today in Orlando and then will head back to his hometown of Las Vegas. If Harper has time in Las Vegas, he will likely workout with UNLV and his former college coach Tim Chambers on their first day of camp, which opens Wednesday. But that does not mean Harper is done playing competitive baseball before 2011 spring training. Despite not being on the initial Scottsdale Scorpions roster, there's still a...

Scorpions begin Arizona Fall League play

Scorpions begin Arizona Fall League play
Scottsdale Scorpions Manager: Randy Knorr, Harrisburg Senators Pitchers: RHP Adam Carr RHP Cole Kimball RHP Brad Peacock LHP Sammy Solis Catcher: Derek Norris Infielder: Steve Lombardozzi Outfielder: Michael Burgess It will be very interesting to see how all four of the Nats pitching prospects do against top flight competition, especially left-hander Sammy Solis, who has been signed for only two months and did very well against instructional league competition the last couple of...

Quick update on the Owen Wilson movie

Quick update on the Owen Wilson movie
As you already know, free agent reliever/movie star Owen Wilson will join the Nationals bullpen this winter when his new movie, "How Do You Know" hits theaters on December 17th. Reese Witherspoon, Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd also star in the romantic comedy. The film's website is now available at www.howdoyouknow-movie.com. On the website, you can sign up to receive updates about the film, view digital stills, watch the trailer or visit the film's new Facebook page. Parts of the movie...