Cavalli and Powell show eagerness to learn during summer workouts

Cavalli and Powell show eagerness to learn during summer workouts
Here are a couple of updates on a pair of top five draft picks for the Nationals in right-handers Cade Cavalli and Holden Powell. Cavalli was the Nats' top selection in this summer's First-Year Player Draft out of Oklahoma. He is listed on the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Nationals roster heading into 2021. Nats pitching coordinator Brad Holman said Cavalli played two positions in college until finally deciding to put focus on starting pitching. "Cade really hadn't been pitching that...

Nats prospect Cole Henry way ahead of game as 2021 approaches

Nats prospect Cole Henry way ahead of game as 2021 approaches
Here is an update on the Nationals' 2020 second-round draft selection, right-hander Cole Henry. The 6-foot-4, 211-lb., Henry was LSU's No. 1 starter in the most recent abbreviated season. He is rated as the Nats No. 4 overall prospect on MLBPipeline.com. Although the Tigers were only able to get four weekends of play in due to the coronavirus pandemic shutdown, Henry still managed to go 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA in 19 innings. He recorded 23 strikeouts with only six walks. On Feb. 28, he beat Texas...

Is a good BABIP important in getting to the World Series?

Is a good BABIP important in getting to the World Series?
I had a chance to catch up with current George Washington University and former big league coach Gregg Ritchie prior to the GW women's basketball game in D.C. on Wednesday night, and we talked about how important balls in play are to overall success for major league teams. Ritchie played in the Rangers organization in 1995 and was the Pirates' hitting coach from 2011-2012. He contended that most of the teams that recently played in the World Series did a very good job of putting the ball in...

Romero on track to return healthy for 2021, update on Lee

Romero on track to return healthy for 2021, update on Lee
It was a thrilling moment for left-hander Seth Romero to finally get his first chance to pitch in the major leagues last season. The former University of Houston hurler appeared in three games this season for the Nationals, but a broken right hand ended his campaign prematurely. Romero spent September rehabbing the injury. In October, he continued his major league rehab at fall instructional league in West Palm Beach, Fla. Nationals minor league pitching coordinator Brad Holman said Romero...

Nats add righty Steven Fuentes to 40-man roster

Nats add righty Steven Fuentes to 40-man roster
The Nationals this afternoon selected the contract of right-hander Steven Fuentes, adding him to the 40-man roster for the first time. Fuentes has been with the organization since 2013 when he signed as an undrafted free agent out of Panama. The 23-year-old went a combined 6-5 with a 2.23 ERA in 23 games (11 starts) in 2019 for high Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg. He struck out 89 batters in 80 2/3 innings and recorded one save. He made all 11 starts for the Senators. Fuentes spent...

Updates on Rutledge and Denaburg's progress from Florida

Updates on Rutledge and Denaburg's progress from Florida
Here are a couple of updates on a pair of former Nationals first-round selections in Jackson Rutledge and Mason Denaburg. Both attended instructional league for the last month. Rutledge, 21, was the Nats' top pick in 2019 and has appeared in 10 games. The right-hander loves to employ analytics to study his stuff, but Nats minor league pitching coordinator Brad Holman said he concentrated on command these past few weeks. "I think he made tremendous progress," Holman said. "Not that he did...

Parker focused on fastball, curveball and splitter during Florida workouts

Parker focused on fastball, curveball and splitter during Florida workouts
Nationals 2020 fifth-round draft selection Mitchell Parker got into to his first professional instructional league intrasquad game this week against the Marlins. The left-hander threw two scoreless innings for the Nats. Instructional league workouts continue until Oct. 28 in West Palm Beach, Fla., at the Nats spring training facility. "I had my first game against another jersey," Parker said. "It was fun. It was enjoyable. Obviously, the nerves were a little bit there, but now that it is...

Lee's summer work paying off in instructional league

Lee's summer work paying off in instructional league
"Bring it on!" That's how left-handed pitcher Evan Lee greeted me as we started to talk about his baseball summer during Nationals fall instructional league workouts and games in West Palm Beach, Fla., this month. You can tell by that reaction that Lee brings that same attitude to the mound when handed the ball for the Nats. Lee, 23, is currently pitching for the Nats in their scrimmages against the Marlins, continuing preparations for a hopefully uninterrupted 2021 season. The southpaw, who...

Noll on late-season time with the Nats: "It's a great opportunity"

Noll on late-season time with the Nats: "It's a great opportunity"
Utility infielder Jake Noll was called up mid-September and got to play in seven games with the Nationals. As he had done all season long at the alternate training site, he continued to swing the bat well. From Sept. 15-27, Noll hit .353 (6-for-17) with one double, two runs scored and just four strikeouts. "It's a great opportunity," Noll said during the last weekend of the regular season. "I've been waiting for this chance to prove myself and prove I belong all year. I'm happy to be here...

More on Menhart's exit and his possible successor with the Nats

More on Menhart's exit and his possible successor with the Nats
On May 2, 2019, the Nationals elected to fire pitching coach Derek Lilliquist and replace him with Paul Menhart, who had been with the organization since 2006. Menhart guided the Nats through rough waters in May last year, then helped the Nats bullpen turn the season around. At 12 games below the .500 mark on May 24, the Nats would ultimately earn a National League wild card spot and finish the miraculous comeback season with a world championship. But nearly 12 months later, the Nats have...

Updates on Adon, Cate, Wells, Bourque and Williams

Updates on Adon, Cate, Wells, Bourque and Williams
Here are some more updates on pitchers who were working at the alternate camp site in Fredericksburg, Va., during the regular season. A few of them have moved over to the instructional league in West Palm Beach, Fla., for the next month. This is third installment on pitchers who were working out in Fredericksburg. Top-rated prospects Cade Cavalli and Jackson Rutledge also were at the alternate site and have moved on to West Palm Beach. Right-hander Joan Adon is in Florida at instructional...

Updates on Espino, Eppler, Fuentes, Romero and Irvin

Updates on Espino, Eppler, Fuentes, Romero and Irvin
Nationals minor league pitching coordinator Brad Holman really likes the curveball of right-hander Paolo Espino. He remembers working with Espino while they both were with the Rangers in 2017. In the second part of our series on pitchers on the 60-man player pool in Fredericksburg, we highlight the veteran Espino and others. Last week, we focused on top pitching prospects Jackson Rutledge and Cade Cavalli. "He is a very polished pitcher," Holman said of Espino. "He's a four-pitch guy:...

Cronin refining curveball as he works toward big league goal

Cronin refining curveball as he works toward big league goal
Lots of chatter from the Nationals recently about how well Matt Cronin is doing at the alternate training site. The left-hander has been dominant and has had the opportunity to showcase his stuff against experienced Nats hitters. "It was a little bit of an adjustment at first just facing more seasoned hitters," Cronin said. "Guys who knew the zone a little better and are used to seeing higher-quality stuff. I was struggling just attacking hitters when I first got here, but after the...

Rutledge working on fastball command, improving changeup

Rutledge working on fastball command, improving changeup
Nationals top pitching prospect Jackson Rutledge has worked on commanding his fastball and curveball during his bullpen sessions and simulated games at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg. As Nats minor league pitching coordinator Brad Holman told me this week, it's all about moving the ball around the strike zone instead of narrowly avoiding it. "It's definitely been the emphasis during camp," Rutledge said during a Zoom video session with reporters. "I think I've actually...

Cavalli and Rutledge bringing the heat in Fredericksburg

Cavalli and Rutledge bringing the heat in Fredericksburg
Top Nationals pitching prospects Cade Cavalli and Jackson Rutledge continue to get their work in at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Va., under the direction of minor league pitching coordinator Brad Holman and the coaching staff. Rutledge is currently ranked No. 3 and Cavalli No. 4 in the latest MLBpipeline.com top 30 Nationals prospects list. "Well, obviously both those guys are extremely talented," Holman told me. "I can't say enough about either one of them. They are...

Doolittle on rehab of knee and simplified mechanics

Doolittle on rehab of knee and simplified mechanics
Left-hander Sean Doolittle is back with the Nationals and is eligible to pitch tonight. His last appearance was Aug. 10. He was placed on the injured list Aug. 11 with right knee fatigue. Manager Davey Martinez said the club wanted Doolittle to rehab his sore knee and build some strength in his lower half in his two weeks at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg. "Just go down there and hone in on his mechanics," Martinez said during his pregame Zoom video call Saturday. "I think...

Denaburg on his right shoulder recovery: "I feel like myself again"

Denaburg on his right shoulder recovery: "I feel like myself again"
Nationals 2018 first-round selection Mason Denaburg told me his recovery from a right shoulder cleanout last October is progressing nicely. After the Nats decided to take a precautionary step of slowing down his rehab during spring training, the right-hander is now doing so well that he is about to take that next step in his rehab throwing program. "I should be throwing bullpens in the next three weeks," Denaburg said. "I go 150 feet throwing-wise, the next week 180 feet and then the week...

Nationals value graduates of their Dominican academy

Nationals value graduates of their Dominican academy
The Nationals continue to do a very good job of fortifying their roster with quality prospects who started out at their Dominican baseball academy. It is one main reason why MLBPipeline.com has ranked the Nationals' international prospects in their top 10 in Major League Baseball. In a recent ranking, the Nats overall system was rated No. 5 in the top 10 of the 2010's. Being in the right place at the right time for Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg had a lot to do with that, but so did the...

Nats prospect watch: Teenagers Lara and Yean near top of pitching list

Nats prospect watch: Teenagers Lara and Yean near top of pitching list
Nationals minor league pitching coordinator Brad Holman has insight on a couple of younger prospects who have reached the top 10 in the Nationals top 30 prospect list according to MLBPipeline.com, pitchers Andry Lara and Eddy Yean. Lara is only 17 and demonstrated the raw talent that the Nationals respect from instructional league in October to this spring training in February and March. Lara is 6-foot-4 and 180 lbs. out of Coro, Venezuela. The right-hander was the top-rated (No. 16) signing...

Nats prospect watch: Braymer fine-tunes changeup in big league camp

Nats prospect watch: Braymer fine-tunes changeup in big league camp
Nationals pitching coordinator Brad Holman said left-hander Ben Braymer had been focusing on his mechanics with his changeup at spring training before the shutdown. The 25-year-old out of Auburn started 26 games and tossed 139 innings last season. The MLB Pipeline No. 22 Nats prospect, Braymer made one start in spring training and worked in three games. No. 22 Ben Braymer "He's doing good. Obviously, he's been in major league camp the entire spring," Holman said of Braymer. "He knows how...