ABERDEEN, Md. – Selected by the Orioles in the fifth-round of the 2024 MLB Draft, catcher Ryan Stafford out of Cal-Poly, quickly found out that defensive versatility is important to his new organization. 

If a player can play multiple positions and move around the diamond, the Orioles will have them do it on the farm.

“One thing for me that I was really surprised about, I was getting to play other positions,” Stafford told me recently at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen. “Like the third day I was in (Low-A) Delmarva I was playing second base. I had no clue I was going to have opportunities to play other positions like the Orioles let guys do. So that is one of the coolest parts.

“I wouldn’t say that was completely new. I played up the middle throughout my childhood, at shortstop and second base is similar. Some similar reads and it is natural for me. But what was new was first base where I played the other day. Played five spots so far, corner outfield, first, second and catch.”

Stafford said he first noticed he might need a few different gloves during the O’s orientation for draft picks in Sarasota.

The Nationals’ minor-league coaching staffs are mostly unchanged for the 2024 season, with one notable exception: They’ve overhauled much of their hitting staff.

The organization announced its full player development staff this afternoon, five days before pitchers and catchers officially report for spring training. Though there was a change at the top of the depth chart – former director of scouting operations Eddie Longosz replaced De Jon Watson, who was let go after two seasons leading the department – most of the coaches and trainers are returning to their same roles.

That includes the managers of all six minor league affiliates: Matt LeCroy (Triple-A Rochester), Delino DeShields (Double-A Harrisburg), Mario Lisson (High-A Wilmington), Jake Lowery (Single-A Fredericksburg), Luis Ordaz (Florida Complex League) and Sandy Martinez (Dominican Summer League).

Most of the pitching coaches return, as well: Rafael Chaves (Triple-A), Mark DeFelice (High-A), Justin Lord (Single-A) and Franklin Bravo (FCL). Rigo Beltran, formerly the Guardians’ bullpen coach, replaces Joel Hanrahan as Double-A pitching coach (though Hanrahan is staying with the Nats as rehab pitching coordinator). Feliberto Sanchez is the new pitching coach in the Dominican Summer League.

All development coaches also return this season: Billy McMillon (Triple-A), Oscar Salazar (Double-A), Mark Harris (High-A), Carmelo Jaime (Single-A) and Destin Hood (FCL).

In late October, coming off a 101-win season and an AL East championship and after the departure of Brad Ciolek, the club’s director of draft operations. for a job with the Nationals, the Orioles announced several promotions in their front office.

It was a bit of tweaking of and promotions within their scouting and player development operation. Two key staffers that have helped the club rise to No. 1 in farm rankings, once again have big roles in 2024 with promotions and slightly different titles.

Matt Blood was promoted from director of player development to vice president of player development and domestic scouting. Joining Blood to help head up player development now will be Anthony Villa, 29, who has been with the Orioles since the 2020 season. He is Blood's replacement as director of player development. Villa was first an O's minor league hitting coach, then a minor league hitting coordinator for the lower levels of the farm and last year he was hitting coordinator for the entire farm system.

“The titles are new, the working relationship (with Matt and the O's staff) is more or less the same,” Villa told me at the Winter Meetings. Blood may spend more time now heading up Baltimore's scouting operation and a bit less time in the day-to-day work of player development.

Villa (pronounced Vill-ah) was a 19th-round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2016 and played in the minors for three seasons. He's been a fast riser in the O's organization and now he'll have an even larger role in player development.

While numerous outlets are releasing their latest top prospects rankings leading up to the start of spring training, it’s easy to keep track of how the Nationals farm system is improving on paper. But a lot of work needs to continue throughout this rebuild behind the scenes. Improvements under the surface that won’t show up in any prospect rankings.

The Nationals announced on Wednesday their minor league player development staff for the 2023 season. The roster includes some familiar faces, new names and new positions. Overseeing all of it are president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo, entering this 15th season as the head man, and director of player development De Jon Watson, entering his second season in this position after spending five seasons as a special assistant to the GM.

The familiar names include Matt LeCroy (Triple-A Rochester), Mario Lisson (High-A Wilmington) and Jake Lowery (Single-A Fredericksburg) returning to manage their respective affiliates. Field coordinator Bob Henley, pitching coordinator Sam Narron and catching coordinator Randy Knorr continue their long careers with the organization. And fan favorite Gerardo Parra enters his first full season as special assistant to Rizzo after being named to the position last year.

A lot of new names are taking over the staff at Double-A Harrisburg, headlined by manager Delino DeShields replacing Tripp Keister, who was fired this offseason after 11 years with the organization. A first-round pick by the Expos in the 1987 draft, DeShields joins the Nats after spending the last 14 seasons in various roles in the Reds organization. Joel Hanrahan also joins Harrisburg as the pitching coach after flipping spots with Justin Lord, who now holds the same position at Fredericksburg.

Among the new roles added to the player development department this year are an assistant director of player development technology and strategy (Patrick Coghlan), a player development analyst (Allen Ho), a senior biomechanist (Bill Johnson), a biomechanist (Brittany Mills) and a performance analyst at each minor league affiliate. The performance analysts will help use data from the Hawk-Eye machines tracking players at Nationals Park, all of the organization's minor league stadiums and their facility in West Palm Beach.

This was always going to be an important offseason for the Nationals. Not in terms of signing big-name free agents or making a big splash on the trade market, but in terms of making significant changes and improvements on the minor league side to start this first full year of the rebuild off on the right foot. They have already signed a handful of veteran players to minor league deals to potentially help the major league roster and add depth to the upper levels of the farm system. They signed a...

The Nationals announced their 2022 minor league player development staff on Tuesday, with 14 new roles and more than 20 new members. This completes the process this offseason of completely revamping the department as the Nationals focus more on the growth of their minor league players during the first year of what is hoped to be a quick rebuild. General manager Mike Rizzo hinted at these changes coming to the organization during his press conference on the last day of the regular season. "We...