Reichard: Nats players will love the hospitality of Rochester

Reichard: Nats players will love the hospitality of Rochester
The Nationals announced their minor league affiliate invitations for 2021 on Wednesday, and the list did not include the Hagerstown Suns, signaling the end of a 13-year relationship. Kevin Reichard, the editor and publisher of Ballpark Digest, believes Suns owner Bruce Quinn might consider becoming an independent-league team going forward. "I don't know what Bruce is going to do, quite honestly," Reichard said. "He's got various business interests. I haven't heard much out of his camp as...

Corbin echoes Doolittle's concerns; Keister on at-bats

Corbin echoes Doolittle's concerns; Keister on at-bats
With regard to the potential return of baseball in July, Nationals closer Sean Doolittle expressed concern on Twitter about the health and safety of himself and his fellow players on the field as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Doolittle expressed through Twitter that he is concerned about working with others indoors. If a player or staff member gets the virus, does the entire team need to be tested? How long will the quarantine continue? What safety protocols will be in place when a person...

Technology and a keen eye helped Raquet turn his curveball around

Technology and a keen eye helped Raquet turn his curveball around
Left-hander Nick Raquet made some nice adjustments early in his 2019 campaign for high Single-A Potomac that allowed him to concentrate on the finer points of his breaking pitch, helping him to end up with a very positive season. In part one of our discussion, we will break down the adjustments he made to turn his year around. Raquet (Twitter: @NickRaquet) made 25 starts at Potomac, going 11-9 with a 4.07 ERA. But in April, he struggled to a 1-4 start with an 8.72 ERA. "Yeah, I felt like I...

Update on three southpaws at Potomac: Cate, Raquet and Teel

Update on three southpaws at Potomac: Cate, Raquet and Teel
Here are some updates on a few pitchers working for the high Single-A Potomac Nationals. One of those previewed - Kyle Johnston, the Nats' No. 21-rated prospect - was sent to the Toronto Blue Jays for right-handed reliever Daniel Hudson last week. P-Nats manager Tripp Keister gave updates on three other pitchers, all southpaws: Tim Cate, Nick Raquet and Carson Teel. Cate is the left-handed starter taken in the second round of the First-Year Player Draft in 2018. He has gone 4-3 with a 3.64 ERA...

Banks' three-run shot rallies North to 8-7 comeback win in Carolina League All-Star Classic

Banks' three-run shot rallies North to 8-7 comeback win in Carolina League All-Star Classic
FREDERICK, Md. - Potomac Nationals right fielder Nick Banks arrived at the high Single-A All-Star break on a hot streak. Nothing has changed after the Carolina League All-Star Classic. Banks hit a three-run opposite-field home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Northern Division All-Stars to a dramatic, come-from-behind 8-7 win over the Southern All-Stars at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove stadium. The right fielder connected on a first-pitch 80 mph slider off Myrtle Beach...

P-Nats thrilled for tonight's Carolina League All-Star Classic

P-Nats thrilled for tonight's Carolina League All-Star Classic
FREDERICK, Md. - The Single-A Potomac Nationals have four players on the active roster for the Northern Division All-Stars in tonight's Carolina League All-Star Classic. P-Nats second baseman Cole Freeman, a fourth-round selection from 2017 out of LSU, is thrilled to be selected for tonight's contest. He is starting at second base and batting seventh in the lineup. "It's a massive honor," Freeman said. "When you break spring training, this is one of the goals as a player you have....

Matt Reynolds on fire in first week with Triple-A Fresno

Matt Reynolds on fire in first week with Triple-A Fresno
Here are some highlights from Sunday's games played by Nationals affiliates: Low Single-A Hagerstown fell to Greensboro 2-1 in 10 innings Sunday. Starter Francys Peguero allowed two hits and no runs in five innings. Angel Guillen kept the Grasshoppers off the board for two more frames. Israel Pineda singled and Jacob Rhinesmith doubled to begin a rally in the fourth for the Suns. Gilbert Lara provided an RBI groundout to stake Hagerstown to a 1-0 lead. He leads the team with seven RBIs to...

Nationals spring training minor league games begin March 15

Nationals spring training minor league games begin March 15
Nationals minor league games begins March 15 with four against Marlins affiliates. Potomac and Hagerstown each play a game versus Miami's High Single-A and Low Single-A teams on the back fields in West Palm Beach. The games are free to the public. Fresno and Harrisburg play separate games against the Marlins' Triple-A and Double-A squads at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., that same day. The Nats' Triple-A and Double-A teams play their first games at home in West Palm Beach March 16...

Fredericksburg Baseball stadium groundbreaking attracts more than 1,000 fans

Fredericksburg Baseball stadium groundbreaking attracts more than 1,000 fans
"Oh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come." - Terence Mann (James Earl Jones) from the movie "Field of Dreams" (1989) FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - A crowd estimated at around 1,000 roared its approval when this scene was played on the video screen at the Fredericksburg Convention & Expo Center off of Carl D. Silver Parkway on Sunday, kicking off the ceremonial groundbreaking for the brand new baseball stadium for the Potomac Nationals. Could have just as well been...

Groundbreaking date for new Fredericksburg stadium set

Groundbreaking date for new Fredericksburg stadium set
The moment that many local minor league baseball fans have dreamed of for longer than 20 years is coming closer to becoming reality. Fredericksburg Baseball announced this week that a groundbreaking ceremony for the organization's state-of-the-art new stadium in the Virginia municipality will take place on Sunday, Feb. 24, from 2-5 p.m. It is open to the public. The event will take place at the Fredericksburg Expo & Convention Center ballroom and is free to all who attend. The first...

Like Soto, Garcia demonstrated hitting and fielding abilities as a teenager

Like Soto, Garcia demonstrated hitting and fielding abilities as a teenager
Luis Garcia can defend at shortstop, second base and third base. The 18-year-old played 78 games for low Single-A Hagerstown and 49 games for high Single-A Potomac, and made a name for himself with his hitting ability, as the Nats No. 3 prospect. Garcia made great strides with his work at high Single-A at such a young age, demonstrating batter's box awareness and patience similar to what we have seen from Juan Soto in his introduction to the major leagues. Carter Kieboom and Garcia have been...

Condra-Bogan and Romero two pitchers dealing in Nats system

Condra-Bogan and Romero two pitchers dealing in Nats system
A couple of pitchers who came over in late-season trades could be difference-makers again this year in the Nats system. Both spent time with high Single-A Potomac. Right-hander Jacob Condra-Bogan, 24, finished the season on a surge, allowing only two earned runs his final 10 appearances. He joined Potomac in late July, coming over from Wilmington in the trade that sent Brian Goodwin to the Royals. Condra-Bogan can throw 99 mph and is also pursuing a master's degree in preparation for the time...

Bourque settling into workhorse role out of bullpen for Nats

Bourque settling into workhorse role out of bullpen for Nats
The high Single-A Potomac Nationals made it all the way to the Mills Cup Final with a complete team in 2018. A big part of their success came courtesy of the potent and out-eating bullpen. Right-hander James Bourque was a major link in that relieving corps before his promotion to Double-A Harrisburg on July 13. After the season was completed, the Nationals signaled what they think of the Michigan product by placing him on the 40-man roster. Potomac manager Tripp Keister said the P-Nats used...

Report: P-Nats agree to stadium deal in Fredericksburg, Va.

Report: P-Nats agree to stadium deal in Fredericksburg, Va.
The Fredericksburg City Council announced it has reached an agreement to build a multipurpose stadium at Celebrate Virginia South that would move the Single-A Potomac Nationals to the site after playing in Prince William County for decades, according to a report in the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. The stadium plans to be operational for the 2020 campaign, beginning April 1, 2020, and will cost $35 million to build. The agreement reportedly calls for the Silber family, which owns the P-Nats,...

P-Nats come up a bit short in 11-inning thriller for Mills Cup

P-Nats come up a bit short in 11-inning thriller for Mills Cup
Due to the impending potential impact of Hurricane Florence on the North Carolina coastline, the Carolina League decided Tuesday afternoon that the Mills Cup between the high Single-A Potomac Nationals and the Buies Creek Astros would be changed from a best-of-five series to a one-game, winner-take-all championship in Buies Creek, N.C. on Tuesday night. Potomac tallied a run in the fifth on a Nick Banks RBI double to go up 1-0. In the eighth, the Astros tied it at 1-1 on a Jake Adams solo shot....

Nats re-up with Single-A affiliates, leaving only Triple-A left

Nats re-up with Single-A affiliates, leaving only Triple-A left
Though the Nationals are still seeking a new Triple-A affiliate for the 2019 season, they already know their Double-A and both Single-A affiliates are going to stay exactly as they have more than a decade. The Nats announced new two-year extensions with both high-Single-A Potomac and low-Single-A Hagerstown on Monday, continuing their longstanding affiliations with both clubs through 2020. Neither announcement was a surprise; the Nationals have enjoyed a strong relationship with each club for...

Potomac nets six players on Carolina League All-Star squad

Potomac nets six players on Carolina League All-Star squad
It has been a solid start to the season for manager Tripp Keister's high Single-A Potomac Nationals. They have demonstrated power in their offense and have done a nice job pitching. On Monday, they were rewarded with six players on the Carolina League Northern Division All-Star team. Right-handers Tyler Mapes, Sterling Sharp and Wil Crowe, catcher Tres Barrera, shortstop Carter Kieboom and third baseman Jake Noll were named to the Carolina League All-Star Game. The six players selected are the...

Rendon takes another positive step in return, could be activated today

Rendon takes another positive step in return, could be activated today
Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon went 3-for-4 with a double on Friday night in Single-A Potomac's 4-3 loss to the Salem Red Sox in Woodbridge, Va. He made a solid defensive play at third base early in the game and spoke to reporters after the game about his progress. "I feel all right. They said I'm going to feel it for another five or six weeks after the injury, so obviously it's still going to be there, but we play with aches and pains throughout the year," Rendon told reporters at...

Ryan Sullivan: Promising prospects aplenty for Potomac

Ryan Sullivan: Promising prospects aplenty for Potomac
On Wednesday evening, I made the drive to Wilmington, Del., in order to get my first look at the 2018 Potomac Nationals. In spite of the drizzle and cold temperatures, I came away quite impressed with the collection of talent the Nationals have assembled at their high Single-A affiliate, not to mention the beginnings of a head cold. Right-hander Wil Crowe, Washington's second-round pick last summer and a top 10 prospect, started Wednesday's contest and pitched well despite the conditions,...

Kiebooms light up box scores in Friday night minor league update

Kiebooms light up box scores in Friday night minor league update
Friday night highlights for high Single-A Potomac included shortstop Carter Kieboom and third baseman Jake Noll each cranking solo homers. Designated hitter Austin Davidson contributed a two-run triple in a 9-2 victory over Wilmington. Right-hander Sterling Sharp (1-0) surrendered only one run in five innings, striking out six. Second baseman Bryan Mejia later added a two-run double while left fielder Telmito Agustin scored one with a double as well. Catcher Tres Barrera had an RBI double and...