Rankings and even more rankings talk

Rankings and even more rankings talk
Yesterday was a big day in prospect land, as Baseball America released its top 100 prospects list and ESPN's Keith Law released his second 50 (subscription required). His top 50 will be released today. For the first time since 2014, the Orioles have three on the Baseball America top 100. Austin Hays was ranked No. 21, with Chance Sisco at No. 68 and Ryan Mountcastle at No. 71. The last three years, the Orioles had three combined, with two in 2015, none in 2016 and one last year with Sisco at...

Robles No. 5, Soto No. 56 on Baseball America top 100 (plus note on Garcia)

Robles No. 5, Soto No. 56 on Baseball America top 100 (plus note on Garcia)
Here are some final insights from Double-A Harrisburg pitching coach Michael Tejera about three top Nationals prospects he has coached or seen play over the last few seasons. Center fielder Victor Robles is such an elite prospect he earned a spot on the Nationals' postseason roster. He also was named the MVP at the Fall Stars Game in the Arizona Fall League. Robles is mentioned in every trade discussion with the Nats. The club doesn't want to give him up in a trade because of his tremendous...

No. 1 Nats prospect: Victor Robles

No. 1 Nats prospect: Victor Robles
The top prospect in the Nationals system, according to Baseball America, comes as no surprise to anyone, and that is center fielder Victor Robles. He was so good that he made the Nats' postseason roster even though he had only a handful of major league games under his belt before the Nats faced the Cubs in the National League Division Series. One part of his game that maybe is not touched on enough in making him a complete player is his defense. While with high Single-A Potomac, Robles made...

No. 2 Nats prospect: Juan Soto

No. 2 Nats prospect: Juan Soto
Two outstanding outfielders round out the list of top 10 Nationals prospects for 2018, according to Baseball America: Juan Soto and Victor Robles. This entry is devoted to Soto and his immense potential for this upcoming season. Baseball America national writer Carlos Collazo said injuries slowed Soto's maturation process in 2017, but that only means that 2018 could be crazy good for the outfielder - if he can stay healthy. And more importantly, Soto, 19, is a different type of baseball player...

Does inexperienced manager in the Bronx help the Orioles?

Does inexperienced manager in the Bronx help the Orioles?
Not long after the Yankees named Aaron Boone their new manager, we heard from some Orioles fans here that Buck Showalter would "school" the rookie skipper next year. No doubt hiring Boone was a risk. He has never managed in the pro ranks - in the minors or majors. He has never coached in the majors. His most recent experience in the game came in the ESPN broadcast booth. He could certainly make mistakes due to a lack of experience. But before we assume the Orioles will take advantage of...

No. 3 Nats prospect: Erick Fedde

No. 3 Nats prospect: Erick Fedde
The next hurler on the list of top 10 Nationals prospects from Baseball America got a chance to pitch in the big leagues last season, and although it probably didn't go as well as he had hoped, the experience will be invaluable for him down the road. No. 3 RHP Erick Fedde "I think that's a great point," said Baseball America national writer Carlos Collazo. "I also think you can look at this season as one for Erick Fedde where you don't need to look too much into the numbers. They put him...

No. 4 Nats prospect: Carter Kieboom

No. 4 Nats prospect: Carter Kieboom
The Nationals drafted catcher Spencer Kieboom in 2012. He played for Triple-A Syracuse for 47 games last season and hit .275. He made it to the big leagues in 2016. Four years later, they drafted his brother, shortstop Carter Kieboom, in the first round. Carter Kieboom, 20, has been elevated to the top 10 Nationals prospects list, according to Baseball America. He was able to play 48 games for low Single-A Hagerstown in 2017. A hamstring problem and another unspecified injury kept him out of...

No. 5 Nats prospect: Seth Romero

No. 5 Nats prospect: Seth Romero
Seth Romero's tenure as a pitcher at the University of Houston did not end the way he would have liked, but he has the confidence of the Nationals and is looking to prove he was worthy of a high draft pick. Baseball America agrees that Romero is a talent and he already ranks No. 5 on their top 10 Nats prospect list. But national writer Carlos Collazo contends Romero will need to mature baseball-wise and as a man in his first few years as a professional to turn into the pitcher he is capable of...

No. 6 Nats prospect: Luis Garcia

No. 6 Nats prospect: Luis Garcia
One player that maybe a lot of Nationals fans may not be familiar with is a teenage second baseman from New York City named Luis Garcia. He can also play shortstop, and moves up from No. 7 on last year's Baseball America list of top Nationals prospects. No. 6 2B/SS Luis Garcia This is a young prospect. Look at his date of birth and it's 2000. Even still, Baseball America has been tracking Garcia for a couple of seasons and likes what it sees. "I actually feel pretty young in this industry...

No. 8 Nats prospect: Daniel Johnson

No. 8 Nats prospect: Daniel Johnson
The Nationals have done a very good job in recent years building depth in the outfield. Everyone talks about Victor Robles and Juan Soto, but there is another outfielder who is turning heads in their minor leagues and that is Daniel Johnson. Baseball America has Johnson as the No. 8 overall prospect in the Nats system. No. 8 OF Daniel Johnson Johnson played center field for low Single-A Hagerstown and high Single-A Potomac for a combined 130 games. He stole 22 bases in 2017. Carlos Collazo,...

No. 9 Nats prospect: Raudy Read

No. 9 Nats prospect: Raudy Read
Next on the list is a player who reached the major league level with the Nationals in 2017 and played in eight games in September. Catcher Raudy Read recorded 11 at-bats and notched three singles for a .273 average in his limited time up with the big boys. With the uncertainty at backup catcher in 2018, Read could get a long look at that spot in spring training. No. 9: C Raudy Read Read comes in at No. 9 on Baseball America's top 10 list of Nats prospects. National writer Carlos Collazo said...

No. 10 Nats prospect: Yasel Antuna

No. 10 Nats prospect: Yasel Antuna
It is time to begin our countdown of the top 10 Nationals prospects according to Baseball America. We bring in national writer Carlos Collazo to break down each prospect, beginning with No. 10. No. 10: SS Yasel Antuna Collazo likes what Antuna brings to the table. At 6-foot, 170 lbs., Antuna has the body to be able to generate power on offense. For the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Nats in 2017, Antuna hit .301 in 48 games with eight doubles, three triples, one homer and 17 RBIs. "Yasel...

Baseball America: Nationals system strong at catcher and shortstop

Baseball America: Nationals system strong at catcher and shortstop
It's that time of year. Getting ready for Thanksgiving and then the holidays before New Year's Day as the weather turns colder and the days shorter. At least Daylight Savings Time has kicked in so the kids don't have to walk to the school bus stop in the dark. It's also time to get ready for our annual Nats Top 10 countdown via the expertise of Baseball America. Click here to review last week's Nationals top 10 prospects, as ranked by Baseball America. Carlos Collazo, national writer at...

Robles No. 1 in Baseball America's top 10 Nats prospects list

Robles No. 1 in Baseball America's top 10 Nats prospects list
Baseball America has released its top 10 Nationals prospects for 2018 and, to no surprise, the No. 1 prospect is center fielder Victor Robles. Robles is also No. 8 overall in the publication's Major League Baseball top 100 prospects list. This is the first time that Robles has been listed as the top Nationals prospect after right-hander Lucas Giolito held the top spot for three years. Giolito was traded with two other arms for center fielder Adam Eaton in December 2016. Baseball America noted...

Jim Callis on Trey Mancini's top 30 omission

Jim Callis on Trey Mancini's top 30 omission
It was an article that stirred up some fans around Birdland. It was an article that also stirred up some of those that work in Birdland, including Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette and MASN broadcaster Jim Palmer. MLBPipeline.com analyst Jim Callis recently ranked the top 30 current rookies in terms of their future potential and who would have the best long-term career. Players were not selected for their Rookie of the Year potential for 2017, but rather...

Nats prospect Juan Soto has hamate surgery; new top 10 list revealed

Nats prospect Juan Soto has hamate surgery; new top 10 list revealed
The Nationals' No. 3 prospect, outfielder Juan Soto, has been out recently because he had the hamate bone removed from his right hand, according to Nationals director of player development Mark Scialabba. Soto will be able to return to the lineup in a few weeks. Soto fractured his ankle back in early May with low Single-A Hagerstown and returned for several rehab games at the end of June and into July with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Nationals. Baseball America has updated its top 10...

Victor Robles moves to No. 9 in latest Baseball America top 100 list

Victor Robles moves to No. 9 in latest Baseball America top 100 list
Baseball America has come out with their latest update to its top 100 prospects list and the Nationals are well-represented again, despite trading away a couple of top pitching prospects last December. We dropped a new Top 💯 and it is 🔥. Come check out who 📈 and who 👎. https://t.co/2607GVk6oj -- Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 12, 2017 The Nationals have four prospects in the top 100: No. 9 Victor Robles, No. 48 Erick Fedde, No. 59 Juan Soto and No. 98...

Will there be a Moose call to the Hall? (plus organizational rankings)

Will there be a Moose call to the Hall? (plus organizational rankings)
If Jim Palmer is a Hall of Famer, then former Orioles right-hander Mike Mussina should be in the Hall as well, in my opinion. Palmer: 268 wins, 125 ERA+, 1.180 WHIP, three Cy Young Awards Mussina: 270 wins, 123 ERA+, 1.192 WHIP, zero Cy Young Awards Palmer was an eight-time 20-game winner to just once for Mussina. But Palmer also got more chances for wins, pitching in four-man rotations. He made 38 or more starts five times. Mussina made 36 starts once and made 34 in a season three times. But...

No. 1 Nats prospect: Victor Robles

No. 1 Nats prospect: Victor Robles
The Nationals' top prospect according to Baseball America was all the talk at last month's Winter Meetings. Several teams inquired about 19-year-old center fielder Victor Robles and for good reason. No. 1: CF Victor Robles Robles played two months for low Single-A Hagerstown before being promoted to high Single-A Potomac on June 27. He hit .305 for the Suns and .262 for the P-Nats. He got hit by a pitch on his hand a few times, which caused him to miss a few games due to injury. Baseball...

No. 2 Nats prospect: Erick Fedde

No. 2 Nats prospect: Erick Fedde
With Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning traded to the Chicago White Sox, one remaining pitching prospect who had his name brought up a lot in offseason trade talks takes center stage. Right-hander Erick Fedde appears to be close to making a big splash with the Nationals after gaining momentum with a solid 2016. The 23-year-old pitched in 18 games (17 starts) with high Single-A Potomac, then was promoted to Double-A Harrisburg. Fedde pitched well in five starts for the Senators....