Baseball America No. 8 Nats prospect: Andrew Stevenson

Baseball America No. 8 Nats prospect: Andrew Stevenson
It is exciting to see the potential of an outstanding defensive center fielder who knows what it's like to win fall to the Nationals in the draft. In June, the Nationals selected LSU center fielder Andrew Stevenson in the second round of the First-Year Player draft. He is an aggressive, rangy and speedy outfielder who played in the College World Series and is the top-of-the-order lefty bat that the Nationals always respect. He is locked in as Baseball America's No. 8 Nats prospect for...

Baseball America No. 9 Nats prospect: Austin Voth

Baseball America No. 9 Nats prospect: Austin Voth
Another pitcher who really had a very strong and very consistent 2015 season was right-handed starter Austin Voth. Baseball America's scouting department was also impressed with the University of Washington product's advancing skills. He is the No. 9 Nationals prospect on Baseball America's top 10. No. 9 RHP Austin Voth: The 23-year-old from Redmond, Wash., went 6-7 in 27 starts (28 games) in 2015, all with Double-A Harrisburg. Voth recorded 148 strikeouts in 157 1/3 innings, surrendering...

Baseball America No. 10 Nats prospect: Anderson Franco

Baseball America No. 10 Nats prospect: Anderson Franco
As spring training draws ever closer, it's time to count down the top 10 Nationals prospects for 2016, as calculated by Baseball America. The top 10 this year consists of a good mix of Latin and American players, pitchers and position players - as you would expect - but also a couple of surprising teenagers. A pair of the names on the list have already played games with the Nationals at the major league level. You can probably guess those quickly. But we begin with a talented teenage infield...

Looking back: Checking on the 2010 O's top 10 prospects list

Looking back: Checking on the 2010 O's top 10 prospects list
As a follow-up to yesterday's blog about the Orioles farm system, I decided to take a random look back at their top 10 list from several years ago. So I decided to take three American League East teams from after the 2010 season and see how their top 10s look now. Keep in mind that prospect analysis involves a lot of looking ahead and projections that are difficult to make. In the world of prospects, there are many more misses than hits on the farm. Most prospects don't pan out or don't...

A look to see if Orioles farm system depth is better than advertised

A look to see if Orioles farm system depth is better than advertised
Is it possible that the Orioles farm system is in better shape than some believe it to be? If you look at the recent Baseball America top 10 O's prospects list, you find some pretty good prospects that did not even make that top 10. To review, here is the O's top 10 per BA that was released Dec. 14: 1) RHP Dylan Bundy 2) RHP Hunter Harvey 3) C Chance Sisco 4) 3B Jomar Reyes 5) RHP Mychal Givens 6) LHP Chris Lee 7) SS Ryan Mountcastle 8) 1B Trey Mancini 9) OF DJ Stewart 10) RHP Mike...

Dylan Bundy, Hunter Harvey top Baseball America O's top 10 prospects list

Dylan Bundy, Hunter Harvey top Baseball America O's top 10 prospects list
Despite the fact that they pitched just 22 innings last year between them, Dylan Bundy and Hunter Harvey remain ranked No. 1 and No. 2 on the top 10 Orioles prospects list released this morning by Baseball America. They are ranked one and two for the second straight year. At a time when the O's farm system has gotten some criticism, it still has two hurlers topping the rankings who have big upside and the potential to still be top-of-the-rotation pitchers and potential aces. Now they just need...

More from Dan Duquette, plus John Manuel on O's farm, J.J. Cooper on Rule 5 draft

More from Dan Duquette, plus John Manuel on O's farm, J.J. Cooper on Rule 5 draft
NASHVILLE - So here is an interesting question: What if Chris Davis accepts what Dan Duquette termed "a really aggressive offer?" Will the Orioles have enough cash remaining to fill other needs? Here is what Duquette said when I asked that yesterday: "Well, keep in mind we have a really strong core of this ballclub. When Matt Wieters made the choice to come back he gave us a real solid catcher to go along with Caleb Joseph. That is one of the more dynamic catching combinations in the league....

The road traveled by A.J. Cole as he debuts with the Nationals in Atlanta

The road traveled by A.J. Cole as he debuts with the Nationals in Atlanta
It is exciting to see one of the Nationals' top prospects, A.J. Cole, get a shot tonight and a chance to stop his club's longest losing streak of the season in his major league debut. I remember saying hello to the tall, lanky and quiet right-hander at a minor league game a couple of seasons ago. He was charting pitches, and was cool and calm, just like he is on the mound. It all starts with Cole's difference-making fastball, plus a changeup and an improving slider. Baseball America...

Baseball America lists seven Nationals in their annual top 100

Baseball America lists seven Nationals in their annual top 100
Baseball America has announced its much anticipated top 100 list for 2015 top prospects. Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant is No. 1, while Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is listed as No. 2. The Nationals are well represented on the list with three players in the top 50 and six players in the top 96. It is no surprise that top prospect Lucas Giolito cracked the top 10 and is No. 7 overall. New to the list this season for the Nationals are right-handers Reynaldo Lopez (No. 49) and newly acquired Joe...

Baseball America No. 2 Nats prospect: Trea Turner

Baseball America No. 2 Nats prospect: Trea Turner
Many times the player to be named is just that - and few remember who that player was. But the Nationals pulled off a deal this offseason involving a PTBN that indeed hasn't been named yet, but is very likely to be a top prospect from the Padres organization. In the three-team trade that sent left-hander Travis Ott and outfielder Steven Souza Jr. to the Rays, first-round pitcher Joe Ross and a player to be named were sent to the Nationals. In June, it is expected that player will be...

Baseball America No. 3 Nats prospect: Michael A. Taylor

Baseball America No. 3 Nats prospect: Michael A. Taylor
Outfielder Michael A. Taylor advanced well in 2014, moving from Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A Syracuse all the way to the Nationals. Taylor's jump was big, considering he spent 2012 and 2013 with high Single-A Potomac. He hit .304 in the minors last season, collecting 20 doubles, three triples, 23 homers and 64 RBIs in 110 games. The power display was 10 more homers than he had hit in 2012 and 2013 combined. Taylor then played 17 games with the Nationals and had eight hits with one...

Baseball America No. 4 Nats prospect: Reynaldo Lopez

Baseball America No. 4 Nats prospect: Reynaldo Lopez
When baseball pundits talk about the future of the Nationals rotation, Lucas Giolito, A.J. Cole and even right-hander Reynaldo Lopez get mentioned. At the beginning of last year, many would not have known who Lopez was. But the pitcher who just turned 21 on Jan. 4 made a big splash on the scene by pitching well for low Single-A Hagerstown. In nine starts for the Suns, the 6-foot, 185-lb. Lopez went 4-1 with a 1.33 ERA in 47 1/3 innings, striking out 39 and walking only 11 batters. If you add...

Baseball America No. 5 Nats prospect: Erick Fedde

Baseball America No. 5 Nats prospect: Erick Fedde
The Nationals continue their connection to Las Vegas with the selection of right-hander Erick Fedde in last June's draft. Bryce Harper (hometown) and Matt Williams (UNLV) have obvious connections to the entertainment capital of the world. (More on baseball and Las Vegas later). Fedde is a 21-year-old, 6-foot-4, 180-lb. starting pitcher out of the UNLV. He went 8-2 with a 1.76 ERA in 11 starts. He had two shutouts and 82 strikeouts in 76 2/3 innings. He had Tommy John surgery in June. Fedde has...

Baseball America No. 6 Nats prospect: Joe Ross

Baseball America No. 6 Nats prospect: Joe Ross
The Nationals were excited to be able to trade for 21-year-old right-hander Joe Ross. The brother of Padres hurler Tyson Ross, Joe Ross is a 6-foot-4, 205-pound starter from Oakland, Calif., who was the Padres' first-round pick in 2011. He arrived in the three-team December trade that sent Steven Souza Jr. to the Tampa Bay Rays. The deal also brought in shortstop Trea Turner to the Nationals. Both Ross and Turner have been ranked among the Nationals' top 10 prospects by Baseball...

Baseball America No. 7 Nats prospect: A.J. Cole

Baseball America No. 7 Nats prospect: A.J. Cole
The Nationals coveted right-hander A.J. Cole so much, they traded back for the right-hander in 2013 in the three-team deal that sent Michael Morse to the Mariners. Cole was drafted by the Nationals in 2010, but then traded in 2011 to the Athletics as part of the trade that sent Gio Gonzalez to Washington. Cole struggled at times with Oakland, but after being back with his original team he flourished in 2014. Cole was named the Eastern League pitcher of the week in May and posted a 6-3...

Baseball America No. 8 Nats prospect: Wilmer Difo

Baseball America No. 8 Nats prospect: Wilmer Difo
There are few Nationals prospects that get more buzz when I talk to coaches, scouts and baseball people in the know than infielder Wilmer Difo. He splashed on the scene for me last year when I interviewed strength and conditioning coordinator Landon Brandes on the Nationals prospects annual strength and conditioning camp. Brandes said Difo was the top total points leader in the camp in three competitions: team conditioning, team weight lifting and individual weight lifting. Difo played very...

Baseball America No. 9 Nats prospect: Drew Ward

Baseball America No. 9 Nats prospect: Drew Ward
This offseason is exciting as we look ahead to the potential of 20-year-old third baseman Drew Ward. He is a 6-foot-4, 210-lb. infielder from a town of about 440 in central Oklahoma. Ward hit 10 homers last year, after hitting one in 2013 for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast Nationals, and added an impressive 73 RBIs. The 2013 third-rounder could be one of those future power bats the Nationals covet. After Steven Souza Jr. was traded and Tyler Moore is potentially in the big leagues for good, Matt...

Baseball America No. 10 Nats prospect: Brian Goodwin

Baseball America No. 10 Nats prospect: Brian Goodwin
Outfielder Brian Goodwin played in 81 games last season for the Syracuse Chiefs. It was the 24-year-old's his first full season at Triple-A. The left-handed Rocky Mount, N.C., native is locked in Baseball America's Nationals prospects list at No. 10. No. 10: outfielder Brian Goodwin "I think right now he is in the fourth outfielder mode," Baseball America editor-in-chief John Manuel said. "I had a chance the last two years to go to the (Arizona) Fall League to work for MLB Network as a...

Baseball America Nos. 11, 12 Nats prospects: Nick Pivetta and Austin Voth

Baseball America Nos. 11, 12 Nats prospects: Nick Pivetta and Austin Voth
The Baseball America top 10 Nationals prospects list was altered a bit after the acquisitions of Joe Ross and Trea Turner. The list bumped Nick Pivetta to No. 11 and Austin Voth to No. 12. Voth, a 22-year-old right-hander, spent last season with three teams, going 4-3 with a 2.45 ERA in 13 starts. He went 2-1 with a 1.43 ERA in six starts with Single-A Potomac. And now let's turn our focus to ... No. 11: right-hander Nick Pivetta Pivetta went 13-8 with a 4.22 ERA for low Single-A...

Baseball America sees good left-handed depth in Nats' Solis, Rivero and Silvestre

Baseball America sees good left-handed depth in Nats' Solis, Rivero and Silvestre
Sammy Solis, Felipe Rivero and Hector Silvestre are the three left-handers on the Baseball America top 30 of list Nationals prospects. Matt Purke remains on the depth chart. Baseball America editor-in-chief John Manuel says Solis has been able to have a little more time to develop thanks to the pitching in front of him. This is an important season for Solis, who made only five starts last season and threw just 18 1/3 innings. He was shut down in June last season with elbow discomfort. "Sammy...