Nationals set minor league coaching staffs

Nationals set minor league coaching staffs
Now that Major League Baseball has announced minor league affiliations and schedules for the 2021 season, the Nationals took care of one remaining piece of unfinished business Friday afternoon, announcing their minor league coaching staffs for the upcoming campaign. Matt LeCroy will move up a level to manage Triple-A Rochester after spending the 2016-19 seasons as the skipper at Double-A Harrisburg. In his 13th season in the Nationals organization, LeCroy served as minor league quality control...

Report: Nats finalize minor league managerial appointments

Report: Nats finalize minor league managerial appointments
The Nationals have set their minor league managers for 2021, according to published reports. At Triple-A Rochester, Matt LeCroy returns to the dugout, moving up from Double-A Harrisburg. Moving to the Senators to manage is Tripp Keister. At high Single-A Wilmington is Tommy Shields. Mario Lisson takes over as manager for low Single-A Fredericksburg. Since 2008, LeCroy, 45, has managed in the Nats system at low Single-A, high Single-A and Double-A and was the bullpen coach on Matt Williams'...

Tim Cate "made big strides" over summer as he prepares for 2021

Tim Cate "made big strides" over summer as he prepares for 2021
Here is a quick update on left-hander Tim Cate. The 2018 second-rounder is rated as the No. 8 overall Nationals prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com. Nats pitching coordinator Brad Holman said Cate is not afraid to go after hitters and he believes this will help him as his career moves along. Cate went 7-4 with 3.31 ERA in 13 starts in 2019, striking out 66 over 73 1/3 innings. Holman liked the advancement he saw in Cate this summer at the alternate camp in Fredericksburg, Va., despite having...

Young catchers at Nats' lower levels growing up fast

Young catchers at Nats' lower levels growing up fast
Current short-season Single-A Auburn manager Patrick Anderson says the Nationals need a lot of catchers at their lower levels so they can build stamina at that spot in the lineup. Catching is a position that can administer wear and tear on bodies over the course of a season, especially for teenagers just getting their first taste of playing pro ball. "That position beats them up," Anderson said. "They are not used to 140 games at the low Single-A level. Those guys can get hurt sometimes....

Keister on high Single-A talent

Keister on high Single-A talent
Former Arizona State center fielder Gage Canning started last season at low Single-A Hagerstown, but after 10 games, moved up to high Single-A Potomac in mid-April. The 23-year-old hit .243/.311/.378 with 30 doubles, nine triples, 10 homers and 68 RBIs. Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals manager Tripp Keister expects to see more of Canning this season in the Carolina League. "Canning finished the year with us," Keister said. "He looked like a guy that was going to come back. If you looked at...

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...

Keister offers updates on pitchers Cate, Romero and Irvin

Keister offers updates on pitchers Cate, Romero and Irvin
I recently got the perspective of high Single-A Fredericksburg manager Tripp Keister on a few of the pitchers he saw throw during October instructional league workouts and more recently in Nationals spring training. The first was left-hander Tim Cate, who I spoke with at the start of 2019 spring training in West Palm Beach. Keister said Cate, 22, moved up to Woodbridge, Va., midway through the season last year. The skipper liked the pitching repertoire Cate brought to the table for the...

FredNats manager Keister excited and hopeful for 2020 season

FredNats manager Keister excited and hopeful for 2020 season
I got the chance to catch up with high Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals manager Tripp Keister recently and he broke down thoughts on the coronavirus shutdown, their new stadium opening and his potential roster for 2020. This will be Keister's ninth season coaching in the Nationals organization, and he desperately wants to get back to baseball and get a chance to see their brand-new stadium open in Fredericksburg, which was supposed to take place April 23. Unfortunately, the coronavirus...

Freeman's consistency and versatility keys to his success

Freeman's consistency and versatility keys to his success
Infielder/outfielder Cole Freeman has put together two of the most consistent seasons in his first two campaigns in the Nationals organization. Along the way, Freeman has proven his ability to excel as the level of competition intensified. In his first season out of LSU in 2018, Freeman played in 122 games with low Single-A Hagerstown, slashing .266/.354/.371 with 32 doubles, three triples, three homers, 26 stolen bases and 43 RBIs. The next season, he was even better. In 2019 at high Single-A...

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...

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....

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...

Mills, Pena and Bourque keep moving up to lift minor league bullpens

Mills, Pena and Bourque keep moving up to lift minor league bullpens
Right-handers Ronald Pena and James Bourque and left-hander Jordan Mills all did so well in helping high Single-A Potomac, they were moved up to Double-A Harrisburg. Pena went 2-3 with a 3.27 ERA in 38 appearances last season. Bourque made it into 41 games between the two clubs, garnering a 4-2 combined record with a 1.70 ERA. Mills went 2-3 with a 2.48 ERA with Potomac and Harrisburg and continued to pitch well in the Arizona Fall League. "That bullpen we had this year had some guys," said...

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...

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...

Nats announce minor league staff, Knorr to manage Syracuse

Nats announce minor league staff, Knorr to manage Syracuse
The Nationals have announced their minor league staff for 2018, highlighted by the return of Randy Knorr to the dugout as manager of the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, a post he last held in 2011. The past two seasons Knorr was the senior advisor to Mike Rizzo. Matt LeCroy remains as Double-A Harrisburg manager and Tripp Keister continues as skipper for high Single-A Potomac. Patrick Anderson holds down the fort again as manager of the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns. Former Syracuse manager Billy...

Taylor "looks good, he feels good" as he rehabs with P-Nats (updated)

Taylor "looks good, he feels good" as he rehabs with P-Nats (updated)
Nationals center fielder Michael A. Taylor (oblique) continues his rehab tonight with the high Single-A Potomac Nationals at Winston-Salem. He is expected to start in center field. He took Thursday off. Taylor has hit in three games for the P-Nats, going 2-for-7 (.286) with two intentional walks, two strikeouts, two runs and a stolen base. Potomac manager Tripp Keister says there is a back story to the pair of intentional walks, which relates to the rivalry between Lynchburg and his club. The...

Midseason adjustment for lefty Crownover led to surge into postseason

Midseason adjustment for lefty Crownover led to surge into postseason
Left-hander Matthew Crownover made a mechanical adjustment this season that turned things around for him after a shaky start. In his last five starts, he allowed only six runs in 30 innings. During that span, he walked six batters and struck out 30 hitters. High Single-A Potomac manager Tripp Keister said that pitching coach Franklin Bravo diagnosed the issue with Crownover's delivery and was able to get him to repeat to a point where he was able to get the ball down in the zone better than he...

Phillips Valdez honing breaking pitch to get to next level

Phillips Valdez honing breaking pitch to get to next level
Right-hander Phillips Valdez was on the radar among starters who are building innings in the Nationals organization. The Dominican product moved from the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2013. Valdez has a solid frame at 6-foot-2 and 160 lbs., and offers a mid-90s fastball with a changeup and a slurvy breaking pitch. In 2014, he split time between short-season Single-A Auburn and low Single-A Hagerstown. In 2015, he went from Hagerstown to high...