Cluff values Fredericksburg experience, now continues instruction in Florida

Cluff values Fredericksburg experience, now continues instruction in Florida
In late September, we got a chance to check in with shortstop Jackson Cluff, who spent the last month of the season at the Nationals alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Va. Cluff is rated as the No. 20 Nats prospect by MLBPipeline.com. He played his first season of pro ball at low single-A Hagerstown. Cluff said it was exciting to get a chance to work out with other Nationals players as part of the 60-man player pool. "I think that excitement raises when you get to play at this level...

2020 Nationals fall instructional league roster and schedule

2020 Nationals fall instructional league roster and schedule
MASNsports.com has obtained a copy of the Nationals' official fall instructional league 65-player roster for 2020. Players in attendance whom MLBPipeline.com lists as top Nats prospects include pitchers Jackson Rutledge, Cade Cavalli, Tim Cate, Mason Denaburg, Cole Henry, Andry Lara, Eddy Yean, Matt Cronin and Seth Romero, who is on a major league rehab assignment with a broken right hand. Top 20 rated Nats position players on hand: first baseman Drew Mendoza, shortstop/third baseman Yasel...

With no minor leagues, Cavalli made most of alternate camp

With no minor leagues, Cavalli made most of alternate camp
Cade Cavalli could justifiably look at the summer of 2020 and be bitter he missed out on his first season of professional baseball. With no minor leagues and no opponents to face, the Nationals' first-round pick could only spend the last two months working out every single day at the club's alternate training site in Fredericksburg, pitching simulated games to the same group of hitters over and over and over. You'll hear no such complaints from Cavalli. If anything, you'll hear nothing but...

Updates on Espino, Eppler, Fuentes, Romero and Irvin

Updates on Espino, Eppler, Fuentes, Romero and Irvin
Nationals minor league pitching coordinator Brad Holman really likes the curveball of right-hander Paolo Espino. He remembers working with Espino while they both were with the Rangers in 2017. In the second part of our series on pitchers on the 60-man player pool in Fredericksburg, we highlight the veteran Espino and others. Last week, we focused on top pitching prospects Jackson Rutledge and Cade Cavalli. "He is a very polished pitcher," Holman said of Espino. "He's a four-pitch guy:...

Cronin refining curveball as he works toward big league goal

Cronin refining curveball as he works toward big league goal
Lots of chatter from the Nationals recently about how well Matt Cronin is doing at the alternate training site. The left-hander has been dominant and has had the opportunity to showcase his stuff against experienced Nats hitters. "It was a little bit of an adjustment at first just facing more seasoned hitters," Cronin said. "Guys who knew the zone a little better and are used to seeing higher-quality stuff. I was struggling just attacking hitters when I first got here, but after the...

Rutledge working on fastball command, improving changeup

Rutledge working on fastball command, improving changeup
Nationals top pitching prospect Jackson Rutledge has worked on commanding his fastball and curveball during his bullpen sessions and simulated games at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg. As Nats minor league pitching coordinator Brad Holman told me this week, it's all about moving the ball around the strike zone instead of narrowly avoiding it. "It's definitely been the emphasis during camp," Rutledge said during a Zoom video session with reporters. "I think I've actually...

Cavalli and Rutledge bringing the heat in Fredericksburg

Cavalli and Rutledge bringing the heat in Fredericksburg
Top Nationals pitching prospects Cade Cavalli and Jackson Rutledge continue to get their work in at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Va., under the direction of minor league pitching coordinator Brad Holman and the coaching staff. Rutledge is currently ranked No. 3 and Cavalli No. 4 in the latest MLBpipeline.com top 30 Nationals prospects list. "Well, obviously both those guys are extremely talented," Holman told me. "I can't say enough about either one of them. They are...

Denaburg recovering from shoulder cleanup: "All reports have been positive"

Denaburg recovering from shoulder cleanup: "All reports have been positive"
Right-hander Mason Denaburg, the Nationals' top overall selection from the 2018 First-Year Player Draft, has been been progressing well from a shoulder cleanout we reported earlier this winter. Three of the Nats' top four first-round selections the past four drafts are in the current 60-man player pool, including Cade Cavalli, Jackson Rutledge and Seth Romero. Because he is undergoing rehab following the procedure on his right shoulder, Denaburg is not in camp. The arthroscopic cleanout did...

All in the family as Quade Tomlin signs with the Nats

All in the family as Quade Tomlin signs with the Nats
The Nationals stayed in the family when they signed middle infielder Quade Tomlin as an undrafted free agent this week. Tomlin's father, Randy Tomlin, was the pitching coach for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators in 2011, spending many years working with Nats prospects. Randy Tomlin was his son's coach at Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Va. During his tenure as coach, the high school has won three Virginia state championships and had been to the state finals during one run five years in...

Brzykcy brings 100 mph fastball to future Nats bullpen

Brzykcy brings 100 mph fastball to future Nats bullpen
The Nationals confirmed Wednesday that they have agreed to terms with nine undrafted free agents, including Virginia Tech right-handed fireballer Zach Brzykcy. The others agreeing to deals with the Nats were catcher Ray Torres IV, infielders Quade Tomlin, Gio Diaz and Brian Klein, right-hander Edward Ureña, outfielders Zach Cornell and Landon Dieterich, and slugging first baseman Jackson Coutts. Brzykcy springboarded into his junior season in Blacksburg, Va., with outstanding work as a...

Updates on Nats pitching prospects Denaburg and Parker

Updates on Nats pitching prospects Denaburg and Parker
More on Nationals pitching prospects from undrafted free agent Ray Torres IV. The catcher agreed to a deal with the Nats last week out of San Jacinto College North. Torres played for the Central Florida Gators, an elite travel team that included several top selections in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft. The Gators boast two national titles and 49 college commitments. One of the pitchers he caught was the Nationals' top 2018 selection, Mason Denaburg. In 2018, Central Florida had 13 players...

Minor league season officially canceled

Minor league season officially canceled
It had been a foregone conclusion for some time, but today's official announcement nonetheless hurts baseball fans around the world: The 2020 minor league season has been canceled. The announcement came after Major League Baseball informed Minor League Baseball it will not be providing its affiliated teams with players this season. MLB clubs have designated 60 players who may appear during the planned 60-game major league season, with those players not on the active roster at any given time...

Torres felt "natural knack for catching" early on

Torres felt "natural knack for catching" early on
Last week, we had San Jacinto College North baseball coach Tom Arrington preview catcher Ray Torres IV, who has reportedly agreed to join the Nationals organization as an undrafted free agent. Torres got the call from the Nats after the draft and agreed to terms, forgoing a scholarship offer to LSU. He told me he was ready to go pro after high school last year, but opted instead to get better and hone his skills at San Jacinto this past season. The 20-year-old Torres is now back home in...

College coach on Rutledge: "He's a complete ballplayer"

College coach on Rutledge: "He's a complete ballplayer"
Right-hander Jackson Rutledge started 10 games in the Nationals farm system in 2019, split between the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, short-season Single-A Auburn and low Single-A Hagerstown. Rutledge was the Nats' first-round pick in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft after playing for head coach Tom Arrington at San Jacinto College North. The big right-hander was a part of a trio of starters that led the Gators to the top of their division in 2019, alongside Nats 2020 fifth-round pick...

Nationals again look to build depth through draft

Nationals again look to build depth through draft
Sean Doolittle, Adam Eaton and Yan Gomes. All three players are prime examples of where the Nationals needed top-flight major league talent to compete for a title, but did not necessarily have that guy in their system at the time. All three made significant contributions on their road to winning the 2019 World Series. In the middle of 2019, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo brought in relievers Roenis Elías and Hunter Strickland through trade. Rizzo sent minor league left-handers Taylor...

Nationals' "simple" approach in Dominican has paid major dividends

Nationals' "simple" approach in Dominican has paid major dividends
The Nationals have done a very good job in their scouting over the years in the Dominican Republic, especially recently with the signings of Victor Robles, Juan Soto and Wander Suero. Suero was signed in 2010. Robles inked his deal in 2013 and Soto in 2015. Nationals vice president and assistant general manager of international operations Johnny DiPuglia has spent many years scouting and fostering contacts in the Dominican and Venezuela, way before a lot of other teams started to get into the...

Rundown of Nats' minor league roster cuts

Rundown of Nats' minor league roster cuts
Here is a rundown of the late May roster cuts by the Nationals of minor league players. Unfortunately, the shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic has now stretched on for two months, putting into jeopardy a minor league season altogether. Keon Barnum, 1B, 606 career minor league games, free agent signing Dante Bichette Jr., 3B, 73 games for Double-A Harrisburg Adalberto Carrillo, C, 42 games with short-season Single-A Auburn Phil Caulfield, 2B, 35 games for low Single-A Hagerstown Tyler...

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....

An in-depth look at Dominican Summer League roster

An in-depth look at Dominican Summer League roster
We next take an inside look at some of the notable prospects that played for the Nationals on their Rookie-level Dominican Summer League team in 2019. Nationals vice president and assistant general manager of international operations Johnny DiPuglia said he has been impressed with right-hander Eddy Yean. The 18-year-old is ranked as the Nats No. 6 prospect on the MLBPipeline.com top 30 for 2020. "We signed him a couple of years ago for, I think, $100,000," DiPuglia said. "He's a...

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...