Notes on Mountcastle, Cobb and more to wrap up latest workout

Notes on Mountcastle, Cobb and more to wrap up latest workout
SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde continues to rotate players at different positions in camp. Heads can spin trying to track them. Ryan Mountcastle, Chris Bostick and Jace Peterson worked out at third base this morning on the Earl Weaver "Little" Field. Rio Ruiz and Steve Wilkerson moved to first base. Rule 5 picks Richie Martin and Drew Jackson were stationed at shortstop. Zach Vincej and Jack Reinheimer took ground balls at second base. Hyde is new to the organization and...

Orioles sign Alcides Escobar to minor league deal

Orioles sign Alcides Escobar to minor league deal
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles made a move this afternoon that intensified the shortstop and utility competition. Alcides Escobar agreed to terms on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training as the first full-squad workout unfolds on Monday. He can earn $700,000 if playing for the Orioles. The rebuild doesn't preclude executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias from bringing a 32-year-old infielder into the fold. "Alcides Escobar will add a great veteran option to...

Catching up on an odd position battle

Catching up on an odd position battle
SARASOTA, Fla. - The report date for pitchers and catchers at Orioles camp yesterday didn't preclude a handful of position players from showing up. Mark Trumbo hit, threw and shagged fly balls on the Camden Yards replica field. Outfielder Ryan McKenna, utility candidate Chris Bostick, infielder Zach Vincej and Rule 5 infielder Richie Martin were in the clubhouse for media availability, and I heard that outfielders Trey Mancini and Mike Yastrzemski also were at the facility. What really stood...

Stewart and Hays working to get into outfield competition

Stewart and Hays working to get into outfield competition
While revealing at FanFest that finding more pitching is the top offseason roster priority for the Orioles, executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias didn't deny that the outfield, infield and catching position also could be addressed before opening day. The Orioles remain in an infield frenzy as they increase the competition for starting and utility jobs. They selected Richie Martin with the first pick in the Rule 5 draft and traded for Drew Jackson, who also must remain on the...

Solis returns, will look to get into games before postseason

Solis returns, will look to get into games before postseason
The Nationals announced that left-hander Sammy Solis has been activated from the disabled list. He had been out with left shoulder inflammation since Aug. 16. Solis makes the Nats roster total 39 active players. Catcher Spencer Kieboom is the only player on 40-man that is not currently on the active roster. Solis has been a solid contributor out of the 'pen this season, throws in the mid-90s and has ability to be a long reliever if the Nats need him to. But manager Dusty Baker has said as late...

Game 156 lineups: Nats vs. Diamondbacks

Game 156 lineups: Nats vs. Diamondbacks
And so we have reached the final week of the regular season, and thus the final homestand of the regular season. Way back when, we probably figured these would be meaningful games, with the Nationals engaged in a tense pennant race down to the wire. In reality, their run to the National League East title was much easier than that, and they clinched Saturday night in Pittsburgh. There is, of course, still something on the line this week: Home field advantage for what is now officially an...

Difo has grand slam and seven RBIs, Turner plays center field again

Difo has grand slam and seven RBIs, Turner plays center field again
Shortstop Wilmer Difo went 4-for-5 with a double, a grand slam and seven RBIs as Double-A Harrisburg outscored Bowie 13-10. First baseman Shawn Pleffner went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs. Rafael Bautista, Andrew Stevenson and Stephen Perez each added a pair of base hits. The Senators tallied four runs in the fourth and eighth innings. Difo's career-high seven RBIs marks the second time in a week a Senators player had tallied seven RBIs in one game. Left fielder Isaac Ballou also had a...

Nats announce several minor league promotions as prospects gain momentum

Nats announce several minor league promotions as prospects gain momentum
The Nationals announced that right-hander Lucas Giolito will be recalled to start Tuesday. The minor league system had some other major movement on Monday. The Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs announced the addition of second baseman Chris Bostick, outfielder Zach Collier and right-handed pitcher Reynaldo Lopez. The team will also have Trea Turner play center field. Double-A Harrisburg will receive outfielder Andrew Stevenson, third baseman Drew Ward, and right-handers Ryan Brinley and Boone...

Steve Mears: It can take years to analyze the success of a draft

Steve Mears: It can take years to analyze the success of a draft
Another First-Year Player Draft is in the books, and it sometimes takes years to analyze the impact of a draft class. The Nationals used to always pick high in the draft when the team was bad. With the success in the standings the last few years, the Nats are now getting draft picks at the lower end of each round. It makes the trades, international signings and other creative acquisitions even more strategic to the on-going future progression of this franchise. Ryan Zimmerman clearly had the...

Nats prospect watch: Chris Bostick

Nats prospect watch: Chris Bostick
Last December, second baseman Chris Bostick arrived alongside right-hander Abel De Los Santos from the Texas Rangers for left-hander Ross Detwiler. It ended a whirlwind few years for the highly-thought-of infielder in which he has played for three teams since 2013. "It's got to be a little bit tough for him because he has been with three organizations in three years," said Nationals hitting coordinator Troy Gingrich. "He's never really had a chance to settle down. I think at each...

Bostick finishes Arizona campaign rolling, Salt River earns second spot in division

Bostick finishes Arizona campaign rolling, Salt River earns second spot in division
The Salt River Rafters did well in Arizona Fall League play, finishing second to eventual champion Scottsdale. At 16-13, the Rafters were 1 1/2 games back of the Scorpions in the East Division. Second baseman Chris Bostick had the best surge to finish the fall season. He had nine hits in his final six games, including three doubles, a triple and a home run. It was a whirlwind 2015 season for Bostick. Last season, he was with high Single-A Myrtle Beach and then traded to the Nationals. He played...

Three minor leaguers added to Nats' 40-man roster

Three minor leaguers added to Nats' 40-man roster
The Nationals have selected the contracts of catcher Spencer Kieboom, infielder Chris Bostick and left-hander Nick Lee, adding the trio of prospects to the 40-man roster. By adding the trio to the 40-man, the Nationals will protect them from being selected in the Rule 5 draft, which will be the final order of business at the Winter Meetings in Nashville on Dec. 10. The deadline for setting the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft is tomorrow. Kieboom, 24, was a fifth-round selection in the...

Kieboom, Bautista, Simms and Bacus shining in winter play

Kieboom, Bautista, Simms and Bacus shining in winter play
Right-hander Abel del los Santos took the loss in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game on Saturday night as the West beat the East 8-3. With the game tied at 2-2 in the fifth inning,, de los Santos allowed a couple of hits, a wild pitch, a passed ball and a sacrifice fly. He did finish the inning, allowing only the one run. The Salt River Rafters (12-8) are one game back of Scottsdale for first place in the East Division as the second half begins in AFL play. The Rafters have lost two in a...

Salt River tied for first place as AFL week begins

Salt River tied for first place as AFL week begins
Catcher Spencer Kieboom has done nice job so far in the Arizona Fall League for the Salt River Rafters. He has seven hits, one homer and four RBIs in eight games. He has four walks and six strikeouts and his on-base percentage is .379. Kieboom has had seven hits in his last six games. He hit .248 in 71 games for high Single-A Potomac. This is a great sign for Kieboom, who had to battle through a concussion this season while with Potomac. He is also getting a chance to compare notes with catcher...

With Justin Morneau available, would Nationals have interest in veteran's lefty power bat?

With Justin Morneau available, would Nationals have interest in veteran's lefty power bat?
Justin Morneau's option was not picked up by the Colorado Rockies. Would the Nationals be interested in the first baseman? They would certainly covet a left-handed power bat of this stature, but would injury concerns and a logjam at that spot make them hesitate? Ryan Zimmerman is at first base for the Nationals and is coming off an oblique injury that finished his 2015 season early. Would the Nationals consider Zimmerman in left field, Bryce Harper in center field and Jayson Werth in right...

AFL update: Simms and Kieboom latest to shine for Salt River

AFL update: Simms and Kieboom latest to shine for Salt River
Right-hander John Simms had a very good start on Friday as Salt River defeated Mesa 5-1 in Arizona Fall League play. Simms went four innings, allowing only three hits and one run. He struck out four and walked one, surrendering just a solo homer to catcher Stephen McGee. Simms is now 2-0 and has a 2.57 ERA in two games and seven innings for Salt River. The 23-year-old out of Rice was an 11th-round selection by the Nationals in 2013. Salt River won its second straight over Mesa 5-4 on...

AFL update: Estevez joins Salt River; Bostick off to good start in first week

AFL update: Estevez joins Salt River; Bostick off to good start in first week
Second baseman Chris Bostick is ninth in OPS with 1.500 to begin the first week of Arizona Fall League play. He is fourth in slugging at 1.125. It is a small sample size, but Bostick has crushed two homers and has gone 3-for-8 in two games. He has scored four runs, has four RBIs and has stolen two bases. This hot-hitting run and display of power is a carryover from the end of the season for Bostick, Nationals director of player development Mark Scialabba told me. "Chris Bostick had a really...

Notes on Bostick, Simms, Harper, Strasburg and Turner

Notes on Bostick, Simms, Harper, Strasburg and Turner
Second baseman Chris Bostick, a late addition to Arizona Fall League play, unloaded Thursday with two homers as Salt River outpaced Peoria 9-7. Bostick went 3-for-4 with two-run shots in the sixth and eighth innings. He finished with three runs and four RBIs. Each of his homers gave the Rafters the lead: Down 4-3, his first made it 5-4 and tied at 5-5, his homer made it 7-5. He had two stolen bases on Wednesday and is hitting .375 in his first three games in Arizona. The speedy Bostick replaced...

Salt River wins first game, Nats rank high in ESPN fan voting

Salt River wins first game, Nats rank high in ESPN fan voting
Salt River beat Scottsdale 5-3 in its Arizona Fall League opener Tuesday night. The Rafters pitching was the story here, allowing the Scorpions only five hits in their first game in AFL play. Chris Bostick went 0-for-4, but scored a run thanks in part to his two stolen bases. Dakota Bacus came on in relief and pitched a scoreless frame late in the game, striking out two. Former Nationals prospect Danny Rosenbaum went 1 1/3 innings for Scottsdale, allowing two hits, no runs, one walk and struck...

Salt River Rafters open season tonight in Arizona Fall League

Salt River Rafters open season tonight in Arizona Fall League
The Salt River Rafters open Arizona Fall League play tonight against Scottsdale at 9:35 p.m. Eastern time at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. High Single-A Potomac's Tripp Keister is the manager of the team. Keister said that Oscar Hernandez, a Diamondbacks prospect, will do the bulk of the catching, and that Nationals farmhand Spencer Kieboom will do some catching and get to DH to build at-bats. Kieboom is coming off a concussion this recently completed season, so Keister said he will get...