Read, Bourque are among Nats' first spring cuts (Cards win 3-2)

Read, Bourque are among Nats' first spring cuts (Cards win 3-2)
JUPITER, Fla. - The Nationals made their first cuts of camp this morning, and there were no real surprises among the seven players trimmed from the spring roster. Catcher Raudy Read was optioned to Triple-A Fresno, while right-hander James Bourque was optioned to Double-A Harrisburg. Five other players were reassigned to minor league camp: right-handers Ronald Peña and Wil Crowe, first baseman-outfielder José Marmolejos, catcher Tres Barrera and outfielder Chuck Taylor. "Just go down and...

Barrett, C. Kieboom, Garcia headline non-roster invitees to camp

Barrett, C. Kieboom, Garcia headline non-roster invitees to camp
The Nationals have announced 18 non-roster invitees to spring training, including two of their top infield prospects and a pitcher trying to return to the majors for the first time 2015 after a myriad of injuries. The two infield prospects - Luis Garcia, 18, and Carter Kieboom, 21 - both figure to get a lot of playing time around the diamond at various positions. Garcia, who has played shortstop, second base and third base, slashed .298/.335/.406 with seven homers and 46 RBIs for low Single-A...

Martinez critiques Cole, Fedde and Marmolejos

Martinez critiques Cole, Fedde and Marmolejos
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The results may not have been particularly pleasing, but Nationals manager Davey Martinez liked the approach taken by right-hander A.J. Cole in his three-inning start in Tuesday's 10-5 Grapefruit League loss to the Astros. Cole wasn't able to consistently throw first-pitch strikes, had some success getting his curveball over and never got into any kind of rhythm in his second spring start. He was saddled with the loss after allowing three runs on five hits, but didn't...

Cole uneven through three frames (Nats lose 10-5)

Cole uneven through three frames (Nats lose 10-5)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - There's been both good and bad from A.J. Cole today against the Astros. But enough bad to outweigh the good and put the Nationals in a 3-0 hole after three innings. The good? Cole has been very aggressive, challenging hitters and moving the ball around the plate, resulting in a pair of strikeouts each against Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, two of the more dangerous hitters in the Astros lineup. After yielding a solo homer to Marwin Gonzalez with one out in the first,...

Suero and Sierra off to good starts in spring training

Suero and Sierra off to good starts in spring training
Early spring training games are a good chance for younger players to get a shot to play in major league games. One right-handed pitcher for the Nationals, Wander Suero, has gotten off to a very good start. He has not allowed a run in four appearances. Suero pitched in games on Feb. 23 and 27, and March 2 and 4. He has recorded seven strikeouts and one walk, allowing only two hits over four innings. In yesterday's 6-2 win over the Tigers, Suero struck out the side in one inning of relief. In...

Nats prospects head for winter league play

Nats prospects head for winter league play
It is winter league time of year, even as the World Series heads toward Game 3. Winter league ball has always been a very important part of a baseball player's continued evolution and a valued experience that can sometimes be that step a player needs to complete his game. Several Nationals prospects are hoping this experience now will help secure spots for 2018. Michael A. Taylor talked about how important his winter league play was to helping him see, time and hit breaking pitches as he...

Luke Erickson: Who they gonna call?

Luke Erickson: Who they gonna call?
For the first six seasons in D.C., Sept. 1 meant one thing for fans of the Washington Nationals: Let's see if any of these minor leaguers might make the team next spring. Like, for example, Ian Desmond in 2009, Wilson Ramos in 2010, and the trio of Steve Lombardozzi, Tommy Milone and Brad Peacock in 2011 (yes, it counts because Milone and Peacock were key pieces in the trade for Gio Gonzalez). But this season, like the last five, the Nats are playoff contenders and the expectations for the...

Nats' $162 million opening day payroll ranks ninth in majors

Nats' $162 million opening day payroll ranks ninth in majors
The Nationals' opening day payroll was up 16 percent from last season and ranks ninth among all Major League Baseball clubs, according to figures compiled by USA Today. The players who made the Nats' opening day 25-man roster or disabled list have a combined salary of $162,742,157. That ranks ninth in the majors, behind the Dodgers, Tigers, Rangers, Giants, Mets, Red Sox, Yankees and Cubs. The Nationals' average salary of nearly $6.3 million ranks fifth in the sport, while their median...

Wieters always thought Nats "would be a good fit for me"

Wieters always thought Nats "would be a good fit for me"
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - For anyone who watched him get drafted by the Orioles, debut with the Orioles and become a four-time All-Star with the Orioles, the sight this morning of Matt Wieters wearing a red No. 32 jersey and a curly W cap had to be jarring. For Wieters, whose signing with the Nationals finally was made official, it was a bit awkward, as well. And yet there was a certain comfort level joining a franchise that has never felt entirely foreign to him. "I always thought Washington...

MLB.com has Nationals' minor league position players ranked No. 16

MLB.com has Nationals' minor league position players ranked No. 16
The Nationals' prospect depth took a little bit of a hit as one could imagine when they sent three of the top pitchers in the system to the White Sox in the trade that netted outfielder Adam Eaton. Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez were always consistently ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the Nationals system by several publications and websites. Former Florida pitcher Dane Dunning was also in the top 10 on those lists. MLB.com has come out with its positional rankings and had the Nats ranked No. 16...

More praise for Nats prospects Ward, Marmolejos and Soto

More praise for Nats prospects Ward, Marmolejos and Soto
Reviewing some of the other Nationals infield prospects we have not touched on yet, and that list must include third baseman Drew Ward. He extended his season in the Arizona Fall League, where MLBPipeline.com senior writer Jim Callis got to see him play in person. "He's a guy who was a high school player when they signed him," Callis said. "Power is his tool. It's there. It's not always there in game action, but I think he hit 14 homers this year. His ceiling is definitely higher than...

Voth, Bautista among five players added to Nats' 40-man roster

Voth, Bautista among five players added to Nats' 40-man roster
The Nationals added five players to their 40-man roster this afternoon, in the process protecting outfielder Rafael Bautista, first baseman Jose Marmolejos, catcher Raudy Read, infielder Matt Skole and right-hander Austin Voth from being scooped up by another organization in next month's Rule 5 draft. The additions, which were required to be made before a 5 p.m. EST deadline, leave the Nationals with 36 players officially on their 40-man roster for the moment. (That number will rise to 37 once...

Where the Nats' 40-man roster stands on decision day

Where the Nats' 40-man roster stands on decision day
There's a deadline this afternoon around baseball. It's not one of the major deadlines, like the trade deadline or the qualifying offer deadline. But it's nonetheless a potentially significant one when it comes to organizations keeping their best prospects from getting swooped up by another club. By 5 p.m. EST, all teams must add any players they wish to protect from being selected in the Rule 5 draft to their 40-man roster. What does that mean? A quick primer for those who aren't familiar...

Nats' Dominican players honored prior to Marlins game Saturday

Nats' Dominican players honored prior to Marlins game Saturday
The Nationals welcomed their organizational Players of the Year and their Gulf Coast League MVP to Nats Park prior to Saturday's game against the Marlins. First baseman Jose Marmolejos was honored as the organizational Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, right-hander Reynaldo Lopez was named pitcher of the year, while right fielder Rafael Bautista is the Bob Boone Award recipient and center fielder Juan Soto is the GCL MVP. All four of these players are from the Dominican...

Nats announce 2016 organizational Player of the Year honors

Nats announce 2016 organizational Player of the Year honors
The Nationals have announced their minor league Players of the Year for 2016 and their Bob Boone Award recipient. For the second consecutive season, 23-year-old first baseman Jose Marmolejos is the organizational offensive Player of the Year. The first baseman moved up to Double-A Harrisburg and had another outstanding campaign with 45 doubles and a .289 average over 136 games. He played 103 of those games at high Single-A Potomac. The organizational Pitcher of the Year is 22-year-old...

More early camp updates on Fedde, Marmolejos, Abreu and others

More early camp updates on Fedde, Marmolejos, Abreu and others
More early camp updates, including the progress of right-hander Erick Fedde. The UNLV standout was a first-round selection by the Nationals in 2014 and immediately had Tommy John surgery. Low Single-A Hagerstown manager Patrick Anderson said Fedde looks like he's ready to log some heavier innings this season. Fedde tossed 64 innings in 14 games last season. "He looks really fresh," Anderson said. "His arm looks really good. He's got life back to him, you know what I mean? It usually takes...

Nats prospect watch Part II: Jose Marmolejos

Nats prospect watch Part II: Jose Marmolejos
Almost making it into Baseball America's list of the top Nationals prospects was Jose Marmolejos, who smashed the baseball in 2015. The first baseman slashed .310/.363/.485 in 124 games for the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns. He hit 39 doubles, five triples, 11 homers and 87 RBIs. Marmolejos was so good he was honored as the Nationals organizational Offensive Player of the Year. Baseball America editor-in-chief John Manuel said his publication likes what they see from him offensively, but want...

Jose Marmolejos-Diaz has the lefty power bat the Nationals love

Jose Marmolejos-Diaz has the lefty power bat the Nationals love
I can't stop talking about first baseman Jose Marmolejos-Diaz, who tore up the South Atlantic league for the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns on his way to earning organizational Player of the Year honors. First and foremost, it is fun for play-by-play announcers just to roll his name off the tongue when he steps to the plate or makes a backhanded stab of a hot shot at first base. "First time you say it, it's kind of a fun name to say, let alone how good a player he is," said Hagerstown manager...

Marmolejos, Voth and Williams take home organizational honors

Marmolejos, Voth and Williams take home organizational honors
The Nationals have named first baseman Jose Marmolejos-Diaz their organization player of the year, right-hander Austin Voth pitcher of the year and right-hander Austen Williams received the Bob Boone Award, MASNsports.com has learned. Low Single-A Hagerstown lefty-hitting first baseman Marmolejos-Diaz had a breakout season for the Suns. The 22-year-old Dominican Marmolejos-Diaz hit .310 in 124 games with 39 doubles, five triples, 11 homers and 87 RBIs. His on-base percentage was .363 and his...

Are Nationals looking to build another home run bat in their system?

Are Nationals looking to build another home run bat in their system?
Since 2010, the Nationals enjoyed a solid run from Tyler Moore, Steven Souza Jr. and Michael A. Taylor, who displayed home run power at the minor league level. Moore hit 107 homers and drove in 435 RBIs in the minors. Souza crushed 93 homers and had 421 RBIs. Taylor launched 51 homers and had 273 RBIs in the minors. Souza is now with the Tampa Bay Rays after a trade that brought starter Joe Ross and shortstop Trea Turner to the Nationals. Moore has been a solid bench bat for a few seasons now...