Voth, Stevenson highlight Nats prospects invited to Arizona Fall League

Voth, Stevenson highlight Nats prospects invited to Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League announced rosters for the offseason league where top prospects play games in October and November. The Nationals have six prospects who have been invited to play for the Glendale Desert Dogs. Right-handed pitchers Austin Voth and Ryan Brinley will join left-hander Nick Lee on the team. The Nationals appear to have one more pitching slot available to be named at a later date. The spot could be offered to right-hander Erick Fedde. Infielders Osvaldo Abreu and Drew Ward...

Fedde delivers in Double-A debut

Fedde delivers in Double-A debut
Right-hander Erick Fedde (1-0) went seven innings for the win in his Double-A debut as Harrisburg defeated Altoona 5-2. Fedde allowed one run on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts. He also hit one batter. Fedde threw 103 pitches, 58 for strikes. Overall, Fedde is now 7-4 with a 2.74 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) between Harrisburg and high Single-A Potomac. The only run Altoona scored was a two-out triple in the seventh. It is impressive to see Fedde go up to Double-A and have such a...

Lopez makes Futures Game roster, Stevenson named Carolina League Player of the Week

Lopez makes Futures Game roster, Stevenson named Carolina League Player of the Week
The rosters for the 2016 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game have been announced. The U.S. All-Stars will face the World All-Stars 7 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, July 10 at Petco Park in San Diego. The Nationals will be represented on the World roster by right-hander Reynaldo Lopez from the Dominican Republic. The 22-year-old was recently promoted to Triple-A Syracuse. The 6-foot-1, 185 lb. Lopez went 3-5 with a 3.18 ERA in 14 starts for Double-A Harrisburg. In his last six starts, Lopez struck out...

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...

Nats well represented at Single-A All-Star games on June 21

Nats well represented at Single-A All-Star games on June 21
The Nationals announced a big haul of minor league All-Stars today. From the high Single-A Potomac Nationals, right-hander Ryan Brinley, left fielder Alec Keller, center fielder Andrew Stevenson and third baseman Drew Ward have been named 2016 Carolina League mid-season All-Stars. From the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns, right-handers Mariano Rivera III and Jefry Rodriguez, second baseman Max Schrock, third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez and outfielder Victor Robles all made the South Atlantic League...

Stevenson on hit streak to begin season for P-Nats

Stevenson on hit streak to begin season for P-Nats
Center fielder Andrew Stevenson went 2-for-5 with a three-run triple in high Single-A Potomac's 9-6 loss to Lynchburg Monday night. The LSU product is leading off the P-Nats and doing a nice job of starting the offense. His on-base percentage is .381 through the first two weeks of the season. Stevenson told me before the season began that they haven't made any major changes to his swing or approach, just trying to get him to feel relaxed at the plate. "Right now just trying to see the ball...

Keister intrigued by team speed as Potomac introduces 2016 roster

Keister intrigued by team speed as Potomac introduces 2016 roster
WOODBRIDGE - High Single-A Potomac manager Tripp Keister introduced his 2016 P-Nats roster Tuesday at media day and is looking forward to working with the talent the club has assembled again this season. Keister believes they can be aggressive with some speed on basepaths and on defense. "It's exciting. I think the group of position players, there's some depth to the group, there's some length to the lineup," Keister said. "We're going to have some pretty good hitters one through nine....

Bautista and Agustin add to impressive outfield depth in early camp

Bautista and Agustin add to impressive outfield depth in early camp
Some notes on Rafael Bautista and Telmito Agustin as we wrap up our outfield previews from the early camp in Florida. All of these players will be getting their assignments in the next few days as the 2016 season gets rolling. You might have caught outfielder Bautista, 23, getting an at-bat at the end of the Nationals game against the Braves on March 27. It was an infield popup, so it did not demonstrate what he is capable of in the long term. Bautista is still a top 10 prospect and he has made...

Stevenson and Wiseman bring experience in big games to help boost Nats outfield depth

Stevenson and Wiseman bring experience in big games to help boost Nats outfield depth
Continuing our focus on the early camp outfielders, Andrew Stevenson out of LSU and Rhett Wiseman out of Vanderbilt are unique in this group because they come from very good Southeastern Conference baseball programs. Both have played in the College World Series with Vanderbilt winning the title in 2014. "(Stevenson) and Rhett Wiseman both played in college and both played games," said Nationals outfield coordinator Gary Thurman. "So the crowds with those guys is not going to be a...

More early camp updates on Sagdal and young outfielders

More early camp updates on Sagdal and young outfielders
The early camp invitees take on the Mets in two games of a home-and-home series this week. Low Single-A Hagerstown manager Patrick Anderson is working with this roster all camp and had an update on infielder Ian Sagdal, a lefty-hitting 23-year-old second baseman out of Washington State. "He really can swing the bat from the left side," Anderson said. "Defensively, (infield instructor Jeff) Garber is really putting his hands on him to get him going defensively so he can maximize as much as he...

Stevenson adapting quickly as he gets ready for second pro season

Stevenson adapting quickly as he gets ready for second pro season
Outfielder Andrew Stevenson hit the ground running after being drafted by the Nationals and competing in the College World Series for LSU. The lefty-hitting 21-year-old was listed in the top 10 of Nationals prospects by Baseball America. He advanced quickly from short-season Single-A Auburn to low Single-A Hagerstown. The Nationals let Stevenson get into a groove his first month of professional ball, a philosophy that Nationals hitting coordinator Troy Gingrich said they implement with all of...

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's Nationals top 10 prospects list includes Giolito, Turner and Robles

Baseball America's Nationals top 10 prospects list includes Giolito, Turner and Robles
Baseball America released its top 10 Nationals prospects list in its digital edition this week. Here is the Nationals top 10: 1. RHP Lucas Giolito 2. SS Trea Turner 3. CF Victor Robles 4. RHP Erick Fedde 5. RHP Reynaldo Lopez 6. SS Wilmer Difo 7. RHP A.J. Cole 8. CF Andrew Stevenson 9. RHP Austin Voth 10. 3B Anderson Franco Franco is 18 out of the Dominican Republic and hit a combined .269 for two teams in 2015. Voth has advanced well and has shown stuff that plays at higher levels; he can...

Exclusive: 2015 Nationals instructional league invitees

Exclusive: 2015 Nationals instructional league invitees
The Nationals instructional league commences early next month in Florida and the roster is filled with the best prospects in the system. MASNsports.com received a list of the invitees. The list includes pitchers Lucas Giolito, Erick Fedde, Jacob Johansen, Reynaldo Lopez, Jefry Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera and Austen Williams. Also invited are catcher Spencer Kieboom, infielders Chris Bostick, Jose Marmolejos-Diaz and Drew Ward, plus outfielders Rafael Bautista, Victor Robles and Andrew...

Stevenson excelling at Hagerstown after big season for LSU

Stevenson excelling at Hagerstown after big season for LSU
Outfielder Andrew Stevenson has already been promoted from short-season Single-A Auburn to low Single-A Hagerstown. The 2015 second-round selection from Louisiana State played in the College World Series and gained valuable experience by playing for a top-flight collegiate program in the Southeastern Conference. The SEC had four teams earn trips to the College World Series in Omaha to start this summer (LSU, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Florida). Stevenson was already a highly rated centerfield...

Espinosa adjusts to new role as utility hitter (updated)

Espinosa adjusts to new role as utility hitter (updated)
With the return of three starters, players like Danny Espinosa have had to go back to their utility role planned from opening day. Espinosa is extremely valuable because of his defensive ability and has had a pretty good season at the plate. Obviously, he went through a tough period beginning in late June, but despite the loss Friday, had a solid night at the plate. Espinosa went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and a hit by pitch. On Wednesday, he started at shortstop going 0-4 with a...

Stevenson on getting call from Nats: "I was just excited that they believe in how I play"

Stevenson on getting call from Nats: "I was just excited that they believe in how I play"
LSU center fielder Andrew Stevenson was the Nationals' first pick in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft on Monday as the No. 58 selection. He leads the Tigers in hitting with a .356 average in 59 games, including 11 doubles, five triples, a homer, 26 stolen bases and 21 RBIs. "I've had a great year," Stevenson said. "We got a great team over here and we're playing some great baseball." He still has some college baseball to play as the Tigers defeated Louisiana-Lafayette in the super...

Rizzo on Stevenson: "This guy plays 100 mph with his hair on fire"

Rizzo on Stevenson: "This guy plays 100 mph with his hair on fire"
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo opted for a couple dynamic outfielders with the team's 58th and 69th picks in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft. Louisiana State University's Andrew Stevenson was Rizzo's first selection this year followed by Blake Perkins, a prep prospect out of Verrado High School in Arizona. "We're adding to our already fertile stable of athletes," Rizzo said. "You know our motto here ... we go pitching, defense, athleticism. And certainly both of these guys fill...

Nationals select a pair of outfielders to begin 2015 First-Year Player Draft

Nationals select a pair of outfielders to begin 2015 First-Year Player Draft
The Nationals selected a pair of outfielders to begin the 2015 First-Year Player Draft. With the 58th pick, the Nationals chose Louisiana State outfielder Andrew Stevenson. He is a 6-foot, 184-lb. speedy outfielder from Youngsville, La., who was All-First Team SEC for the Tigers, who have advanced to the College World Series this weekend in Omaha, Neb. Stevenson also ranked near the top of the league in batting average (sixth, .356), hits (tied for sixth, 84), triples (tied for sixth, five),...