Nats prospect watch: Kieboom focused on aggressiveness at the plate
Nats prospect watch: Kieboom focused on aggressiveness at the plate
Byron Kerr
Nationals
Nationals hitting coordinator Troy Gingrich said that top prospect Carter Kieboom started to get into a nice rhythm the final few weeks of March after a slow start to this spring training. "It was a different feeling for Carter this year because he knew the job was his for the take," Gingrich said. "He made a couple of adjustments in the offseason on his own, trying to make some moves that he does smaller. They didn't really transform how he was expecting them to in the games, along with...
Union creates fund for non-roster players in big league camps
Union creates fund for non-roster players in big league camps
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
The agreement struck last week between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association ensured all players on 40-man rosters would be paid a partial salary even if there's no 2020 season. But what about longtime big league players who aren't currently on 40-man rosters? That group was taken care of Friday when the union voted to establish an assistance fund for players with major league experience who were in spring training as non-roster invitees. The fund will pay anywhere from $5,000...
Chris Davis had a strong spring, but what could it mean now?
Chris Davis had a strong spring, but what could it mean now?
Steve Melewski
Orioles
It was during a radio broadcast of the "Orioles Hot Stove Show" on 105.7 The Fan in late January when Chris Davis first revealed what he did this winter that could help him hit come summer. He got bigger. To say the least, many were skeptical when they heard that. The revelation came after Davis said that he did not make any swing changes over the winter. At 34, he said, he hits the way he hits. But getting bigger was part of the plan. "One of those (adjustments I made) is just my overall...
Baseball's shutdown impacting minor league preparation
Baseball's shutdown impacting minor league preparation
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic in professional baseball reaches down to the minor league level. To players with salary concerns and the managers and coaches who are trying to develop them and prepare for an abbreviated season. Triple-A Norfolk's Gary Kendall is back home in the Salisbury area, doing yardwork and engaging in video conference calls to collect and share information that no longer could be dispensed in Sarasota. The six-foot rule turned into complete isolation. The calls...
Nats prospect watch: García works to employ lower half in swing
Nats prospect watch: García works to employ lower half in swing
Byron Kerr
Nationals
We switch gears now in our previews to the offense and check in with how Luis García's spring training was going before the shutdown. Um, yeah, it was going really well. The left-handed swinging García was hitting the baseball consistently to begin 2020. The 19-year-old shortstop slashed a stunning .417/.462/.542 in 15 big league games, with one homer and four RBIs. García is listed as the No. 97 overall prospect according to MLBPipeline.com's preseason rankings. As one might expect,...
Friday morning Nats Q&A
Friday morning Nats Q&A
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
First things first: Yes, we will start up the World Series re-watch soon. Just taking a little break after the National League Championship Series (but not as long as the six-day break the Nationals actually took). In the meantime, this feels like a good opportunity to chat with all of you. Obviously, these are not normal circumstances for baseball - but more importantly, for the world. We're trying to stick to baseball around here, but it's impossible not to acknowledge the larger...
Providing a draft ranking and a Palmer take
Providing a draft ranking and a Palmer take
Steve Melewski
Orioles
At a time when we hope, but don't know for sure, that there will be a baseball season, we do know for sure there be a First-Year Player Draft. The draft is going to be held, although we don't yet know for certain if it will be limited to five rounds. But it may be just five. At a date yet to be decided - reportedly between June 10 and July 20 - there will be an amateur draft and the Orioles will make the No. 2 overall selection for the first time in club history. Readers here have asked...
Orioles finding ways to cope and assist during pandemic
Orioles finding ways to cope and assist during pandemic
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The Orioles aren't able to start their season due to the coronavirus and they have no idea whether it's going to unfold. In the meantime, players are working to stay in shape, just in case, and finding ways to assist people in need and to ease the strain on their lives. First baseman Chris Davis and his wife, Jill, donated breakfast to the staff at the University of Maryland Children's Hospital on the morning of March 26, which would have been opening day. The couple made a $3 million...
Can Phillips avoid the injured list?
Can Phillips avoid the injured list?
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The medical update from Orioles manager Brandon Hyde and a brief interview with the injured reliever at his spring training locker made for an easy jump to a roster conclusion. It felt like more of a hop. Evan Phillips wasn't able to pitch because of a sore elbow and headed to Los Angeles for a second opinion. A month or more could pass before he'd be allowed to pick up a ball. My headline on a March 6 article stated: "Phillips to start season on injured list" The third paragraph read:...
Nationals value graduates of their Dominican academy
Nationals value graduates of their Dominican academy
Byron Kerr
Nationals
The Nationals continue to do a very good job of fortifying their roster with quality prospects who started out at their Dominican baseball academy. It is one main reason why MLBPipeline.com has ranked the Nationals' international prospects in their top 10 in Major League Baseball. In a recent ranking, the Nats overall system was rated No. 5 in the top 10 of the 2010's. Being in the right place at the right time for Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg had a lot to do with that, but so did the...