No. 5 Nats prospect: Seth Romero

No. 5 Nats prospect: Seth Romero
Seth Romero's tenure as a pitcher at the University of Houston did not end the way he would have liked, but he has the confidence of the Nationals and is looking to prove he was worthy of a high draft pick. Baseball America agrees that Romero is a talent and he already ranks No. 5 on their top 10 Nats prospect list. But national writer Carlos Collazo contends Romero will need to mature baseball-wise and as a man in his first few years as a professional to turn into the pitcher he is capable of...
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No. 6 Nats prospect: Luis Garcia

No. 6 Nats prospect: Luis Garcia
One player that maybe a lot of Nationals fans may not be familiar with is a teenage second baseman from New York City named Luis Garcia. He can also play shortstop, and moves up from No. 7 on last year's Baseball America list of top Nationals prospects. No. 6 2B/SS Luis Garcia This is a young prospect. Look at his date of birth and it's 2000. Even still, Baseball America has been tracking Garcia for a couple of seasons and likes what it sees. "I actually feel pretty young in this industry...
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No. 7 Nats prospect: Wil Crowe

No. 7 Nats prospect: Wil Crowe
It is good that this list finally has a top 10 Nationals prospect who is a starting pitcher. With the likes of Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López and Dane Dunning traded away, some new arms needed to take those pitchers' places in the system. The Nats are always keen on Southeastern Conference pitching and a team with College World Series experience like South Carolina is always a good place to start. Wil Crowe, a second-round selection in the 2017 First-Year Player Draft, is No. 7 on the list...
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No. 8 Nats prospect: Daniel Johnson

No. 8 Nats prospect: Daniel Johnson
The Nationals have done a very good job in recent years building depth in the outfield. Everyone talks about Victor Robles and Juan Soto, but there is another outfielder who is turning heads in their minor leagues and that is Daniel Johnson. Baseball America has Johnson as the No. 8 overall prospect in the Nats system. No. 8 OF Daniel Johnson Johnson played center field for low Single-A Hagerstown and high Single-A Potomac for a combined 130 games. He stole 22 bases in 2017. Carlos Collazo,...
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No. 9 Nats prospect: Raudy Read

No. 9 Nats prospect: Raudy Read
Next on the list is a player who reached the major league level with the Nationals in 2017 and played in eight games in September. Catcher Raudy Read recorded 11 at-bats and notched three singles for a .273 average in his limited time up with the big boys. With the uncertainty at backup catcher in 2018, Read could get a long look at that spot in spring training. No. 9: C Raudy Read Read comes in at No. 9 on Baseball America's top 10 list of Nats prospects. National writer Carlos Collazo said...
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No. 10 Nats prospect: Yasel Antuna

No. 10 Nats prospect: Yasel Antuna
It is time to begin our countdown of the top 10 Nationals prospects according to Baseball America. We bring in national writer Carlos Collazo to break down each prospect, beginning with No. 10. No. 10: SS Yasel Antuna Collazo likes what Antuna brings to the table. At 6-foot, 170 lbs., Antuna has the body to be able to generate power on offense. For the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Nats in 2017, Antuna hit .301 in 48 games with eight doubles, three triples, one homer and 17 RBIs. "Yasel...
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Gutierrez and McGowin leading Mesa toward AFL title game

Gutierrez and McGowin leading Mesa toward AFL title game
Despite playing only 10 games, third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez is leading his Arizona Fall League team in batting with a .414 average. His club, the Mesa Solar Sox, are 15-10-1 and have a 2 1/2-game lead atop the East Division with only a handful of games remaining. Gutierrez has 12 hits, a triple, a homer, six runs and eight RBIs. All 12 of those hits have come in his last eight games, where he has gone 12-for-25 (.480). He missed several games in the middle of the AFL season after getting his...
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Nats pitching prospect spotlight: RHP Gabe Klobosits

Nats pitching prospect spotlight: RHP Gabe Klobosits
On a scheduled off-day during the Nationals' National League Division Series matchup against the Cubs in early October, a few of the Nats' young pitching prospects got to pitch batting practice at the club's top hitters. One of those prospects was right-hander Gabe Klobosits out of Auburn University. A 2017 36th-round selection, Klobosits, 22, is a big dude, standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 270 lbs. In his first pro season by way of Katy, Texas, he went an impressive 1-0 with a 1.47 ERA in 20...
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Nationals, baseball remember Roy Halladay

Nationals, baseball remember Roy Halladay
A ton of remembrances today for the passing of two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay, who died tragically in a plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico near St. Petersburg, Fla., on Tuesday. Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer remembered being motivated by watching how hard Halladay worked in spring training. My deepest condolences to the Halladay family during this difficult time. The world lost a great one too early today #RIP34 pic.twitter.com/njBOuXZ9FW -- Max Scherzer (@Max_Scherzer)...
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Baseball America: Nationals system strong at catcher and shortstop

Baseball America: Nationals system strong at catcher and shortstop
It's that time of year. Getting ready for Thanksgiving and then the holidays before New Year's Day as the weather turns colder and the days shorter. At least Daylight Savings Time has kicked in so the kids don't have to walk to the school bus stop in the dark. It's also time to get ready for our annual Nats Top 10 countdown via the expertise of Baseball America. Click here to review last week's Nationals top 10 prospects, as ranked by Baseball America. Carlos Collazo, national writer at...
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Rendon and Taylor come up short for first Gold Gloves

Rendon and Taylor come up short for first Gold Gloves
Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon did not win the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for his work on defense in 2017. The Rockies' Nolan Arenado took the honor, winning his fifth Gold Glove on Tuesday night. Rendon did win a Silver Slugger Award in 2014. Rendon still improved on his fielding percentage by three points in 2017, getting to .979. He committed only seven errors in 334 chances. Nationals center fielder Michael A. Taylor came up short as well in his nomination for a Gold Glove. Taylor...
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Strasburg's Cy Young consideration a significant milestone

Strasburg's Cy Young consideration a significant milestone
Right-hander Stephen Strasburg took a significant step forward in 2017. The Baseball Writers' Association of America agreed it was, and arguably could be, the best season of his career. On Monday night, Strasburg was named one of three finalists for the NL Cy Young Award, alongside Nationals teammate Max Scherzer and Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw. The winners will be announced Nov. 15. Strasburg received consideration for the honor in 2014, finishing ninth in the balloting, but never has...
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Scherzer, Strasburg highlight finalists for NL Cy Young Award

Scherzer, Strasburg highlight finalists for NL Cy Young Award
The Nationals raced out to a big lead in the National League East and secured the division with outstanding starting pitching throughout the season. The leaders in the starting rotation for the Nats were Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. The pair has been rewarded as finalists for the NL Cy Young Award, announced tonight by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on MLB Network. But Dusty Baker was left out of the top three for NL Manager of the Year. Scherzer won the Cy Young last...
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Victor Robles MVP of Fall Stars Game (plus AFL update)

Victor Robles MVP of Fall Stars Game (plus AFL update)
Outfielder Victor Robles continues to impress in different settings, demonstrating his advanced skill set during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Saturday night Robles won MVP honors in lifting the East past the West All-Stars 4-2 at Salt River Fields. He went 1-for-3 with a walk, stolen base, two runs scored and an RBI. Robles opened the game in the bottom of the first with a walk and a stolen base. Down 2-1, his RBI single in the eighth brought home the tying...
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Minor meeting turned into major moment for Martinez

Minor meeting turned into major moment for Martinez
New Nationals manager Dave Martinez played in the major leagues for 16 seasons. But the man that he worked with for 12 seasons saw him in the minor leagues for the first time some 34 years ago when Martinez was just 18. Current Cubs manager Joe Maddon had spotted Martinez when the outfielder began his minor league career playing for the short-season Single-A Geneva Cubs. Maddon managed in the Angels farm system from 1981 to 1986. "The first time I ever met Joe was in 1983 in instructional...
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Martinez's first goal: reaching out to roster to build relationships

Martinez's first goal: reaching out to roster to build relationships
A key component that new Nationals manager Dave Martinez believes is important to a successful and cohesive clubhouse is how players feel before and after games. How he interacts with those players on the roster can go a long way in the final product put on the field. "I'm actually excited to talk to all of them," Martinez said. "To me, there are 25 guys on the roster, I utilize all 25 guys. the 25th man has an important job. He's going to be put in a moment where he's going to help us...
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Robles No. 1 in Baseball America's top 10 Nats prospects list

Robles No. 1 in Baseball America's top 10 Nats prospects list
Baseball America has released its top 10 Nationals prospects for 2018 and, to no surprise, the No. 1 prospect is center fielder Victor Robles. Robles is also No. 8 overall in the publication's Major League Baseball top 100 prospects list. This is the first time that Robles has been listed as the top Nationals prospect after right-hander Lucas Giolito held the top spot for three years. Giolito was traded with two other arms for center fielder Adam Eaton in December 2016. Baseball America noted...
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Astros hurler Brad Peacock began career with Nats (plus AFL update)

Astros hurler Brad Peacock began career with Nats (plus AFL update)
Right-hander Brad Peacock made a big splash in the World Series in Game 3, recording a save with 3 2/3 scoreless innings. He also appeared in the dramatic Game 5 last night, allowing two runs on three hits in 1 1/3 innings. If the name sounded familiar, you are correct. Peacock was a 41st-round draft pick of the Nationals in 2006. He pitched for the Nats in 2011 and went 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA. He has pitched 91 games with the Astros since 2013. Peacock remembered how the Nationals treated him...
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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...
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Single-A Hagerstown recaps: Perkins, Sharp, Noll, Kieboom, Soto

Single-A Hagerstown recaps: Perkins, Sharp, Noll, Kieboom, Soto
Center fielder Blake Perkins made nice strides in 2017. The 21-year-old hit .297 down the stretch for low Single-A Hagerstown. His slash line was .255/.354/.378. His 31 steals were sixth overall in the South Atlantic League. In 129 games, Perkins collected 27 doubles, four triples, eight homers and 48 RBIs. "Blake Perkins is a guy that sets up well for me," said Hagerstown manager Patrick Anderson. "He did a great job all year long. He stole a bunch of bags and really did a great job in...
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