To celebrate the arrival of Stephen Strasburg, Nats Buzz will be collecting and posting the best tweets about the phenom. Check back throughout the day as we continue to update it -- and be sure to follow the MASNsports.com team (@masnben, @bkerr32, @masnsports, @khudak11, @jenroylemasn and @rdibs49) for the latest news on "Strasmas." Strasburg and Nats are already trending in Washington. Strasburg is also trending nationally and he's one of CNN's most intriguing people of the...

I woke up this morning feeling older than usual, knowing that the Astros selected Delino DeShield's son last night with the eighth overall pick in the first-year draft. Bop Jr. was just another kid hanging around the Orioles' clubhouse after games. Now he's going to play professional ball. The years keep flying by. If only I could figure out a way to slow them down a little. It's always interesting in any draft to see which players pull a Brady Quinn and tumble down the board...

Well, with all the stories I have written in the last week or so on the draft, believe it or not, in reviewing some of my notes, I actually found some comments from scouting director Joe Jordan that I have not yet published. So let's clean out this quote book once and for all. I asked Jordan if he expects to sign players to over-slot contracts as the O's did with a few picks in the 2009 draft? "I expect to have the ability to do whatever we feel like we need to do. There is a budget,...

Nationals selection of Bryce Harper as the top pick in the amateur draft could be one for the ages. In Bryce's only season at the junior college level, he set almost every major school record at the College of Southern Nevada, batting .443, including 31 homers and 98 RBI. The Coyotes hit 17 homers AS A TEAM in 2009. How good will Bryce Harper be and when could he make his major league debut with the Nationals? Jim Callis, Executive Editor at Baseball America had some strong words to...

After he had about 25 people over to watch the draft, where he was selected with the third overall pick by the Orioles, shortstop Manny Machado took part in a telephone conference call interview with Orioles reporters tonight. Here are the questions he got and his answers: Q: What was today like for you and did you think you would be drafted by the O's? Machado: "I was just here, hanging out with my family, sitting around, waiting for my name to be pronounced over the TV. It was a great...

Joe Jordan, the Orioles' director of scouting, referred to first-round pick Manny Machado as a "target guy" for the organization all spring who automatically has become "one of our premiere prospects." "We're very excited with tonight's selection," Jordan said during a conference call with reporters. "We feel very fortunate. I had my interaction with Manny Machado this spring and it's been very enjoyable to watch how he plays the game, the energy. Nothing is made up here. He loves...

Grow the bats? The Orioles drifted away from their pitching-first philosophy in the amateur draft tonight by taking Florida prep shortstop Manny Machado, 17, with the third overall pick. Their intention became one of the worst-kept secrets in baseball once reports surfaced earlier today that the Pirates would select Texas prep pitcher Jameson Taillon with the second pick. The Orioles would have snatched Taillon with gusto if he remained on the board when their turn came up. Not that they're...

Okay, I'll admit I was hoping the Orioles would get high school pitcher Jameson Taillon with the third pick in the draft. To me the numbers 99 (his top velocity) and 18 (his age) don't often go together. Now, I and all O's fans have to get over it. They didn't make a mistake here, unless winning two more games than the Pirates last year was a mistake. They got shortstop Manny Machado and Joe Jordan seemed very happy when I saw him earlier today and said, if they did wind up with...

Second baseman Brian Roberts sat out another extended spring training game today in Sarasota and could visit a back specialist in the next day or two while continuing to deal with soreness that he says is unrelated to the herniated disk. I'm trying to get confirmation from a team official, but the upcoming draft is keeping everyone busy. I'm told the Roberts might see a specialist in the St. Petersburg area. He's been receiving treatment and counseling from Dr. Lee Riley at Johns...

As the Nationals usher in a new era of baseball history in Washington this week, one has to wonder -- is it time for Teddy to finally win the President's Race? Could his first win come on Tuesday in front of a sell-out crowd and a national audience? Tuesday would be a perfect time for our favorite Racing President to shed his lovable loser label. The Nats aren't lovable losers any longer. On Tuesday, they take a giant step forward by closing the door on the problems of 2008 and 2009 and...