National Record

The Nationals shored up their outfielder by signing Michael Morse to a two year, $10.5 million contract.  Morse came over in the Ryan Langerhans trade with the Nationals and after showing some pop in limited time with the team in 2010, he broke out in 2011 and belted 31 home runs while hitting .303.  He strikeouts out a lot (about three times for every walk) but he makes up for it with the high batting average.

He played more then half of his games at first base last year and you wonder if this is them giving up on signing Prince Fielder.  This also means they avoid arbitration with Morse and have him locked up for two more years.  The dollar amount may seem a little high but if he can do what he did last year, it’ll be a bargain.

According to report from Washington Nationals beat writer and MLB.com contributor Bill Ladson, top free agent 1B Prince Fielder and super agent Scott Boras visited DC recently to meet with Nationals ownership. A report The January 2nd edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel lists the Nationals as the front runner for Fielder and Ladson’s story adds fuel to the fire. The 27 year old batted .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 rbi in 162 games in 2011 and would supply Washington an elite clean up bat. Since 2007 when he hit 50 homers, he clubbed 34,46,32 and 38 in 2011 while driving in 102,141,83 and 120. Fielder also gets on base with 100+ walks the past 3 seasons. The Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs are also said to be involved in the bidding for the slugger.  The Nationals have already had a great offseason, if they were able to secure Prince Fielder, they would be a major contender for both the National League and World Title. Washington has become one of the more up and coming organizations in the game under the leadership of  GM Mike Rizzo and Skipper Davey Johnson and this move would create shock waves throughout the baseball world. 

The Washington Nationals added major pieces to both the pitching staff and everyday lineup as we approach the Holiday break with two separate moves December 22. The first move added LHSP Gio Gonzalez(16-12,3.12 ERA, 197 Ks in 202 innings) from the Oakland A’s for 3 top level pitching prospects and as well as the Nationals #1 ranked minor league catcher.  Washington forfeits their #3,#4 and #9th  ranked prospects from the most recent list published by Baseball America(Dated November 14-27,2011). #3 RHP Brad Peacock was 15-3 in a split AA-AAA season before going 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in 12 major league innings. He projects as a #2 starter if things continue to progress. #4 RHP A.J. Cole(4-7,4.04 in 20 games at  Low A)finished his first pro season in 2011 and is probably 2-3 years away from contributing at the major level.  C Derek Norris is ranked #9 after hitting .210 with 20 home runs and 46 rbi at AA, the Nats can afford to trade catching with Wilson Ramos set to be a fixture behind home plate for years to come. The 4th player in the Gonzalez trade is LHP Tom Milone(1-0,3.81 in 5 starts) and is some that caught my eye. Once again, the Nationals have a deep farm system and solid major league product, so a player like Milone can be put in a deal for proper value.

In a move that will not draw as much as attention as the Gonzalez trade but could prove to be just as vital, Washington signed INF-OF Mark DeRosa. The 36 year old veteran can play both corner infield spots, 2nd base as well as some occasional spot play in the outfield. He has battled injuries the past two years but is a pro’s pro, very solid across the board and a very good offensive player. This type of guy can be very useful in the National League and he has experience playing for Nationals skipper Davey Johnson in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. This signing became more of a priority with the news that 1B Chris Marrero would not be ready to open the start of the 2012 season after he tore his left hamstring while playing winter ball.

Overall, this was a GREAT, not good day for the Nationals. They potentially  have an excellent pitching staff top to bottom with Gonzalez joining RHs Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman and Chien-Ming Wang and LHs John Lannan and Ross Detwiller in what might be the deepest rotation in the National League East. When you slot this group with the strong 8-9th inning combination of set up man Tyler Clippard and closer Drew Storen, pitching should not be an issue. DeRosa is a veteran bat and clubhouse leader who can play 2-3 days a week while getting 30+ pinch hitting appearances. Position players wise, Washington could still use an everyday center fielder (who ideally bats leadoff) and with their abundance of major league ready pitching, they could make a trade(B.J. Upton? Denard Spann?). 

The Nationals are loaded at the top and they have some top notch talent in their system.  John Sickels posted his top 20 Nationals prospects and what a list it is.  Of course topping the list is Bryce Harper who’s been showing up at either number one or two as far as prospects anywhere.  The question is, does he make his debut this year after only one plus whatever he plays this year in the minors.

Number two is Anthony Rendon.  This guy plays third base and Sickels talks about his shoulder problem.  Number three is A.J. Cole, who’s also the top pitching prospect.  Rounding out the top five is Brad Peacock (RHP) and Brian Goodwin (OF).  The B’s go seven deep though and the B-’s go down to 13.  A lot of depth.

The Washington Nationals are due for a good season. The 2011 MLB season was their best yet, finishing 3rd in the NL East. With Strasburg back for another year and some potential changes in the current roster, the Nationals are ready to make 2012 their year. Big games on the Washington Nationals 2012 MLB schedule include:

>> Phillies @ Nationals | May 4 – 6 | July 31 – August 2 | October 1 – 3

>> Mets @ Nationals | June 5 – 7 | June 17 – 19 | August 17 – 19

>> Braves @ Nationals | June 1 – 3 | July 20 – 22 | August 20 – 22

>> Yankees @ Nationals | June 15 – 17

>> Cubs @ Nationals | September 3 – 6

>> Rockies @ Nationals | July 6 – 8

The full 2012 schedule is up, so check it out and get to a game. The Washington Nationals might just have a great year ahead of them. Game on!

Here are the Washington Nationals Top 10 prospects according to the current issue of baseballamerica.com(Dated November 14-27th). 

1- Bryce Harper, OF

Scouting Grades(Based on 20-80 scale with 50 being considered average for a a major leaguer)

Batting: 60 

Power: 80

Speed: 55

Defense: 60 

Arm: 80

2- Anthony Rendon, 3B

3- Brad Peacock, RHP

4- A.J. Cole, RHP

5- Brian Goodwin, OF

6- Alex Meyer, RHP

7- Matt Purke, LHP

8- Sammy Solis, LHP

9- Derek Norris, C

10- Steve Lombardozzi, 2B-SS

Great news to open the Veterans Day holiday weekend as Washington Nationals C Wilson Ramos was rescued by Venezuelan authorities Friday November 11 after being abducted by armed gunmen  from his home 50 hours ago. According to Nationals and Wilson’s agent, Diego Bentz, Wilson is on his way home and safe after 4 armed gunman took him out of his home in Santa Ines Wednesday. A winter ball teammate of Ramos tweeted that the 24 year old catcher was receiving medical attention but is ok. More updates as they become available, for immediate information please follow mlb.com and the Washington Nationals team website. 

Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos, one the team’s top young players, has been kidnapped by armed gunmen Wednesday November 9th  in Venezuela. 4 men broke into the Ramos’ family home and took the 24 year old rookie in front of his father and brothers. News of the situation is being updated via Ramos’  Venezuelan fall ball team, the Aragua Tigers, twitter page.  The rookie backstop hit .267 with 15 home runs and 52 rbi in 113 games while throwing out 28% of  opposing base stealers(3rd best in the NL). This is the first abduction involving a major league baseball player although the mother of former ML pitcher Victor Zambrano was taken in an almost identical scenario in 2009. Say a prayer for Wilson Ramos and his family. 

Fans of the Washington Nationals got a huge treat on Halloween as the team picked up the option on interim manager Davey Johnson’s contract for 2012 on October 31st,2011. The team played solid ball for veteran skipper of 15 seasons, finishing third in the highly competitive National League East, their highest finish since moving from Montreal in 2004. Johnson took over for Jim Riggleman on June 26th and played strong, going 40-43. The skipper sounded excited about returning in 2012, “It’s just a great organization. It’s one of the better ones I’ve ever been in, if not the best,” Johnson said. “There is no question that I love baseball. … I thought everything worked pretty good together [with the team]. I think we accomplished a lot of things. I would say the last two or three weeks, when I had kind of mixture of talent that I wanted on the ballclub … that’s when I really felt that there is so much more we can do here, and I need to be here to help see it along.” His boss, GM Mike Rizzo, said the decision was a no brainer.“The only questions that I had about Davey taking over [were], ‘Did he want to do it? Was his energy level and his focus were going to be there?’ Even as early as Spring Training this year, I saw that he moved around better this year,” Rizzo said. “He always had the fungo in his hands. He was always pounding ground balls to the young guys.He had the energy and a bounce in his step that I thought to myself, “Wow, Davey is really into it. He is really fired up for the season.’ It couldn’t have been a smoother, easier decision for me to bring Davey on in midseason. It was just as comfortable and easy decision after the season to pick up the option and make Davey the leader of the ballclub.”    

The Washington Nationals had a highly successful 2011 campaign finishing 80-81 while playing in the strong National League East. They have some excellent young players in their everyday lineup and a very underrated pitching staff as well as two of the premier young talents to enter the game in over 20 years in RHSP Stephen Strasburg and OF Bryce Harper(Possible 2012 mid season call up). The future- and PRESENT- look very bright for this club and with a strong offseason,this team could contend for a wildcard spot in 2012. Lets look at the key issues for the Nationals entering 2012.

MANAGER:  The Nationals loved what long time veteran manager Davey Johnson brought to the team and hope to have him in the dugout in 2012. The man has a way with both veterans and young players and really had in impact on this club. He did a great job with the pitching staff and the young infield tandem of SS Ian Desmond and 2B Danny Espinosa really improved under his watch. Retaining Johnson has to be a top priority as 2011 comes to a close. 

POSITION PLAYERS: The team is set in the infield with 3B Ryan Zimmerman and 1B Adam Laroche(Progressing well after shoulder surgery) joining Espinosa and Desmond. Wilson Ramos has the catching position secure for years to come. Michael Morse, who played more 1B than he was scheduled to in 2011 after the team lost Laroche for the year, will play a corner outfield spot in 2012. Jayson Werth is a good rightfielder but could move to center if the team cannot trade or sign a true centerfielder. Ideally, the team would add a leadoff man in center to allow Werth to stay in his natural rightfield position and also give the team the option to move Desmond in the batting order. Tampa Bay Rays CF B.J Upton and Minnesota Twins CF Denard Spann are names you hear linked to the Nationals often in trade talks. 2011 Nationals OF Rick Ankiel is a free agent and a good 4th OF on a team with his elite power and throwing skills.

PITCHING: This a team strength led by Jordan Zimmerman and Strasburg as well as young veteran LH John Lannan in the rotation while closer Drew Storen and set up man Tyler Clippard have the late innings locked up.  The Nationals also late season contributors like Tommy Milone, Brad Peacock and Ross Detwiler ready to compete for full time jobs in the rotation. Veteran RHSP Chien-Ming Wang(4-3,4.04 in 11 starts) is a good bet to resign with the club as is situational lefty Tom Gorzelanny(2-0,2.42 in 22.1 innings out of the pen).  The Nationals will be after one veteran starting pitcher with Texas Rangers LHSP C.J. Wilson and Chicago White Sox LHSP Mark Buehrle the leading candidates.  

EARNED RUN AVERAGE

• Jordan Zimmermann
• Starting Pitcher
• #27

3.18

BA	M. Morse	.303
HR	M. Morse	31
RBI	M. Morse	95
R	M. Morse	73
OPS	M. Morse	.910
W	J. Lannan	10
SO	J. Zimmermann	124
SV	D. Storen	43
WHIP	J. Zimmermann	1.15