National Record

This is one of those deals I like.  The Nationals traded reserve outfielder Ryan Church and catcher Brian Schneider for centerfield phenom Lastings Milledge.  Once a top prospect, Milledge was solid for the Mets at the plate last year but he’s a centerfielder at heart and he had Carlos Beltran blocking his progress there.  He didn’t show much at the corner outfield spot and when you combine that with his big mouth, the deal does have its risks.  Still, Milledge has a ton of upside and when combined with Austin Kearns, you could be looking at a solid outfield tandem for some years to come.  Also, this column plays up the relationship between Manny Acta and Milledge so that’s encouraging to know.

Jesus Flores will probably now get the nod as the Nationals everyday catcher.  And with Milledge coming to the team, that will dampen the loss of Church.  All in all, I think this deal makes the Nationals a better team. 

Baseball America took a look at what they think are the Nationals top ten prospects and at the head of the class was 2006 first round draft pick Chris Marrero.  The outfielder/first baseman got off to a nice start at Hagerstown but lost some of his power when he made the jump to Potomac.  Still, the kid has some definite upside and he won’t turn 20 until July 2 of next year.

Number two and three are both pitchers.  Ross Detwiller came in at number two and he was the Nationals first round draft pick this year.  The sixth overall pick was dominating in the Gulf Coast League but then he struggled a bit when he was bumped up to Potomac.  He even threw a scoreless inning for the Nationals.  Number three is right hander Collin Baester, who was the Nationals top prospect last year (at least according to BA).  Baester had a decent but not great season splitting time between Double A and Triple A.  Still, despite his season last year, Baester projects to make the rotation next year.

Rounding out the top five are outfielders Michael Burgess and lefthanded pitcher Jack McGreary.  Both were chosen in the 2007 draft.

As part of their ongoing series, Kevin Czerwinski at Minor League Baseball recently took a look at the Nationals Minor League system.  The preseason predictions of minor league players of the year (Kory Casto and Collin Balester) both had tough seasons and Justin Maxwell and John Lannen rose above the fold to eventually claim the honor based on their actual performance.  Maxwell looks particularly good and he made an impact when he got his cup of coffee.  Lannan also should have a solid chance of making the roster in 2008.

You get a lot more in the review, including a recap of the 2007 draft.  There’s a ton of great stuff to read.