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Potomac Announces Its 2013 Opening Day Roster

Mar 302013

The Potomac Nationals unveiled its 2013 Opening Day this afternoon, which as expected, will feature quite a few familiar faces. Without further ado, here’s the rundown (watchlist players in bold, notables in italics:

PITCHERS	INFIELDERS	OUTFIELDERS	CATCHERS
Colin Bates	Cutter Dykstra	Billy Burns	Cole Leonida
A.J. Cole	Blake Kelso	Randolph Oduber	Adrian Nieto
Matt Grace	Kevin Keyes	Caleb Ramsey
Ben Hawkins	Jason Martinson	Michael Taylor
Tyler Herron	Adrian Sanchez
Taylor Hill	Francisco Soriano
Taylor Jordan
Christian Meza
Richard Mirowski
Robbie Ray
Derek Self		DISABLED LIST
Kylin Turnbull	Paul Applebee	Rob Gilliam	Josh Smoker

Perhaps not as many high-level prospects or high-profile guys as Harrisburg, but with 10 watchlist players and seven notables (which includes the M*A*S*H unit), it’s certainly an interesting roster. For better or worse, you’re going to read about these guys the most because (full disclosure) Potomac is home base for me as a season-ticket holder.

The early drama is who’s going to the ‘pen? Ray, Grace, and Hill finished the year in the P-Nat rotation but Cole, Jordan, and Turnbull were all Low-A starters last year. Unless there’s a six-man rotation, there’s an odd man out.

The outfield will be one of the fastest and most athletic in recent memory, with three CFs among the four outfielders. Taylor is still likely to the one the one that sees the most time in center, but it wouldn’t hurt to have that arm in right, either.

Keyes is expected to start at first and Martinson at short, but beyond that, I have a feeling we’re going to see a lot of mixing and matching at second and third with the rest of the infielders (except Soriano) having spent time shuffling between 2B, SS, and 3B.

Finally, Nieto and Leonida will be a catching tandem and teammates for the third straight year. Neither has caught more than 70 games in a season, but the edge probably goes to Nieto as the more accomplished hitter in his limited appearances due to injury and suspension.

Syracuse Announces Its 2013 Opening Day Roster

News and Notes 12 Responses »

Mar 302013

As noted in the comments, the Syracuse Chiefs “revealed a preliminary roster” yesterday, beginning with a feature on the starting pitchers.

If you have a fixation for uniform numbers, you’re going to have to wait a few more days — just only handful of players have numbers listed so far. Otherwise, here’s how the active roster looks like (watchlist players in bold, notables in italics):

PITCHERS	INFIELDERS	OUTFIELDERS	CATCHERS
Fernando Abad	Mike Constanzo	Corey Brown	Carlos Maldonado
Jeremy Accardo	Jeff Kobernus	Micah Owings	Jhonatan Solano
Michael Crotta	Chris Marrero	Eury Perez
Erik Davis	Will Rhymes	Jim Van Ostrand
Jeff Mandel	Carlos Rivero
Yunesky Maya	Zach Walters
Pat McCoy
Ross Ohlendorf
Ryan Perry
Tanner Roark		DISABLED LIST
J.C. Romero	Bill Bray	Jerad Head	Cole Kimball
Danny Rosenbaum	Erik Komatsu	Brad Meyers	Chris Rahl
Ryan Tatusko	Matt Torra	Sean West

Like the AAA club of most contenders, Syracuse is laden with replacement-level veterans. Three of the five starting pitchers have significant MLB experience (Maya, Ohlendorf, Perry), as do three of the active relievers (Abad, Accardo, Romero) and fourth on the D.L. (Bray).

Both catchers have served as injury fill-ins and will probably split time, which is the best explanation for Leon starting in Harrisburg (not to mention his limited AA experience of 40 games).

For us, the eyes are on the infield: all four projected starters (Rivero-Walters-Kobernus-Marrero) are at the top of their columns on the 2013 watchlist. Unfortunately, they’re (take your pick) stuck/blocked/stranded behind their counterparts in D.C.

Never mind there’s a 22-year-old in Harrisburg that everybody and their grandmother wants to see in a Chiefs uniform yesterday, if not sooner.

Corey Brown returns for his third season and will probably play in right field, given the duo of LF-1B types in Owings and Van Ostrand and the presence of true CF Eury Perez, though it shouldn’t surprise anyone if both Brown and Perez are used in multiple OF spots in preparation for their most likely usage as a defensive replacement off the bench if/when they’re called up to Washington.

Finally, it should probably come as no surprise to see the large contingent starting on the D.L. including the ~~law firm~~ trio of Kimball, Komatsu, and Meyers. As we saw in the comments, some of those guys won’t leave Viera and will cool their heels in “Extended Spring Training.”

UPDATE: Per Byron Kerr, the Syracuse Opening Day roster includes Ryan Tatusko while Sam Palace has been removed from the D.L. and Jason Michaels apparently will be strictly coaching.

Harrisburg Announces Its 2013 Opening Day Roster

News and Notes 16 Responses »

Mar 292013

It was expected to be the first, but perhaps not this soon… this afternoon the Harrisburg Senators announced its 2013 Opening Day Roster.

As was the case last year, there are more than 25 names here, which means one or more of them will be placed on the DL prior to the Sens’ home opener next Thursday (watchlist players in bold, notables in italics):

PITCHERS	INFIELDERS	OUTFIELDERS	CATCHERS
Aaron Barrett	Ricky Hague	Justin Bloxom	Jeff Howell
Brian Broderick	Josh Johnson	Brian Goodwin	Sandy Leon
Caleb Clay	Jose Lozada	Destin Hood	Kris Watts
Paul Demny	Sean Nicol	Steve Souza
Marcos Frias	Anthony Rendon
Trevor Holder	Matt Skole
Neil Holland
Nathan Karns
Ian Krol
Pat Lehman
Matt Swynenberg
Blake Treinen
Rob Wort

As predicted this morning, this is the roster to watch — 13 of ‘em from the 2013 edition including two notables, though it remains to be seen whether Swynenberg is fully healed. I’m sure some folks are disappointed to see Rendon here instead of Syracuse, but “conservative” has been the watchword for prospect development under Rizzo (with some notable exceptions like Goodwin and that Bryce Harper kid).

There are worse things for Rendon (or us as fans) than for him to savage Eastern League pitching for a few weeks before moving along.

A couple of guys from Syracuse that I was surprised to see: Sandy Leon and Pat Lehman. Now, both could be here only on paper until the Syracuse roster is settled, but it could also be the classic “pushdown” scenario where replacement-level guys are sent to upstate New York instead.

We’re not going to know until the Chiefs roster is unveiled, which isn’t necessarily next — though this looks promising for Danny Rosenbaum and Jeff Kobernus.

Otherwise, it’s a familiar group of names, with roughly half of these guys spending some time in Harrisburg last season. Both Aaron Barrett and Matt Skole are moving up from Potomac despite limited time in Woodbridge, which is appropriate given their age and developmental path (otherwise, why bother sending them to the AFL).

A Couple Cuts, Few More Releases

News and Notes, Transactions 8 Responses »

Mar 292013

Transactions for NPP Late yesterday afternoon, the Nationals announced the reassignment of 1B/LF Micah Owings and UT Carlos Rivero to minor-league camp. Both will presumably begin the season in Syracuse.

MLB.com beat writer Bill “No, I did not play Stevie’s Dad on Malcolm In The Middle” Ladson also had the news of another set of releases:

RHP Alex Kreis (Hagerstown)
OF Ray Kruml (offseason pickup)
LHP Brandon Mann (offseason pickup)
RHP Hassan Pena (Syracuse)

With less than a week to go before the minor-league season starts, it’s now a waiting game to see how the rosters shake out. Unfortunately, if there are any more releases, we’re back to relying on MiLB.com and Baseball America (warning: if you haven’t been to the site in a couple of days, it’s been redesigned) as the beat writers have (quite happily) left Viera for this afternoon’s ~~cash cow~~ vs. the New York Yankees.

I’m expecting rosters to be released on Tuesday and Wednesday (e.g. the 3rd is Media Day for Potomac). The past two seasons, the first roster to hit the streets, er, inboxes has been Harrisburg, which is quite apt this year since it’s the most anticipated roster of them all… Matt Skole, Brian Goodwin, Nathan Karns, and newly acquired Ian Krol, for example. Wait: Am I missing anybody?

As in years past, I’ll have a separate post for each roster with some analysis.

Baseball America’s Revised Nats Top 10

News and Notes 7 Responses »

Mar 272013

Baseball America for NPP Like slideshows of cheerleaders and WAGs for Bleacher Report^*, Baseball America can’t resist another chance to re-issue a list, which it did today with the 2013 Organizational Talent Rankings.
^{*Full disclosure: I can’t resist bulldogs or visual puns.}

As a system, the Nats came in at #13 — up three spots from the #16 ranking last December — but perhaps of more interest is the “new” Top 10 list, which is as follows:

1. Anthony Rendon, 3B (AA)
2. Lucas Giolito, RHP (XST)
3. Brian Goodwin, OF (AA)
4. A.J. Cole, RHP (A+)
5. Matt Skole, 1B-3B (AA)
6. Nathan Karns, RHP (AA)
7. Christan Garcia, RHP (MLB D.L.)
8. Eury Perez, OF (AAA)
9. Sammy Solis, LHP (XST)
10. Matt Purke, LHP (XST)

In a nutshell, A.J. Cole was inserted at #4 and the “old” nos. 4-9 were moved down one spot. Zach Walters was the “bumped” #10 prospect. My projected destinations for where they’ll be for Opening Day are in parentheses.

The Washington farm was ranked #12 last year in this revision, following a brief moment on paper when the system was rated #1 prior to the Gio Gonzalez trade.

Morning Reading

News and Notes 1 Response »

Mar 262013

After a busy weekend of transaction news, here’s a few tidbits to tide folks over in case things really do slow down on the minors front.

• Adam Kilgore gives us updates on Sammy Solis, Nathan Karns, and a whole lot of info on Steve Souza. To be fair, Souza has long been a favorite of Nats management, which explains in part why he’s stuck around despite suspensions for PEDs and off-field incidents. The other part, of course, is that he’s also a five-tool talent, which is why yours truly has put him on the site’s watchlist all three times.

• Chris Young has opted out of his contract but still might wind up in Syracuse. According to Ken Rosenthal, some eight teams were watching last night’s start. For most Nats fans, this means little, but for the minor-leaguers, this might mean the difference between starting and relieving, Harrisburg or Syracuse, or going north next week at all.

• Finally, part three of the Sean Nicol interview has been published by our friend Shawn in Hagerstown. Part one can be found here, and part two can be found here.

Rivero Outrighted, Garcia To DL

Transactions 8 Responses »

Mar 242013

We now interrupt your lazy Sunday afternoon for another transaction-oriented post.

The Washington Nationals announced late Sunday afternoon that out-of-options IF-OF Carlos Rivero passed through waivers and has been outrighted to Syracuse while RHP Christian Garcia was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a forearm tendon strain.

If there’s an underlying theme among these moves — minus Garcia — it’s that Nats GM Mike Rizzo is adamant that “surplus” players aren’t leaving without a decent return. Both Colorado and Detroit were looking to hold onto Danny Rosenbaum and Jeff Kobernus, respectively, but returned them because “the asking price was too high.”

It’s probably safe to deduce that the Nats were unable to trade Rivero for the same reason.

The Garcia move is retroactive to Friday, which would make the righthander eligible on April 6th. With zero exhibition appearances, his injury history, and the careful management of his workload last summer, estimates such as Adam Kilgore’s of Garcia missing the month of April seem rather plausible.

Rule 5 Pick Danny Rosenbaum Returned

Transactions 9 Responses »

Mar 242013

Another day, another Rule 5 pick returned.

Multiple online sources are reporting that Colorado will return Danny Rosenbaum following the signing of veteran RHP Jon Garland. Rosenbaum was 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in six appearances for the Rockies this spring, the last of which came a week ago when the 25-year-old southpaw gave up a single and a walkoff home run in a 9-7 loss to the Giants.

He had been competing for the final bullpen spot — five of his six outings were in relief — in a group of relievers that included notables such as Chris Volstad and Manny Corpas.

Like Kobernus, he’s expected to be reassigned to minor-league camp, but it’s much less clear where he’ll begin the season. Last season was arguably his worst, beginning with 7-2, 1.94 in his first 13 starts, but finishing in a freefall of 1-8, 6.54 in his last 13 starts for an 8-10, 3.94 mark overall.

While often compared to former Nats farmhand Tommy Milone, a comp that seems largely based on size (both are shade taller than 6′ with a “sturdy carriage”) and dexterity and the soft-tosser perception. The reality is that Rosenbaum has always thrown harder than Milone (low-90s vs. high-80s), but with a little less control (2.5 vs. 1.5 BB/9).

Still, it’s a understandable linkage because both have shown the ability to get guys out without lot of flash while pitching deep into games (e.g. 171⅓ IP in 2011). Rosenbaum works off a heavy, sinking fastball, which has produced groundball rates of 50%-plus the past two seasons, including 56.7% last year, while mixing in a cutter as well as a changeup and a curve as his secondary pitches.

Like a lot of the AA and AAA pitchers, it’s difficult to predict where he’ll begin the season given the signings of multiple free agents. What’s probably more certain is that he’ll return to starting, given his durability and track record.

The watchlist and the LHPs page have been both been updated to reflect his return.

So Long, Boys (UPDATED)

Transactions 2 Responses »

Mar 232013

So Long As reported earlier today, we heard the Nationals had made some releases, just not who. Now, we know. Per Bill Ladson and MLB Trade Rumors, it’s the following minor-leaguers:

LHP Ryan Demmin (Potomac)
RHP Inocencio Heredia (GCL)
IF Stephen King (Harrisburg, Potomac)
LHP Bobby Lucas (Hagerstown)
LHP Blake Monar (Auburn)
OF Wade Moore (Potomac)
RHP Casey Upperman (offseason pickup)
LHP Andrew Wall (Auburn)
OF J.P. Ramirez (Hagerstown, Potomac)
UT Delwyn Young (offseason pickup)

I don’t think there are any real surprises here. Maybe Inocencio Heredia, who just turned 21 in December, but had spent parts of two seasons in the GCL (and of course, mea culpa, I overrated him enough to put him on the “Notable Arms”). Wade Moore had retired last summer and was contemplating a return to playing football, but saw his change of mind go unrewarded. Without going down the line, there were hints for the others.

Nevertheless, I’ll rephrase I wrote last year… before you comment, just remember that for some of these young men, it’s the end of the road. Some will try to hook on with another organization. A few will try to play their way back via the indys. But all of them will have to figure out what’s the next chapter in the lives, baseball or otherwise.

UPDATE: Last night, Baseball America made its weekly transaction post for the period of March 14-20 (the releases above are believe to have occurred on Thursday). The following two players were among the previously unreported cuts:

RHP Randy Consuegra (offseason pickup)
RHP Francisco Samuel (offseason pickup)

Both pitchers were reclamation projects that were signed last November.

Rule 5 Pick Jeff Kobernus Returned

Transactions No Responses »

Mar 232013

Well, it looks like yesterday’s reports were wrong: the Tigers have returned Rule 5 pick Jeff Kobernus to the Nationals.

Kobernus hung a line of .220/.298/.300 in 50ABs for Detroit in 21 games while attempting to make the 25-man roster as a utilityman. The 24-year-old made appearances in all three outfield positions, playing there for the first time since his collegiate days at California.

Officially, he’s been reassigned to minor-league camp but is expected to open the season in Syracuse after an injury-shortened 2012 in Harrisburg. He played in 82 games for the Senators and hit .282/.325/.333 with 42 SBs with a career-best .982 fielding average.

The watchlist and the second baseman page have been both been updated to reflect his return.

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