News and Notes on the Nationals Minors since 2009
Apparently deciding not to risk a third straight year of decline, the Nationals traded Tanner Roark to the Reds for Tanner Rainey. As noted by the Post’s latest beat writer in his lede, the move is also about reallocating money—with the exception of second wives, younger is cheaper—toward other another starter. It also probably didn’t …
While the argument about how much the bar for the Hall of Fame has been lowered again has resurfaced, it’s time for us to move on to our next step toward riding out another winter. Mason Denaburg will probably assume the mantle of the clear-cut #1—despite not having thrown a pitch against a professional batter—as …
This year there was both consensus and chaos in the voting. Victor Robles was the undisputed #1 pick, Carter Kieboom was voted #2 on nine of ten ballots, as was Luis Garcia for the #3 spot (one voted flip-flopped the two). Telmito Agustin was the only other player named on all ten ballots. Sixteen other …
Quick! Before they get traded! It’s time for our annual offseason ritual to fill the void between when Boswell stops blathering about baseball and starts blathering about football October and March by crowdsourcing our favorite position players in the Nationals minor leagues. OK, so here’s how it works… Send me your Top 10 list of …
It’s another reminder that the days of us getting excited by news of a trade (“ooh – someone new”) have shifted (“ugh – who’d we lose?”) as Daniel Johnson, Jefry Rodriguez, and the eponymous player to be named later were traded to Cleveland for catcher Yan Gomes. Johnson, who had a meteoric rise through the …
With the passing of Thanksgiving, it’s time to take a look at the next edition of the watchlist – 2019, our ninth one since the inaugural watchlist in November 2010. While everyone and their grandmother seems to favor rankings, I’ve always preferred to not focus on enumeration because (A) it’s specious (B) it leads to …
Greetings from the Crystal Coast of North Carolina. No, we don’t have family here – we were offered a week here at ridiculous price (and this was before the hurricane) and decided we’d rather chill on the beach than deal with craziness in the DMV. As it turns out, it looks like we’ll be missing …
James Bourque—pronounced “Burke”—was the only player added thus far to the Washington Nationals’ 40-man roster ahead of the deadline for the upcoming Rule 5 draft next month. It’s also one more than the number of 2015 collegiate draft picks and 2014 high-schoolers and IFAs who have been protected: ZERO. Even if more are added tomorrow, …
For eight innings, the Rafters shut down the Javelinas, 2-0. But the Salt River ‘pen, which has held leads this fall the way Florida conducts clean elections, collapsed yet again with two runs in the 9th and a one-out HR in the 10th to lose, 3-2. The game-winning HR was served up by Nats farmhand …
Salt River reverted to the mean yesterday as they coughed up two runs in the bottom of the 8th to close out the AFL regular season with a 4-2 loss to Glendale. Carter Kieboom and Daniel Johnson were in the starting lineup at 2B and CF respectively. Kieboom went hitless again, but drew a walk …