SB Nation - Michael Burgess

Washington Nationals: Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects 2009.

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:11:20 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Jordan Zimmermann, the No. 1 prospect in the DC system last season, according to Baseball America's Aaron Fitt, will miss all of 2010 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Browse more photos »

In November 2007, the first four players (and five prospects total) selected by the Washington Nationals in the '07 First-Year Player Draft found their way onto Baseball America's Aaron Fitt's 11/7/07 list of the Top 10 Prospects in the DC system. LHP Ross Detwiler, the Nationals' first 1st Round pick, taken sixth overall, immediately became the #2 prospect in the organization according to Mr. Fitt, behind only '06 1st Round pick Chris Marrero, an IF/OF taken 15th overall who, himself, had become the No. 2 prospect in his Draft year, and was now No. 1 overall. Michael Burgess an outfielder taken with the 49th pick of the 1st Round in 2007, as compensation for the LA Angels having signed Jose Guillen, became the 4th best prospect in the system, ahead of left-handers Jack McGeary (5), who was taken in the 6th Round in '07, and Josh Smoker (6), taken 31st overall in the 1st Round, as a compensation pick from the Cubs who'd signed Alfonso Soriano, as was Jordan Zimmermann, a RHP out of Auburndale, Wisconsin who debuted on the list at No. 7 after being selected with the 67th overall pick in the 2nd Round of the draft.

• '08-'09 After The JUMP...

Aaron Crow, the right-hander the Nationals selected with the 9th overall pick in the 1st Round of the 2008 Draft, almost certainly would have joined pitchers Jordan Zimmermann (1) and Ross Detwiler (2) atop Baseball America's Aaron Fitt's January '09 list of Washington's Top 10 Prospects...had he signed with the Nationals...2nd Round pick, outfielder Destin Hood, an eighteen-year-old out of Eight Mile, Alabama, made the highest debut on the list at No. 6, one spot ahead of Washington's 5th Round pick, catcher Adrian Nieto, a backstop out of Havana, Cuba and American Heritage High School in Florida, and two spots ahead of '08 15th Round pick J.P. Ramirez, then an 18-year-old outfielder from New Braunfels, Texas, who was described by Baseball America's Mr. Fitt as one of, "...a pair of high-ceiling prep outfielders," taken by the Nationals, along with Hood.

The Nationals' '09 Draft Class took over three spots on the lastest Top 10 List according to Baseball America's Aaron Fitt's November 2009 rankings of the organization's top prospects, with the '08 Class accounting for just two of the top ten, (No. 5 - SS Danny Espinosa, and No. 10 - OF Destin Hood), while the '07 Class produced the second-best prospect overall in Mr. Fitt's view, Derek Norris, the top-ranked catcher in the DC system for the second-straight year, who moved up from the sixth overall spot on the list to No. 2, and OF Michael Burgess, who drops from 4th in '08 to 9th of 10 in '09. '06 1st Round pick Chris Marrero (6) is still the top 1B prospect in the Nationals' system, though he drops three spots from last year to 6th overall, with 2004 3rd Rounder Ian Desmond (4) returning to the List for the first time since 2007 as the top shortstop in the system just ahead of Espinosa. Which leaves the No. 1 overall spot on Mr. Fitt's list, which goes to Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals' '09 1st overall pick; the No. 3 spot, which goes to the Nationals' second 1st Round pick, Drew Storen, taken 10th overall as compensation for Crow, and the 7th spot on Mr. Fitt's list, which goes to '09 2nd Round pick Jeff Kobernus, the first DC second baseman to make Baseball America's list since...well, ever.

Baseball America's Top 10 Prospect Lists for 2010

raygu — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:00:13 -0000

In addition to the top 20 Prospect lists that SB Nation's John Sickels is writing up over at Minor League Ball, Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus are working on their top 10, or 11 in the case of BP, prospect lists for 2010.

Today, I give you the Baseball America top 10 prospect lists for 2010 for the National League East teams:

Marlins

1. Mike Stanton, of

2. Logan Morrison, 1b

3. Chad James, lhp

4. Matt Dominguez, 3b

5. Gaby Sanchez, 1b/3b

6. Ryan Tucker, rhp

7. Kyle Skipworth, c

8. Isaac Galloway, of

9. Scott Cousins, of

10. Jhan Marinez, rhp

More after the jump:

Nationals

1. Stephen Strasburg, rhp

2. Derek Norris, c

3. Drew Storen, rhp

4. Ian Desmond, ss

5. Danny Espinosa, ss

6. Chris Marrero, 1b

7. Jeff Kobernus, 2b

8. Justin Maxwell, of

9. Michael Burgess, of

10. Destin Hood, of

Phillies

1. Domonic Brown, of

2. Kyle Drabek, rhp

3. Michael Taylor, of

4. Travis D'Arnaud, c

5. Trevor May, rhp

6. Anthony Gose, of

7. Sebastian Valle, c

8. Jarred Cosart, rhp

9. Antonio Bastardo, lhp

10. Domingo Santana, of

Mets

1. Jenrry Mejia, rhp

2. Wilmer Flores, ss

3. Fernando Martinez, of

4. Ike Davis, 1b

5. Brad Holt, rhp

6. Jon Niese, lhp

7. Reese Havens, 2b/ss

8. Josh Thole, c

9. Ruben Tejada, 2b/ss

10. Juan Urbina, lhp

Braves

1. Jason Heyward, of

2. Freddie Freeman, 1b

3. Julio Teheran, rhp

4. Mike Minor, lhp

5. Craig Kimbrel, rhp

6. Christian Bethancourt, c

7. Randall Delgado, rhp

8. Zeke Spruill, rhp

9. Cody Johnson, of

10. Adam Milligan, of

Minor League Ball.com's John Sickels' Washington Nationals' Top 20 Prospects.

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:43:50 -0000

Stephen Strasburg, the No. 1 Prospect in the Washington Nationals' system no matter which list you look at...

View full size photo »

A little over a week back Baseball America's Aaron Fitt unveiled his list of the Top 10 Prospects in the Washington Nationals' system, and now Minor League Ball.com's John Sickels has posted his own list of DC's top prospects in a post entitled, "Washington Nationals Top 20 Prospects for 2010". Both writers agree on the Top 3 with (RHP) Stephen Strasburg, (C) Derek Norris and (RHP) Drew Storen atop each list, with the first difference of opinion occuring over who is the highest-ranked shortstop in the Nationals' system , as Mr. Fitt places (SS) Ian Desmond fourth, one spot ahead of Danny Espinosa, while Desmond appears further down in Mr. Sickels' list as the 9th-ranked prospect overall in the DC system behind (1B) Chris Marrero, (2B) Jeff Kobernus, and (OFers) Michael Burgess and Justin Maxwell...Here's Minor League Ball.com's John Sickels' list of the Top 10 Prospects in the Nationals' system: (w/their BA ranking in parentheses):

Stephen Strasburg - RHP (1)
Derek Norris - C (2)
Drew Storen - RHP (3)
Danny Espinosa - SS (5)
Chris Marrero - 1B (6)
Jeff Kobernus - 2B (7)
Michael Burgess - OF (9)
Justin Maxwell - OF (8)
Ian Desmond - SS (4)
Bradley Meyers - RHP (N/L)

LINK:

• Washington Nationals Top 20 Prospects for 2010 - Minor League Ball - John Sickels

Washington Nationals Top 20 Prospects for 2010

John Sickels — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:29:54 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

The Franchise (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi, File)

Browse more photos »

Top 20 Washington Nationals Prospects for 2010.

All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change. Don't get too worried about exact rankings at this point, especially once you get beyond the Top 10. Grade C+/C guys are pretty interchangeable depending on what you want to emphasize.

Feel free to critique the list, but use logic and reason rather than polemics to do so. The list and grades are based on a blending of present performance and long-term potential. Full reports on all these players can be found in the 2010 Baseball Prospect Book.

1) Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Grade A: He's done enough in Arizona to justify the Grade A rating in my opinion. We have to remember that he's a human being, but he is immensely talented.

2) Derek Norris, C, Grade B+: Somewhere on the Mickey Tettleton/Mike Napoli spectrum: high walks, lots of power, defense should be good enough, might not hit for average.

3) Drew Storen, RHP, Grade B+: Has put aside concerns about being an overdraft. Could help in pen very soon, future closer if all works out.

4) Danny Espinosa, SS, Grade B: Has some pop, steals bases, draws walks, very good glove. Scouts in Arizona love him.

5) Chris Marrero, 1B, Grade B: I don't think he's going to be a star, but with proper development he can be a solid regular.

6) Jeff Kobernus, 2B, Grade B-: Another guy who should be solid, though I'd like a larger pro sample size before going higher with the grade.

7) Michael Burgess, OF, Grade B-: borderline C+. Power potential, throwing arm, and youth are big positives, will take a walk, but strikes out a lot and batting average is quite low.

8) Justin Maxwell, OF, Grade C+: What you see is what you get: power, walks, speed, low batting average. Can they look past that and appreciate his secondary skills?

9) Ian Desmond, SS, Grade C+: I think he made some legitimate improvements, but not as much as the raw numbers indicate. BABIP probably unsustainable, and he needs to tighten his defense.

10) Bradley Meyers, RHP, Grade C+: One of several strike-throwing types with limited upside but good pitchability.

11) Destin Hood, OF, Grade C+: High power upside, with a high chance of failure. Could rank ninth or tenth.

12) A.J. Morris, RHP, Grade C+: Kansas State ace may move faster in relief.

13) Eury Perez, OF, Grade C+: Need data from higher levels, but could be a Juan Pierre type. I don't mean that as an insult.

14) Aaron Thompson, LHP, Grade C+: Pitchability guy acquired from the Marlins. No longer a top prospect, but still a decent one.

15) Juan Jaime, RHP, Grade C: High-ceiling arm with strong fastball needs to improve secondary pitches. Could rise rapidly if he does so. Perhaps I should go with C+.

16) J.P. Ramirez, OF, Grade C: Production was somewhat disappointing in the New York-Penn League, but not terrible for context. Full-season data in '10 will be illuminating.

17) J.R. Higley, OF, Grade C: High-ceiling tools hound, didn't light up the NY-P but still has potential.

18) Paul Demny, RHP, Grade C: Went 3-11 with 5.14 ERA in the Sally League, but with 110 strikeouts in 105 innings. Could go a long way if he improves command.

19) Marco Estrada, RHP, Grade C: I have no actual evidence to support this, but I keep thinking he could have a surprisingly good season in 2010. Nothing left to prove in Triple-A.

20) Jeff Mandel, RHP, Grade C: Looked very good in Arizona Fall League relief action; he might sneak in some major league innings.

OTHERS: All Grade C: Evan Bronson, LHP; Clint Everts, RHP; Marcos Frias, RHP; Victor Garate, LHP; Luis Garcia, RHP; Trevor Holder, RHP; Hendry Jimenez, 2B; Taylor Jordan, RHP; Nathan Karns, RHP; Pat Lehman, RHP; Steve Lombardozzi, 2B; Jack McGeary, LHP; Tom Milone, LHP; Adrian Nieto, C; Brad Peacock, RHP; Atahualpa Severino, LHP; Josh Smoker, LHP; Greg Veloz, 2B; Dean Weaver, RHP; Josh Wilkie, RHP. Most of these guys could fit into the 16-20 spots, depending on what you want to emphasize.

The Nationals system has an amazing talent in Strasburg, and I'm also very high on Norris, Storen, and Espinosa. After that, it fades quickly. Hitters like Marrero, Burgess, Maxwell, Desmond, Hood, and Perez all have significant unanswered questions. All could be very good players, all could fail. There are several low-ceiling arms who could contribute in the majors soon (Meyers, Thompson, Estrada, Mandel, Wilkie, Garate), and there is also a group of live arms who have problems that need addressing.

The system has material to work with, particularly on the pitching side beyond Strasburg and Storen. They need to add bats with fewer questions, and it will be interesting to see what direction GM Mike Rizzo and his new staff take in the 2010 draft.

Washington Nationals: Final Minor League Minute. September Call-Ups...

Ed Chigliak — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:44:37 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

We won't be seeing Shairon Martis this September. Washington Nationals announce September Call-ups. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Browse more photos »

Minor League Minute...

On the last day of the season for the Washington Nationals' affiliates, four teams were in action, (with the notable exception of the GCL Nationals who captured the GCL Title last week and the Vermont Lake Monsters, whose season ended last night), and at the end of the day several players and one manager from the Triple-AAA affiliate in Syracuse, NY got the call to come down to DC for Tuesday night's game against the Phillies.

• Syracuse Chiefs (Triple-AAA) - The Pawtucket Red Sox ended the 2009 International League schedule in Syracuse, where they dropped a 5-3 decision to the Chiefs, who rallied for a 3-run eighth to overtake the Red Sox' Triple-A affiliate. Shairon Martis was on the mound for Syracuse, and the former DC starter threw 102 pitches over six innings, allowing 6 hits and 3 ER to end the '09 campaign with an (0-3) August in which he allowed 44 hits, 24 ER and 6 HR's in 6 starts and 36.1 IP. Martis did not get the W for the Chiefs though, and he didn't get the call back to the big leagues either, instead, RHP Zack Segovia got both the win and the ticket, joining fellow Syracuse pitchers Logan Kensing, Ross Detwiler, Marco Estrada and infielder Ian Desmond as the September additions to the Nationals' roster. (ed. note - "Syracuse skipper Tim Foli will also join the Chiefs making the trip to the big leagues, as announced by MLB.com's Bill Ladson yesterday in a blog post entitled, "Craig Stammen has surgery; Foli to be called up"...)

• Syracuse Chiefs - MiLB.com 2009 Team Stats.

Continued After the JUMP...

(cont.)...

• Harrisburg Senators (Double-AA) - Rain ended the Senators' season finale after six and a half, and the Nationals' Double-AA affiliate beat the Bowie Bay Sox (BAL) 5-3 to improve to 70-72 on the season, good for 5th out of 6 teams in the Eastern League's Southern Division. Right-hander Bradley Meyers improves to (5-1) with the win and ends the '09 campaign with a 2.25 ERA in 9 starts and 43.0 IP with the Senators after being called up from Class-A Potomac, where he'd been (6-2) with a 1.43 ERA in 15 G and 88.1 IP. Meyers ends 2009 with an (11-3) record overall and a combined 1.72 ERA with 32 walks and 108 K's in 136.1 IP over which he allows just 26 earned runs while holding opponents to a .223 BAA. 1B Chris Marrero goes 2 for 3 with a double, his 6th, and his 12th RBI in 23 games at Double-AA after he'd hit for a .287 AVG with 21 doubles, 2 triples, 16 HR's and 65 RBI's in 112 games with the P-Nats.

• Harrisburg Senators - MiLB.com 2009 Team Stats

• Potomac Nationals (Class-A Advanced) - The P-Nats beat the Kinston Indians 9-4 Monday with 4 runs in each of the last two innings on their '09 schedule, which ends with the P-Nats second overall in the Carolina League's Northern Division, 4.0 games behind the Kansas City Royals' Class-A affiliate, the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The P-Nats started the seventh down 4-1 but rallied with RBI singles by center fielder Boomer Whiting and second baseman Michael Martinez, a game-tying RBI triple by SS Daniel Espinosa and a game winning RBI double by right fielder Michael Burgess. After four more in eighth, Potomac stopper Cole Kimball closes out the '09 campaign with his 9th save of the season.

• Potomac Nationals Weekly Update Archive

• Potomac Nationals - MiLB.com 2009 Team Stats

• Hagerstown Suns (Class-A) - The Suns dropped their season finale 4-2 to the Lake County Captains, the Class-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, when the Captains rallied for a 3-run fourth off Hagerstown starter A.J. Morris. Morris, the Washington Nationals' 4th Round pick in this year's draft, was taken 112th overall after having completed a (14-1) season at Kansas State University, where he posted a 2.09 ERA and collected 100 K's in 116.1 IP. Morris started his professional career with the GCL Nationals after signing and moved to Class-A Hagerstown where he was (0-4) with a 3.82 ERA in 8 starts and 37.2 IP over which he walked 8 and struck out 36.

• Hagerstown Suns - MiLB.com 2009 Team Stats.

Washington Nationals: Minor League Update - The Nationals' Assistant Director Of Player Development, Mark Scialabba. Pt. 2.

Ed Chigliak — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:52:23 -0000

Mark Scialabba, the Nationals' Assistant Director of Player Development made himself available to the Nationals bloggers who were invited to Nationals Park last weekend, answering any and all questions that he could about the prospects at every level of the Washington Nationals' system. In the first part of the interview, which I published last week, Mr. Scialabba spoke about '09 1st Round pick, Drew Storen, infield prospect Ian Desmond and catcher Derek Norris. We start Pt. 2 still discussing Norris' future...

Q: Will Derek Norris' bat force the issue, and bring him up early to learn how to catch in the majors like Jesus Flores?

Mark Scialabba: "Well, Jesus was a Rule 5 pick, so that was a little different, that's why we had to have him in the major leagues. Derek, I think we can be a little more patient with, because hopefully Jesus is healthy next year, we don't need a catcher right this moment, it would be nice to have Jesus healthy, obviously, with the situation right now, we have Wil Nieves, Josh Bard, so there's not necessarily a desperate need to have Derek come up and catch right away, but we want to keep him as a catcher, his value is extremely high as a catcher and we want to make sure that we continue to develop him, because we feel confident in his ability to develop as a catcher."

Continued After The JUMP...

Q: What is the plan for September call-ups? How do you make sure they get enough work?

Mark Scialabba: "That's a great question. If we're going to bring up a prospect like an Ian Desmond, we're gonna have a plan. That'll be discussed with Mike Rizzo and Jim Riggleman, Bob Boone, they'll have a plan in place for a prospect. Some guys, we might be bringing up, just um, more of a reserve type player that need innings, or can spell some guys, give some time, obviously we're not contending right now so it's easier for us to do that. But, if you have a prospect and bring him up, you surely want to have a plan in place, yes."

Q: Any chance of stocking the Potomac Nationals with players from Hagerstown to help the Pennant race?

Mark Scialabba: "I think that's definitely something we might do. Depends on, overall, what we feel is best for the players. Winning is great. Winning is definitely very important, because we feel that as you grow as a baseball player you want to learn how to win. It's very important, however, development's the primary issue. You need to develop your players, you need to make sure that each player is put in the right position to maximize his potential, to learn the most, to get the most out of his ability.

"Now, winning is definitely the secondary thing, however, if there's a guy we feel that can help, last year, Michael Burgess and Stephen King were promoted in early August, and it was great, they added a lot. Michael Burgess ended up hitting 6 HR's and Stephen King played steady third base. Stephen actually is on a rehab assignment, and he'll be activated very soon, so that's almost like getting new player back, it's like when you get that healthy guy coming off the DL. So, that'll add a lot. He's an outstanding third baseman, very athletic kid, his bat hasn't come along as quickly as possible, but you'll see, if you look at the Carolina League stats, you'll notice that the Carolina League's pretty tough. There's only seven opponents. You're going to get advanced scouting reports as an A-ball player, so when you're exposed, they're going to beat you. But, what that does, it teaches those players, like a Michael Burgess, who's a left-handed hitter, who's had problems with lefties, hey, you know, work on it here, develop yourself and really work hard at that. We don't want to take him out just cause a lefty's coming up and pinch hit, we would never do that, but we would allow him to struggle here, because this is where you need to learn how to hit those lefties and how to do things right. So, the Carolina League's tough...and, uh, we want to make sure that the players are ready and they can contribute right away. We wouldn't put, for example, if you're thinking Derek Norris, we wouldn't put Derek Norris up there to sit the bench and play every other day, you would have to be the main guy. However, we have two guys there who are playing pretty well we feel, and they're part of the reason why the team is successful, so I don't know what's going to happen yet, that's a good question, so, we'll see what happens."

Q: Can you tell us about the Dominican players the Nationals signed recently?

Mark Scialabba: "Sure, we signed five players recently in the Dominican Republic. Jean Valdez we're very confident with his bat, I have yet to see them, so it's tough for me to give you a full scouting report on them. But, just based upon what I've talked to Dana Brown, Jean Valdez, very good bat, we're talking about a guy with potential to hit in the middle of the order. This is an exciting bat. One of the best bats we feel like we've signed in a long time in the Dominican. Cleto Brazoban, a right-handed pitcher, we feel very confident has got an electric arm. The other three guys, Paredes, Rosa and Norberto, Norberto is a center fieder and Sosa's a right-handed pitcher and also Paredes, so I can't give you too much on that yet, but once I see them I'll be able to answer..."

Q: Norberto played toward the end of the year in the DSL (Dominican Summer League), was that a plan to keep the other four out...?

Mark Scialabba: "Actually, we signed all of them for this year, except for Valdez, he signed for 2010, and the other four are signed for this year, and it was a matter of innings, and it's late in the season, just getting them worked up, as you'll see now, as you know, Stephen Strasburg, we were very excited about that this week, you'll notice Mike Rizzo mentioned that it takes about four weeks to get to that game ready, professional game ready throwing program, and, so they're going through that program, we're hopefully having instructional league there, so hopefully they'll be able to do that and get more involved there, but be ready for...maybe even instructional league here, we have to make that decisions very soon..."

Q: You've got an interesting reliever in the system in Yunior Novoa, interesting offspeed stuff, how does he project, and do you have a knuckleballer in the system?

Mark Scialabba: "Aaron Seuss...(several people answer is a knuckler)...Yunior Novoa is a left-hander pitcher, tall, lean body, fastball, can locate it very well, throws strikes, is about 86-88, hits 89, has got a very good breaking ball, good curve ball, that he can lefties and righties out with, he's a guy that I would consider a fringe prospect, we'll see what happens here in the next few months, he will be Rule 5 eligible, and he's a minor league free agent next year, so we still have control of him, but interesting guy definitely. And a knuckleballer...Aaron Seuss, is an outfielder that we drafted a few years back, and he's, we've been actually, actually thrown the knuckle ball in the past year on the side, never really brought it to the game, this year he's had some opportunities to actually throw it in the game, we'll what we do in the offseason, we'll see if we can maybe entice some former major leaguers to work with him..."

Q: Jack McGeary? Has he regressed by not playing full-time while he went to Stanford?

Mark Scialabba: "It's tough to say regressed, cause this is his first full season. I think you have to be fair to him, just to give him a little bit more time, I think that if he came out and he played professionally for a full-year right away, I think, yes, I think he would've been developed a little bit more right now, however, we're confident in Jack and his ability, I don't know if anyone's ever met him or seen him pitch, but he's a very, very special kid, extremely bright, has three outstanding pitches, and unfortunately he goes to school and plays baseball at the same time, so, this year he's in Vermont, I saw him last week throwing a side, and he looked good, he was throwing strikes, but he gets in the game and he can't really take that bullpen to the field yet, and I think that's where he's struggling right now. Still has a very good curve ball, good changeup, and hopefully we can figure some things out. He's been working with Spin Williams, our pitching coordinator, and we feel confident that he'll hopefully bounce back in Spring Training, and really show what he's capable of..."

Q: With Chris Marrero's promotion to Double-A, if he hits well this fall does he have a chance of playing in DC?

Mark Scialabba: "Yeah, I hope that progresses to the point where he can, I can't say that he 'will', he just got, I don't know if everybody knows, but he was promoted to Harrisburg, and yesterday he was 5 for 6 in a doubleheader, so he's, he's gotta find a groove, you're going to have adjustment period, hopefully, he finishes up strong and is seeing the ball and making consistent contact, he's a kid with a lot of power, exciting batter, I think that if he progresses quickly, yes, he might have a shot, however, you really don't want to push him up there unless you feel confident that he's ready for it, mentally and physically, because, just like we talked about with Ian Desmond, you don't want to put a kid up there to fail and have that burden like he's had a lot of pressure...Chris, physically, I think, has a ways to go at first base, and he's working on that, he's developing into a first baseman, when he started this year he really didn't know, he didn't have the footwork, he didn't have the, he just wasn't comfortable around the bag, Trent Jewett has worked with him, our manager in Potomac and Jeff Garber, our infield coordinator has worked with him a whole lot this year, he's working hard at it, he's trying to become a first baseman cause he knows that you have to be a two-way player once you get to the big leagues in the National League."

Pt. 1 - Previously Published...

Drew Storen -

Mark Scialabba: "Drew Storen is a pretty unique case, we're really excited about Drew, obviously that's why we took him with our second pick in this year's draft. He has outstanding command of pitches, he doesn't walk anybody, he 's got three plus pitches, with ability to command each one. Very excited about his development, his make-up is off the charts, he's very mature, physically and mentally, we're excited about what he's done, and from a level-to-level position he's done great, I mean the first outing I was there in Hagerstown and he was woken up to professional baseball with a fastball at 96 on the outside corner and he realized, 'Hey, you know what, I gotta locate pitches here, this is not college baseball...'"

Does Ian Desmond Figure Into The Nationals' future?

Ian Desmond -

Mark Scialabba: "Ian (Desmond) is a very exciting player, you look at him and you think Big Leaguer. Very exciting, has plus range both ways, has an outstanding arm, and amongst managers throughout the leagues they've noticed that, Baseball America's rated him as one of the best arms in the past few years, Carolina League, Eastern League, and he's a guy that, his bat has taken some to develop, he's hit some rough patches...I think earlier in his career we promoted him too quickly, and he struggled, and for a young kid that was in big league camp, and people were throwing out names like Derek Jeter, you get a lot of pressure put on you, and you've heard this before, but I think that he's got a very good bat speed, he utilizes his lower half extremely well, his swing is in sequence, which is what we teach and praise our guys to do, Ralph Dickinson, our hitting coordinator, works with out hitters to try to make sure that they swing the proper way, the way that you need to be successful up here in the major leauges, and Ian's done a phenomal job this year...exciting, a lot of potential...as far as him coming up here, I don't think it would be fair to him to kind of give you guys an idea before letting him know...so I'm not going to go into that, but I think he's got a lot of potential and we're really excited about the future with Ian Desmond."

Derek Norris - Will he remain a catcher?

Mark Scialabba: "Our plan is to have Derek catch...Derek came to us in the draft a few years ago and he's got amazing bat potential, a very advanced approach at the plate, you don't see many hitters with his type of approach, very calm, and strong, short to the ball. He is a catcher, he started catching junior year in high school, so he has a ways to go. We feel very confident with our staff and his make-up, his ability to go out there and grind every day to get better. It's gonna take time, if you talk to any farm director, it's one of the hardest things to develop is a catcher...and you're going to have some failure along the way. Derek is not where he needs to be, because he's still in Low A, we know that, but his bat has has progressed much more quickly than his defense... "

• Storen, Desmond And Norris Links:

• "Potomac Nationals Weekly Update: Washington Nationals' Prospect Drew Storen Interview" - Federal Baseball - Ed Chigliak

"Drew Storen, Stanford Cardinal closer, was selected by the Washington Nationals with their second 1st Round pick, 10th overall in the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft."

• Drew Storen (DrewStoren) on Twitter

• Ian Desmond On You Tube:

• Washington Times - Jay LeBlanc - "Prospect Q&A - Derek Norris, Nationals"

"This year, Norris appears primed to make the jump from being a very good prospect to being an elite prospect..."

• "Nationals' Minor Leaguer Derek Norris Has Improved His Prospects" - washingtonpost.com - Chico Harlan

"Almost everything about Derek Norris's upbringing geared the catcher to crush baseballs. A shed on his parents' property in Goddard, Kan., was fashioned into a batting cage with two pitchers' mounds. Norris always played with kids two years older than him, just to keep pace with his brother. Norris loved catching...".

Potomac Nationals Weekly Update: Brad Peacock, The Fastest Interview In The Washington Nationals' System.

Ed Chigliak — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:58:58 -0000

The 1,231st pick in the 41st Round of the 2006 MLB amateur entry draft, Brad Peacock, a 6'1'' right-hander out of Miami, Florida and Palm Beach Central High School, began his professional career in the Gulf Coast League in 2007 with the GCL Nationals, and in 2008, he began the year with the NY/Penn League's Vermont Lake Monsters before moving up to Class-A Hagerstown where he was (0-5) with a 9.09 ERA in 8 starts and 33.2 IP for the Suns. Peacock started '09 with Hagerstown, but in late July he was called up to Potomac when P-Nats' starter Brad Engles was placed on the DL. In that first start, Peacock threw 5.2 innings, allowing 5 hits and 4 ER to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans' batters, who struck out 9 times.

In 4 starts and 1 relief appearance with the P-Nats since that first start, Peacock's (2-2) with a 3.75 ERA in 36.0 innings, but as Anthony Masterson, (Broadcast/Media Assistant with the Class-A Carolina League's Potomac Nationals) pointed out in the note he sent along with this week's P-Nats' Weekly Update:

"As a starter in 5 appearances, he's 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA and (Peacock's) coming off one of the best starts of his career throwing 8 innings of three-hit baseball against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, allowing just one run. The 41st round pick has made some noise in the Washington organization with a low to mid 90s fastball and a solid breaking pitch that keeps hitters off balance. "

Asked to explain the reasons for his success in the last start, the 21-year-old pitcher quickly states that the key was his ability to, "...keep the ball down and get a lot of ground balls, which I did...didn't strike too many out, so, I mean, got a lot of ground balls, so that was the key right there." Mr. Masterson joked lightheartedly in his notes on the interview that Brad Peacock was a man of few words, and his follow-up question about whether keeping the ball low has been the key to his success so far as a pro demonstrates as much as Mr. Peacock responds simply, "Oh Yeah. Oh Yeah," and I mention this not to poke fun at the young pitcher, but to note that for a man of few words, he managed to say some key ones that are music to DC GM Mike Rizzo's ears.

Check Out The Interview Below, And Learn About "Bring Your Peacock To The Park Night":

AUDIO: Potomac Nationals Weekly Update - Brian Peacock Interview - Anthony Masterson (Length: 3:05)

Potomac Nationals Weekly Update Archive: (After The JUMP)...

Potomac Nationals Weekly Update Archive:

• 8/28 - Tim Pahuta Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 8/20 - Tom Milone Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 8/7 - Will Atwood Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 7/26 - Drew Storen Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 7/23 - Danny Espinosa Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 7/14 - Boomer Whiting Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 7/8 - Sean Rooney Interview by Anthony Masterson.

• 6/29 - Chris Marrero Interview by Anthony Masterson.

• 6/15 - Stephen King, Will Atwood.

• 6/5 - Cole Kimball, Sean Rooney.

• 5/25 - Chris Marrero, Jeff Mandel, Sean Rooney.

• 5/17 - Tom Milone, Michael Burgess, Chris Marrero.

• 5/12 - Sean Rooney, Francisco Plasencia, Erik Arnesen, Brad Meyers and Jeff Mandel.

• 5/5 - Dan Nelson, Erik Arnesen.

Washington Nationals Top 20 PRE-SEASON Prospects

John Sickels — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:55:19 -0000

More photos » by Evan Vucci - AP

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Browse more photos »

Washington Nationals Top 20 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review

This list wasoriginally published November 21st, 2008. This is a REVIEW of the PRE-SEASON list for 2009, not a revision of that list. This is a REVIEW of the old list. I'm not doing new grades or lists until I start working on the 2010 book.

1) Jordan Zimmermann, RHP, Grade B+: 4.63 ERA with 92/29 K/BB in 91 innings for the Nationals. Decent rookie season ended early by Tommy John surgery.

2) Michael Burgess, OF, Grade B+: Hitting .232/.325/.418 with 19 homers, 12 steals, 51 walks, 125 strikeouts in 435 at-bats. Still has the power potential and very young at 20, but needs to make adjustments as he moves up. I think I rated him too highly.

3) Chris Marrero, 1B, Grade B: Hit .287/.360/.464 in the Carolina League, just promoted to Double-A and hitting .393/.452/.536 in eight games.

4) Ross Detwiler, LHP, Grade B-: 2.97 ERA with 62/24 K/BB in 67 Double-A and Triple-A innings. Overmatched in 10 major league starts (6.40 ERA, 33/22 K/BB in 52 innings, 69 hits) but will get more chances.

5) Garrett Mock, RHP, Grade B-: 2.65 ERA with 48/13 K/BB in 51 Triple-A innings, 5.23 ERA with 48/27 K/BB in 53 major league innings. Can still be a competent reliever with better control. B- was too high though.

6) Jack McGeary, LHP, Grade B-: 6.79 ERA with 44/45 K/BB in 56 innings for Hagerstown, 3.55 ERA with 37/35 K/BB in 51 innings for Vermont. Another example of how dangerous it is to base a grade on nothing but scouting reports. He supposedly had good control but it's been very poor this year.

7) Justin Maxwell, OF, Grade C+: .248/.347/.407 with 13 homers, 33 steals for Triple-A Syracuse. Lots of strikeouts and low batting average seem consistent for him, but has power, speed, and will take a walk.

8) Esmailyn Gonzalez, SS, Grade C+: Busted in Age-Gate....was really 23 years old, not 18, and named Carlos Alvarez, not Esmailyn Gonzalez. Not a prospect, hitting .280/.423/.327 in the Dominican Summer League.

9) Destin Hood, OF, Grade C+: Hit .330/.388/.614 in the GCL, .250/.325/.344 in the NY-P. Still toolsy, still raw.

10) Shairon Martis, RHP, Grade C+: 5.80 ERA with 30/14 K/BB in 54 innings for Syracuse, 77 hits. 5.25 ERA with 34/39 K/BB in 86 innings for the Nationals. I don't like his component ratios at this point.

11) Rogerarvin Bernadina, OF, Grade C+: Out all season with ankle injury.

12) Adrian Nieto, C, Grade C+: hitting .233/.324/.295 in the Gulf Coast League. Another guy with good amateur scouting reports who is not performing in reality.

13) Derek Norris, C, Grade C+: Breakout season, hitting .290/.410/.523 with 79 walks, 23 homers for Hagerstown.

14) Colton Willems, RHP, Grade C+: Limited to 24 innings this year, 21 of them at Potomac, by injury.

15) Josh Smoker, LHP, Grade C+: 2.79 ERA with 26/9 K/BB in 39 innings for GCL Nationals.

16) Marvin Lowrance, OF, Grade C+: Hitting .237/.323/.455 with 15 homers for Double- A Harrisburg. At age 25 he needed to do better than this.

17) Paul Denny, RHP, Grade C+: 5.20 ERA with 103/39 K/BB in 97 innings for Hagerstown, 97 hits. FIP is 3.86; he's done better than the ERA indicates.

18) J.P. Ramirez, OF, Grade C+: Hitting .245/.293/.362 for Vermont. Not impressive. Another guy rated solely on the basis of scouting reports who has disappointed.

19) Tyler Clippard, RHP, Grade C: 0.92 ERA with 42/15 K/BB in 39 innings for Syracuse, 2.50 ERA with 42/18 K/BB in 36 innings for the Nationals. I took flak for rating him this high, so I'm glad to see that he's done well.

20) Ian Desmond, SS, Grade C: Hitting .318/.391/.467 with 19 steals combined between Double-A and Triple-A. Looks like he is turning his tools into skills.

Zimmermann's injury is unfortunate, and we'll simply have to wait and see when/if he gets his stuff and command back. The egregious Esmailyn Gonzalez fiasco is one of the highest-profile cases regarding identity falsification, leading to a full-blown scandal. High school arms Smoker, Willems, and McGeary have been disappointing. On the positive side, breakthrough seasons by Clippard, Norris, and Desmond have been very helpful. Next year's list will look a lot better, headlined by 2009 draftees Strasburg and Storen.

Potomac Nationals Weekly Update: Tim Pahuta Interview.

Ed Chigliak — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:00:16 -0000

Somerset, New Jersey born, Seton Hall University educated, Potomac Nationals' first baseman Tim Pahuta, the Washington Nationals' 18th Round draft pick, taken 534th overall in 2005, (behind a few names you might recognize like Ryan Zimmerman, Justin Maxwell, Marco Estrada, John Lannan and Craig Stammen, among others), was two seasons into his professional career when he suffered a torn ACL which cost him his entire 2007 season when he was 24-years-old. Pahuta has been tasked, as the P-Nats fight for a pennant in the Class-A Advanced Carolina League's Northern Division, with replacing the top first base prospect in the Nationals' system, Chris Marrero, who was called up to Double-A Harrisburg last week after hitting .287 with 21 doubles, 16 HR's and 65 RBI's in 112 games with Potomac.

Pahuta, who hit 24 doubles, 17 HR's and 73 RBI's in 116 games with the Hagerstown Suns last season, and so far this year has collected 13 doubles, 7 HR's and 35 RBI's in 77 games, reluctantly admits in the interview included below, that at 26, he's an "elder statesmen" on the Class-A team, with the ACL tear having significantly slowed his development, and as such, Pahuta has responded to the increased importance of his role with the team by hitting .294 with 8 doubles, 4 HR's and 19 RBI's in 37 games since the All-Star break. "With just two weeks left in the year and the team in the thick of a pennant race, (Pahuta's) responded very well to the pressures of the position as well as picking up the slack lefty by Marrero," Anthony Masterson, (Broadcast/Media Assistant with the Class-A Carolina League's Potomac Nationals), wrote in a note he sent along with this week's interview.

After Monday night's 5-3 loss to the to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the P-Nats find themselves 2.5 games behind the Carolina League's Northern Division leading Wilmington Blue Rocks, but third baseman Stephen King recently returned from the disabled list and there's a possibility of help arriving soon...From Hagerstown? Mark Scialabba, the Nationals' Assistant Director Of Player Development, said that might be a possibilty when asked if anyone would be joining the pennant race during a Washinton Nationals Bloggers Day interview this weekend. In Mr. Scialabba's own words, someone might be brought up, "If there's a guy who we feel like can help," and only if it's in the best interest of the prospect's development, Mr. Scialabba qualified, like, "last year," when, "...Michael Burgess and Stephen King were promoted, early August and it was great, they added a lot, Michael Burgess ended up hitting 6 HR's and Stephen King played steady third base." Help is on the way in the form of Mr. King, be interesting to see if anyone else joins the P-Nats' race...

AUDIO: Potomac Nationals Weekly Update - Tim Pahuta Interview - Anthony Masterson (Length: 5:53)

Potomac Nationals Weekly Update Archive: (After The JUMP)...

Potomac Nationals Weekly Update Archive:

• 8/20 - Tom Milone Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 8/7 - Will Atwood Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 7/26 - Drew Storen Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 7/23 - Danny Espinosa Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 7/14 - Boomer Whiting Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 7/8 - Sean Rooney Interview by Anthony Masterson.

• 6/29 - Chris Marrero Interview by Anthony Masterson.

• 6/15 - Stephen King, Will Atwood.

• 6/5 - Cole Kimball, Sean Rooney.

• 5/25 - Chris Marrero, Jeff Mandel, Sean Rooney.

• 5/17 - Tom Milone, Michael Burgess, Chris Marrero.

• 5/12 - Sean Rooney, Francisco Plasencia, Erik Arnesen, Brad Meyers and Jeff Mandel.

• 5/5 - Dan Nelson, Erik Arnesen.

Potomac Nationals Weekly Update: Washington Nationals' Prospect Tom Milone Interview.

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:30:09 -0000

• Potomac Nationals Weekly Update -

Anthony Masterson, (Broadcast/Media Assistant with the Class-A Carolina League's Potomac Nationals), has been sending interviews with a variety of P-Nats' players for the last few months, many of whom have found themselves promoted from Potomac shortly after Mr. Masterson introduced them to us by way of the pregame interviews he records for the P-Nats' radio broadcasts and has been willing to share. This week's edition features Tom Milone, a 6'1'' left-hander who was Washington's 2008 11th Round pick (301st overall) out of USC.

In his first 13 games and 10 starts with the Vermont Lake Monsters and Class-A Hagerstown Suns after being drafted last season, Milone was (1-6) with a 3.51 ERA and 49 K's in 59.0 IP. Milone started the 2009 season with the Class-A Advanced Potomac Nationals, going (3-2) in his first 13 games and 11 starts before the Class-A All-Star game, and after a brutal June which saw Milone go (0-1) with a 6.53 ERA in 5 starts and 20.2 IP, Mr. Masterson writes that, Milone recovered, "...with a stellar July" in which he went:

"...3-1 with a 2.84 ERA in six starts, (and Milone's) been just flat out dominant in the month of August. In three starts, he's 3-0 with a 0.47 ERA. In 19 1/3 innings, he's struck out 18 and walked just two. In his last start, he went into first-place Wilmington's ballpark and tossed seven innings, allowing just four hits and one unearned run."

Mr. Milone followed the 8/14 start against the Wilmington Blue Rocks that Mr. Masterson describes with a win last night against the Winston Salem Dash, in a 9-1 game in which he pitched 5.0 innings, allowing 3 hits, 1 walk and just 1 ER on the way to his tenth victory of the season. Milone's now (10-4) with a 3.08 ERA and 90 K's in 24 games, 22 starts and 131.1 IP, and according to Mr. Masterson, he's emerged as:

"...the ace of the P-Nats staff with the promotions of Brad Meyers and Jeff Mandel, and he's pitching his best baseball of the season in the heat of the pennant race."

• Check Out the P-Nats' Anthony Masterson's interview with Tom Milone:

• AUDIO: Potomac Nationals Weekly Update - Tom Milone Interview - Anthony Masterson - (Length: 5:13)

Potomac Nationals Weekly Update Archive: (After The JUMP)...

Potomac Nationals Weekly Update Archive:

• 8/7 - Will Atwood Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 7/26 - Drew Storen Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 7/23 - Danny Espinosa Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 7/14 - Boomer Whiting Interview - Anthony Masterson.

• 7/8 - Sean Rooney Interview by Anthony Masterson.

• 6/29 - Chris Marrero Interview by Anthony Masterson.

• 6/15 - Stephen King, Will Atwood.

• 6/5 - Cole Kimball, Sean Rooney.

• 5/25 - Chris Marrero, Jeff Mandel, Sean Rooney.

• 5/17 - Tom Milone, Michael Burgess, Chris Marrero.

• 5/12 - Sean Rooney, Francisco Plasencia, Erik Arnesen, Brad Meyers and Jeff Mandel.

• 5/5 - Dan Nelson, Erik Arnesen.