SB Nation - Leonard Davis

Following The Washington Nationals Wherever They Are...

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 04:41:57 -0000

YESTERDAY...

Where In the World Are the Washington Nationals?

The Nationals are everywhere. Florida, Canada, Puerto Rico. Spring Training. The WBC. And everywhere they were, they won...

...In Port St. Lucie, Florida, at Tradition Field against New York's Hated Mets, Washington got home runs from Leonard Davis and Joel "The Other" Guzman, doubles from catcher Luke Montz and outfielder Jorge Padilla and RBI's from six different players in a 7-5 win. The Nationals' pitchers held the Mets off all day, preserving the lead for Scott Olsen, who earned the win in spite of allowing 6 hits, 2 walks and 2 ER's in 3.0 innings of work. The two teams meet again today, this time in Space Coast Stadium, with the Former Mr. National Himself, Livan Hernandez on the hill in a Mets' cap against DC's new favorite pitcher, John "Cool Hand" Lannan.

...In Pool C play in the WBC, in front of 42,314 fans, in the Rogers Centre, in Toronto, Canada, the US team got HR's from DC's Adam Dunn, the Sox' Kevin Youkilis and the Braves' backstop Brian McCann, and used six relievers after starter Jake Peavy's 3.0 innings of work to hold off a Canadian team that came within a run with a ninth inning rally off new Mets' set-up man J.J. Putz. Russell Martin and Joey Votto provided most of the offense for Canada, with the Reds' Votto 4 for 5 with a two-run blast off of Peavy, and the Dodgers' Martin 2 for 4 with a blast off the Angels' Scot Shields. Nationals' closer "Wild" Joel Hanrahan gave up a hit, a walk and a run while striking out two in 1.0 inning of work, pitching himself out of a jam to keep the US lead in tact.

...In WBC Pool D play, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, another Nationals' reliever, Saul "Sa-ool" Rivera struck out one batter and got two ground balls in the eighth and final inning of Puerto Rico's 7-0 win over Panama. Hated Mets' first baseman Carlos Delgado's solo shot in the second and the still-unsigned Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez's two home runs were all the offense the Puerto Rican team needed to make starter Javier Vazquez's 4.1 scoreless hold up.

TODAY in SPACE COAST...

John Lannan starts for DC at 1:05 pm EST in Space Coast Stadium against New York's Hated Mets, who counter with soft-tossing right-hander Livan Hernandez. Lannan threw two scoreless and held Houston hitless in his first appearance of '09, and then upped it to 3.0 innings against the Italians his second time out. Hernandez threw two scoreless in a start in his debut, but gave up 5 hits and 3 runs in a relief appearance last Wednesday against the same Nationals he faces today.

GM SEARCH UPDATE...

FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reported on Friday, in a section of an article entitled, "This could be the beginning of A-Rod's breakdown" which was subtitled, "Shocker coming in DC?" that "one executive who knows" Nationals' Team President Stan Kasten, "...expects Kasten's choice of GM to be a surprise,":

"'Not a young up and comer...nor former Rays GM Chuck Lamar, who worked under Kasten with the Braves. Perhaps someone like former Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker, now with the Rays, would qualify.'"

Or perhaps, "Former Rangers GM John Hart", but, "...some in the industry doubt that he is interested in the position." So you still don't think it's just going to go to Mike Rizzo?

Oh...Vladimir Guerrero got caught lying about his age...so I guess Montreal got tricked too, back in the day...

Esmailyn "Smiley" Gonzalez was hardly the first player to lie about his age. Vladimir Guerrero might be the first player to forget to lie about his age. According to Yahoo! Sports writer Tim Brown, who quotes Guerrero in an article entitled, "Angels' Guerrero is a year older than listed", the thought-to-be-33-year-old Guerrero told a reporter, through a translator, that his surgically repaired knee was fine, or as Guerrero put it:

"'I feel good. I can’t say [like] 25, because, you know, I’m 34. But I feel a lot better. That’s where I’m at right now.'”

Oops.

?'s For the DC Faithful...

Who's Watching/Listening to/Following today's game against the New York Mets? We are! Federal Baseball.com's going to attempt to put up the second live blog of the weekend with Doghouse reporting live from Space Coast Stadium and providing pics from the game, and me, e chigliak collecting and sorting it all into a live post that I'll update throughout the game. Who knows what we'll end up with...? 1:05 pm EST from Florida? Who's Watching The Nationals???

Spring Training: Game 7 Game Thread: The Washington Nationals vs New York's Hated Mets.

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:30:13 -0000

Who Needs A New GM?

Don't think for a second that Stan Kasten couldn't do this all himself if he wanted to. I doubt he will for much longer, but as an AP story which was printed today in the Newark Star-Ledger's baseball "Notebook" column entitled, "A's set to sign SS Cabrera", reminded everyone, Mr. Kasten, "..at 27 became the youngest GM in NBA history," and, "...in 1999 simultaneously served as president of baseball's Atlanta Braves, the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, and the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers." So it should come as no surprise that Mr. Kasten's taking calls on trades, negotiating with Ryan Zimmerman's agent and simultaneously searching for departed GM Jim Bowden's successor.

Washington Times' writer Ben Goessling reported, in a Chatter post entitled, "Talks resume on ZImmerman contract", on Ryan Zimmerman's agent Brodie Van Wagenen's arrival at the Nationals' Spring home to discuss signing the Face of the Franchise© to a long-term deal with Mr. Kasten, "...with the possibility of getting something done by Opening Day," as a goal, though Mr. Goessling just says, "I'm told," as far as the source of his story...(which must infuriate the Former Nationals' GM.)

The only surprising aspect of this for me, (since I think signing the player who is, (arguably? POLL?), the most popular player in franchise's history might be a good idea to counter all the bad press that's sullied the Nationals' Spring), is that the last I remember reading from Mr. Kasten about Zimmerman's agent was in Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's article entitled, "NatsFest, Over And Out", where Mr. Kasten, then with a single job title, told those in attendance at the NatsFest festivities that he believed Mr. Van Wagenen, "...didn't like to do long-term contracts before free agency."

When the Nationals and Zimmerman agreed on one-year, $3.325 million dollar deal back on February 20th, Mr. Van Wagenen was quoted in MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article entitled, "Nats' Zimmerman avoids arbitration", telling reporters:

"'The Nationals and Ryan have a good relationship,' Van Wagenen said. 'We are working hard to get a deal done. The Nationals made it clear that they want Ryan, and Ryan expressed he wants to be with the Nationals.'"

Before Opening Day would be great...Now about that new GM, Mr. Kasten? "Later this week", I know, I know...

I See A Direct Connection...

So I read MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article about Elijah Dukes offering hitting advice to Roger Bernadina in an article, (which is updated now), entitled, "Bernadina excels after Dukes' tips", and then several hours later I hear the MLB Homeplate Update about Bernadina's three-run walk-off home run to save the Nationals the embarrassment of losing to the lightly-regarded Italian entry in the upcoming WBC, after the Italians were able to take advantage of the struggling relievers Marco Estrada and Wilfredo Ledezma, who combined to allow 5 hits and 5 runs over 1.2 IP. (But seriously, OE Val Pascucci hit a HR? My brother and I talked to him when we went to Montreal and he was deep in left on the turf outfield. He actually responded politely to my Brother Scout's drunken Braves-talk.")

Dukes and Bernadina combined to avoid an international incident, (and if Washington lost, I would've demanded a best of three!), with Dukes 2 for 3 with a triple, a HR and 3 RBI's, and Bernadina, 3 for 5 with the 3-run dinger. (ed. note - "I wonder if Elijah Dukes gave Kory Casto advice too...Sorry, Mr. Ladson, at least it was a rental!") The most important line in today's box score, as I see it:

"2-out RBI: Milledge; Zimmerman, R; Dukes 2; Bernadina 3."

As much because of the names, as it is because of the clutch hitting on display. Now I just want to see the headline, "Zimmermann, Shell, Hinckley and Mock combined on a shutout of the Mets on Wednesday!!!"(ed. note - "That's right, Lou!!!)...

THE HATED METS ARE COMING TO SPACE COAST!!! THE OFFICIAL GAME THREAD!!!!

Bring it Pelfrey!! The Nationals got Jordan Zimmermann!! With 2 N's!!! Maybe I shouldn't taunt Pelfrey, he reportedly threw heat by the Italian team when he pitched against them last week...Tomorrow in Space Coast, the 22-year-old Zimmermann faces the 25-year-old Pelfrey in the first meeting of the year between the NL East rivals (though the Mets' fans laugh thinking that DC fans might see it as a "rivalry").

Pelfrey held the '08 Nationals to a .242 AVG last season, posting a 2.36 ERA in 26.2 IP against DC in which he allowed 7 runs, 7 doubles, a HR and 11 walks, while going (1-2) in 4 starts...

Nationals vs Mike Pelfrey...

Ronnie Belliard - 3 for 15, .200 AVG, 4 K's, 1 2B.

Kory "Shattered Glass" Casto - 1 for 3, .333 AVG, 2 RBI's.

Elijah Dukes - 2 for 3, .667 AVG, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI.

Team USA's Adam Dunn - 2 for 7, .286 AVG, 1 HR, 2 BB, 2 RBI's.

Cristian Guzman - 5 for 14, .357 AVG, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 SB.

TAWH - 3 for 7, .429 AVG, 2 RBI's.

Austin "Ringo Starr at the End of 'Helter Skelter" Kearns - 5 for 16, .313 AVG, 1 HR, 4 RBI's.

Lastings Milledge - 3 for 10, .300 AVG, 1 2B.

Josh Willingham - 3 for 10, .300 AVG, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI's.

Ryan Zimmerman - 5 for 24, .208 AVG, 1 2B, 2 RBI's.

Game time 1:05 pm EST from Space Coast. I'll be listening in if anyone's following the action...(Note: I actually don't see it listed on the radio or XM...so???)

?'s For The DC Faithful?

• Are you hearing any new names in the Nationals' GM Search? Are the Nationals in a media lockdown?

• Will Triple-A Syracuse with Leonard Davis, Roger Bernadina and Justin Maxwell in the outfield (presumably) be just as fun to watch as the Nationals? You Chiefs' fans are lucky!

• Do you consider the Hated Mets the Nationals' biggest rivals? The Orioles? The Phillies?

• Should Kory Casto pay for Bill Ladson's rental's window? (ed. note - "I still think Gary Majewski owes me $300 for giving up a HR to Ryan Howard in Philly that set me on the way home late and into an accident that never would've happened if Majewski didn't hang that slider!")

• Is there anyone else out there who's become as big a Dukes' fan as me? If he takes over right field in '09, I'm getting a #34 name and # t-shirt! (Especially since Milledge had to go change his # to #85...now I have no accurate shirts...)

Who's Following Spring Training baseball between DC and NY???

(ed. note - "Phew, I made it through a post that discussed the Italian team without an Italian cooking joke!)

Poll

Who Is The Most Popular Player In Nationals' History?

"Mr. National Himself" Livan Hernandez?

4 votes

Vinny "The Vacuum" Castilla?

0 votes

Alfonso soriANO!!!

15 votes

Ryan Zimmer- THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!!

89 votes

The Flat-Brimmed Closer Chad Cordero?

12 votes

Chris Snelling?

2 votes

Nick Johnson?

5 votes

Brad "Wilkie" Wilkerson?

1 votes

Other? Write-In Votes In the Comments!!!

6 votes

134 votes | Poll has closed

Who's In Your '09 Washington Nationals' Outfield?

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:52:43 -0000

I'm Going With "The Hammer", "Super Dukes" and "Lasto" Left To Right...

Taking for granted that someone will offer Adam Dunn a deal that will pay him more than Washington is willing to, and assuming that he would play first even if he was signed by DC since Josh Willingham was acquired in a trade and told he'd play left, where I really doubt Manny Ramirez will be playing this season, since he is too old (sorry), too old for DC, and too expensive, looking for more than a two-year deal...etc....Who would you pencil into the Nationals' outfield if the season were to start today?

The Washington Nationals' Official site has Josh Willingham in left, Lastings Milledge in center and Elijah Dukes atop a list of prospective right fielders that includes Austin Kearns and Justin Maxwell, (and I think the fact that they're listed alphabetically is just random luck, meaning I thinks Dukes is supposed to be starting in right in the Depth Chart's opinion, because no other position is organized by last name, but who knows whose opinion this chart is based upon?...)...Dukes is also listed second in center above Willie Harris and Roger Bernadina, (who will most likely start the season at Triple-A with at least 4 or 5 players ahead of him on the OF depth chart...at least by my own estimation...)

In a mid-November poll, the readers of federalbaseball.com voted decisively (with 64 of 155, or 41% of the votes cast) in favor of the Willingham, Dukes, Milledge outfield, left to right, but maybe their opinion was swayed by an article, published in late September, by Washington Post writer Chico Harlan, entitled, "Milledge may be placed in corner for '09", where Lastings Milledge was quoted in the first paragraph asking a question , "Do I play shallow, deep?", (that still has me wondering here in December)...? Has your opinion changed? Is Milledge back in right where he played the majority of the time with New York...?

-- Josh Willingham played just 102 games last season for the Florida Marlins, lowering his career average a bit with a .254 '08 campain in which he collected 21 doubles, 5 triples, 15 HR's and 51 RBI's after seasons of 32/4/21/98 in '07 and 28/2/26/74 in '06, though he met most of his career averages in terms of OBP, SLG and OPS, where he's now been statistically proven to finish around, .361/.472/.833 per 162.

-- Elijah Dukes played 38 error-free games in center for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in '07, assisting on 3 outs, with one double play, but Dukes played only 1 game in center last season for DC, playing mostly right, committing 5 errors, and assisting on 9 outs in 69 games over which he hit .264 with 16 doubles, 14 HR's, 44 RBI's, a .386 OBP, .498 SLG, and .877 OPS.

-- Lastings Milledge played 24 of his first 50 MLB games with the Mets in right field, making only 1 error as a 21-year-old rookie in the Big Apple in '06, (or at least outside it, in Flushing, Queens, where Shea Stadium is being slowly dismantled to make room for Citi Field which opens this April and which Washington will visit in the last week of the month...), and Milledge only played 14 games in center in '07 in place of an injured Carlos Beltran, while spending 28 games in right and 11 in left, and committing just 2 errors in 52 games...but Washington acquired Milledge to play center, and they put him out there, uncomfortable as he seemed at times, for 134 games in which he committed 5 errors, while hitting .268 with 24 doubles, 2 triples, 14 HR's and 61 RBI's, a .330 OBP, .402 SLG, and .731 OPS.

Is that your '09 Washington Nationals' outfield? The Hammer, Super Dukes and Lasto? What should DC do with Austin Kearns? Do any of the young players, Justin Maxwell or Roger Bernadina, or Kory Casto (he can play LF/RF?) have a shot in the outfield? Don't forget Wily Mo Pena. Upstart Leonard Davis? Willie "WILLIE HARRIS WANTS TO PLAY" Harris? That's all the outfielders currently on the Nationals' 40-Man Roster? Give me your best Manny Acta and list your starting outfield in the Comments section...

Two Opinions on The Nationals' New Starter...

Sporting News' writer Ryan Fagan has an article at Yahoo! Sports.com entitled, "Little deals can make a big difference", where Mr. Fagan examines the four MLB starters who have signed 1-year deals, including the Washington Nationals' newest starter Daniel Cabrera, with Mr. Fagan writing that, "The Orioles are as pitching-poor in 2009 as any club...and they just cut Cabrera loose. That should tell you something," though Mr. Fagan does come down on the side of it being a good risk/reward situation for DC's Nationals.

Dave from the Nationals New Network checked in with a FANPOST entitled, "Nats announce Cabrera deal", which linked to his article entitled, (with the federalbaseball.com friendly title), "Nationals Officially Announce Cabrera Deal", where he takes a close look at Cabrera's #'s and concludes that he's on the decline, writing, (with a hint of sarcasm):

"It's the worst of both worlds. He's a lousy pitcher getting worse that takes the ball every fifth day (unless it's injury accounting for the drop in velocity and Ks). Oh goody."

What? I didn't promise a balanced discussion...The Sporting News' writer kinda liked the Cabrera signing...for DC at least...you try to find someone who's enthusiastic about it...

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE UPDATE..

Prospective DC second baseman Anderson Hernandez made the MiLB.com front page after going 3 for 5 with a triple and 3 RBI's Tuesday night as the Tigres del Licey defeated the Azucareros del Este 10-8 in spite of a late rally which saw the Azucareros score 5 runs in the final two innings. (Still no Ronnie Belliard in the Licey lineup after a HBP this weekend). Hernandez now has 5 RBI's in 4 DWL Playoff games, in which the Tigres are now 3-1.

Federalbaseball.com's Readers, The Fivethirtyeight.com of Washington Nationals-Related Polling

Ed Chigliak — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:00:06 -0000

Now maybe I shouldn't have gone so far as to say that the readers of federalbaseball.com are as good with polls as Nate Silver and the folks at fivethirtyeight.com as I did in the title above, but most times, when asked, those of you who participate in the polls about the Washington Nationals have arrived at the correct conclusions...Which brings us to the latest poll, in which you've been asked to predict the makeup of the DC outfield in '09, and as of 12 noon, Friday, the 20th of November, the results of the first 125 votes cast are as follows:

(left to right in the OF...)

1. Josh Willingham - Elijah Dukes - Lastings Milledge -- 53 votes, 42%

2. Josh Willingham - Lastings Milledge - Elijah Dukes -- 49 votes, 39%

3. Elijah Dukes - Lastings Milledge - Austin Kearns -- 6 votes, 4%

4. Josh Willingham - Lastings Milledge - Austin Kearns - 5 votes, 4 %

5. Leonard Davis - Roger Bernadina - Justin Maxwell - 4 votes, 3%

Ignoring for a moment that four of the federalbaseball.com readers are clearly prepared for the future, what's most shocking for me is the fact that as a group we are apparently prepared to kick Austin Kearns to the curb, not caring about whether or not the Nationals' Brass has to fork over all or some of the $8 million dollars that Kearns is due in '09. 42% of us have decided that the newly acquired Willingham is going to be starting in left, with Dukes in center and the defensively-challenged Lastings Milledge in right, with the second largest contingent choosing Willingham, Milledge and Dukes left to right, and only 14 of the 125 votes cast placing Kearns in a starting position.

When the Nationals acquired Willingham back on 11/11/08, MLB.com's Bill Ladson, in an article entitled, "Newest Nationals welcomed to team", reported that DC GM Jim Bowden, "...didn't rule out trading one of the outfielders," after having mentioned the names of Willingham, Kearns, Dukes and Milledge earlier in the paragraph. I figured at the time that it was Kearns who'd be traded, with Colorado, who'd just moved outfielder Matt Holliday, as a possible destination, especially since they'd acquired an outfield prospect, Carlos Gonzalez, in the deal, who Bill Ladson had identified as a player of interest for the DC squad in another article entitled, "Nationals not pursuing Manny".

Kearns' .217 AVG in an injury-riddled 2008 campaign probably has a lot to do with the DC Faithful's willingness to part with an outfielder who signed a three-year $16.5 million dollar deal back in in February of '07 and was described as a "building block" by Team President Stan Kasten in an uncredited Washington Times article entitled, "Nationals lock up Kearns", which also quoted DC GM Jim Bowden explaining:

"'He's only 26 years old. His best years are ahead of him. This is a player that is very strong, he has an ability to drive in runs, move the runners over, hit the ball out of the ballpark, and like I said, his best years are ahead of him.'"

Less than two years later, if the federalbaseball.com readers have anything to say about it, Austin Kearns will be coming off the bench or departing DC altogether...???

Milledge Moves...

The second biggest, and probably the toughest decision voters made was to move Lastings Milledge from center to right, with Elijah Dukes taking over in center, but those worried about Milledge's defense in center, might want to read MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article from 2/21/08 entitled, "Milledge happy for new start with Nats", where the then-prospective DC centerfielder told Mr. Ladson:

"'Right and left field are tough positions to play. When I was in center field, everything was so natural that I really didn't think about anything out there. I just played the game.'"

(ed. note -"Natural", huh?)...After the completion of Milledge's first season as the Nationals' primary center fielder, Washington Post writer Chico Harlan began an article entitled, "Milledge May Be Placed In Corner for '09", by writing:

"As a center fielder, Lastings Milledge is still experimenting with the variables, searching for whatever works. 'Do I play shallow, deep?' he said yesterday, just giving an example. 'I'm trying to figure out what I'm most comfortable with.'"

Milledge's assesment of potential move to a corner position? Mr. Harlan quotes the 23-year old outfielder in the same article explaining:

"'Moving to the corner might not help anything,' Milledge said. 'You might have to cover the most ground in center, but it's the easiest as far as routes go.'"

Elijah Dukes came up to the Majors as a center fielder with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and played 38 games there in '07 without committing an error after having been labeled the "Best Athlete" in the Rays' organization in two straight "Top Ten Prospects: Tampa Bay Devil Rays", reports by Baseball America's Bill Ballew on 1/11/06 and 11/15/06, and back in Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's article entitled, "Milledge May Be Placed In Corner for '09", Mr. Harlan interpreted DC GM Jim Bowden's statement that the Nationals needed to "upgrade our defense" in the outfield as an endorsement for Dukes in center, writing:

"Bowden didn't name names, but no hint was needed: Elijah Dukes, currently Washington's starting left fielder, has the natural talent to shift to center..."

As of today, there are 9 outfielders on the Nationals' 40-Man Roster. Roger Bernadina, Leonard Davis and Justin Maxwell are most likely headed to either Double or Triple-A to start the '09 campaign, which leaves it as a choice for Manager Manny Acta, barring any trades, between Austin Kearns, Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge, Willie Harris, Wily Mo Pena and Josh Willingham for the three starting spots in the DC outfield...Spring Training is only a winter away...Who wants to break the news to Kearns?...

Poll

Who Starts In The '09 DC Outfield? Left to Right...

Dukes, Milledge, Kearns?

7 votes

Willingham, Dukes, Milledge?

64 votes

Willingham, Milledge, Dukes?

57 votes

Harris, Milledge, Dukes?

4 votes

Willingham, Dukes, Kearns?

5 votes

Willingham, Milledge, Kearns?

9 votes

WMP, Milledge, Dukes?

1 votes

Dukes, Bernadina, Milledge?

4 votes

Leonard Davis, Roger Bernadina, Justin Maxwell?

4 votes

155 votes | Poll has closed

Final Arizona Fall League #'s For Washington Nationals' Prospects. PLUS...More Teixeira Talk.

Ed Chigliak — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:14:19 -0000

(MEANDERING) FINAL AFL UPDATE...

The Peoria Saguaros, and the Washington Nationals' prospects on their roster, completed the Arizona Fall League season today with a 4-3 win over the Surprise Rafters to tie the Mesa Solar Sox, (who lost their last game), atop the AFL's American Division with identical 26-12 records, though the tiebreaker and the chance to play for the Fall League's title goes to the Solar Sox, who claimed the season series between the teams four games to three with their win over Peoria this past Wednesday night breaking a tie...

In the final game of the Fall for the Saguaros, DC infielder Ian Desmond did the most damage, going 2 for 4 with a double, a HR and an RBI to end his AFL campaign with a .267 AVG, 6 doubles, 4 HR's and 17 RBI's. Leonard Davis, (one of a couple players drafted as a third baseman and forced to find other positions in the DC organization after the Nationals' '05 Draft), was fit into the Saguaros' lineup at third, and went 0 for 3 with a run scored a walk, a K and a .325 AVG to show for his Fall, along with 6 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR's and 15 RBI's in 22 games and 80 at bats. (Zechry Zinicola also earned his second save with 1.0 scoreless frame in which he allowed a hit and struck out two batters to close out the win and lower his fall ERA to 6.89)

Both Desmond and Davis were drafted in the last Montreal Expos' Class, in 2004, with Desmond taken in the 3rd Round, 84th overall, a round before Collin Balester, and four rounds before Leonard Davis, who was selected with the 234th pick in the 8th Round.

The Nationals added the two, Desmond and Davis, to the 40-Man roster back on 11/10/08, (along with former Atlanta Braves' 1st Round pick pitcher Luis Atilano, who was acquired by DC in exchange for Daryle "D." Ward in post-deadline deal in August of '06), though Washington Post writer Chico Harlan noted at the time, in a Nationals Journal post entitled simply, "Three Added To Roster", that, "...all three of these players would have been eligible for the Rule 5 Draft had they not been added to the 40-man roster."

-- Desmond, who's been around so long it's hard to believe he's only 22, hit .251 with 14 doubles, 12 HR's, 44 RBI's and 12 steals in 93 games in 2008 with the Nationals' affiliate in Double-A Harrisburg. Before the season, Desmond was listed as the "Best Defensive Infielder" and was said to have the "Best Infield Arm" according to Baseball America's Aaron Fitt's "Top 10 Prospects: Washington Nationals" report, in spite of having committed 32 errors in 127 games at short for the Class-A Potomac Nationals in the 2007 season.

-- Leonard Davis was nowhere to be found in Mr. Fitt's report after the 2007 season, in which the then-23-year-old outfielder hit a combined .285 with 33 doubles, 4 triples, 20 HR's and 66 RBI's at three levels of the Nationals' system, but after his 2008 campaign, Davis' name appeared in the Washington organizational report by MiLB.com writer Kevin T. Czerwinski entitled, "Nationals' farm hurt by injury bug", in which Mr. Czerwinski wrote:

"Davis was a largely nondescript player through four Minor League seasons before bursting onto the scene this year. He hit .332 in 217 at-bats with Potomac and then hit .488 in 41 at-bats at Harrisburg. He tailed off a bit at Columbus (.239 in 180 at-bats), but still had a marvelous season."

In an official Washington Nationals' Press Release on September 23rd of '08, Leonard Davis was named the Nationals' Minor League Player of the Year.

FINAL AFL STATS...

Peoria Saguaros' Fielders...

Ian Desmond - SS - 28 G, 27 for 101, .267 AVG, 6 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR's, 17 RBI's, 4 SB, .364 OBP, .525 SLG, .888 OPS.

Bill Rhinehart - 1B - 23 G, 30 for 92, .326 AVG, 11 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR's, 28 RBI's, 1 CS, .392 OBP, .598 SLG, .990 OPS.

Leonard Davis - OF - 22 G, 26 for 80, .325 AVG, 6 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR's, 15 RBI's, 2 SB, .415 OBP, .600 SLG, 1.015 OPS.

Peoria Saguaros' Pitchers...

Adam Carr - RP - (0-1), 3.65 ERA, 2 SV, 12 G, 12.1 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 0 HR, 3 BB, 8 K's.

Ross Detwiler - RP - (0-0), 4.63 ERA, 9 G, 11.2 IP, 16 H, 6 ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 7 K's.

Cory VanAllen - SP/RP - (2-1), 5.84 ERA, 8 G, 7 GS, 24.2 IP, 34 H, 16 ER, 3 HR, 6 BB, 30 K's.

Zechry Zinicola - RP - (2-0), 6.89 ERA, 14 G, 2 SV, 15.2 IP, 21 H, 12 ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 11 SO.

TEIXEIRA TALK...

According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson and an anonymous "person familiar with (Mark) Teixeira" who is quoted in Mr. Ladson's article entitled, "Teixeira interested in playing for Nats", free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira is, "...from Maryland and is thinking about the possibility of playing in Washington." Mr. Ladson was unable to speak to Teixeira's agent Scott "Maximum" Boras, and the DC Brass no-commented, but Washington Post writer Chico Harlan was able to track down Mr. Boras, who is quoted in Mr. Harlan's Nationals Journal post entitled, "The Suitors Line Up", stating the obvious fact, "...that the interest in Mark Teixeira is widespread, and it's something we'll have to narrow here as we work through the process." (ed. note - "Oh this Boras guy is good...") FoxSports' writer Ken Rosenthal's article entitled, "Where will Teixeira mark his turf?", recognizes the Nationals as, "a major player" in the pursuit of Teixeira, but Mr. Rosenthal insults as he provides hope, writing, "It still appears doubtful that Teixeira will choose the Nationals...(but)...another Boras client, Alex Rodriguez, stunned the baseball world by joining the then-lowly Rangers."...and finally, e. chigliak at federalbaseball.com reports that he still has his doubts about all this...

Poll

Which DC Prospect's Arizona Fall League Performance Was The Most Impressive?

Ian Desmond - SS

2 votes

Bill Rhinehart - 1B

11 votes

Leonard Davis - OF

8 votes

Adam Carr - RP

1 votes

Ross Detwiler - RP

4 votes

Cory VanAllen - SP

1 votes

Zechry Zinicola - RP

1 votes

28 votes | Poll has closed

Washington Nationals' Prospect Watch...Arizona Fall and Dominican Winter Leagues and Beyond...PLUS - The BIG ? Of The Day For DC Fans...

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:11:45 -0000

AFL UPDATE...

11/17/08 Phoenix Desert Dogs at Peoria...

This past Monday night in Arizona, the Peoria Saguaros welcomed the Phoenix Desert Dogs to the Peoria Sports Complex for what ended up being a tightly contested 4-3 Peoria win when nine innings were completed, and a blown save by DC prospect Zechry Zinicola had become his second win when Saguaros' and St. Louis' outfielder Shane Robinson hit a walk-off single after a leadoff walk, an error on a bunt and a previous single had loaded the bases with no outs and the game tied...

Zinicola, (2-0, 7.36 ERA), allowed 3 hits, a run and a walk in 1.0 inning pitched, giving up two singles a double and a sac fly to score the tying run. Washington prospects Leonard Davis, Bill Rhinehart and Ian Desmond all started for Peoria Monday, in left, at first and at short, respectively, and the three future-Nationals combined to go 4 for 11 in the 3,4,5 spots of the Saguaros' order with Davis and Desmond each doubling, and Rhinehart finishing 2 for 4 with 2 RBI's.

11/18/08 Peoria Saguaros at Phoenix...

Boy these DC kids can hit, Leonard Davis, Bill Rhinehart and Ian Desmond collect a combined 7 hits in 13 at bats in Tuesday's 14-8 Peoria win over Phoenix, with Davis going 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored, a double, a HR, (his 4th), 2 RBI's, and a .342 AVG after the game, Rhinehart 3 for 5 with 2 doubles, (his 9th and 10th of the fall), 2 RBI's and a .318 AVG, and Desmond hits his 4th triple, walks twice, scores three times and ends the day 2 for 3 batting .266...'07 1st Round pick, 6th overall by DC, Ross Detwiler took the mound in the fifth inning Tuesday and threw a scoreless frame in spite of allowing two hits.

11/19/08...SHOWDOWN IN Peoria...The Mesa Solar Sox vs Peoria's Saguaros...

The darn Mesa Solar Sox not only beat Peoria today, and not only with an eighth-inning grand slam comeback 7-4 Solar Sox' win, they also took sole possesion of first place with their 8th straight win, and took a 4-3 lead in the fall series against Peoria, knocking the Saguaros out of contention for the AFL Championship, with the dreaded Solar Sox now going on to face AFL National Division champs, the same Phoenix Desert Dogs Peoria just whipped, in the Championship game this Saturday, according to MLB.com writer Danny Wild's game recap entitled, "Slayden, Mesa headed to championship"...

The Nationals' prospects did their part to try to get Peoria into the title game, but the Saguaros' came up short in spite of Bill Rhinehart's 2 for 4 performance, which saw hit him his 11th double and 4th HR of the fall for 2 RBI's (his 27th and 28th) and a .326 AVG on the Fall with one game to play. Leonard Davis went 1 for 4 with a double, (his 6th) and a run scored, for a .338 AVG as a Saguaro, and only Ian Desmond came up hitless, 0 for 3 with a K and a .258 AVG to end the day.

On the mound, Peoria threw six pitchers at the Solar Sox, even getting 5.0 innings of relief work out of Cory VanAllen, who strikes out 6 and (let's hope) ends the AFL season with a (2-1) record and a 5.84 ERA after 8 games, 7 starts and 24.2 innings pitched for Peoria, in which he ended up allowing 34 hits, 16 ER, 3 HR's, and 6 walks with 30 K's notched...

-- (ed. note - "Final Arizona Fall League Stats Tomorrow...")

Josh Willingham vs The NL East...

The Hammer vs...

Atlanta - 47 G, 33 for 141, .234 AVG, 8 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR's, 20 RBI's, .355 OBP, .348 SLG, .703 OPS.

New York - 50 G, 47 for 165, .285 AVG, 9 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR's, 34 RBI's, .382 OBP, .533 SLG, .916 OPS.

Philadelphia - 48 G, 37 for 148, .250 AVG, 10 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR's 28 RBI's, .333 ONP, .527 SLG, .860 OPS.

Washington - 54 G, 65 for 198, .328 AVG, 13 2B, 2 3B, 13 HR's, 33 RBI's, .404 OBP, .611 SLG, 1.015 OPS...

(ed. note - "No wonder DC liked the Hammer...")

The Federalbaseball.com BIG ? of the Day...

I've noticed it recently in the comments on Nationals Journal, and even in the FANPOST here at federalbaseball.com by dasox313 entitled, "5 Priorities for Nats"...What did I notice, you ask? Well even if you didn't...Apparently not every Nationals' fan is on board with the idea that Jesus Flores is the future of catching in DC? This comes as a complete surprise to me, as someone who, like I told, dasox, was upset that DC had even signed Paul Lo Duca last winter, when I thought Jesus Flores was ready to start for Washington from the beginning...

I asked My Brother Scout, Braves' Fan and Source For All Things Baseball what he thought of Flores..."I haven't watched him enough to judge, but my amateur psychologist take on Flores as an embodiment of the plight of the young ballplayer...? I'd check how many double plays he hit into, cause he seems like he'd be prone to DP's, he's always been trying to earn a spot, batting low in the order, so that might result in a low OBP if he's not seeing anything good, and now he's probably "the man" in DC, so he can relax and play instead of trying to pass other catchers on the depth chart, so you just might get to see him at his best now, this season..."

Flores' '08 stats - 90 G, 77 for 301, .256 AVG, 18 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR's, 59 RBI's, 296 OBP, .402 SLG, .698 OPS, 7 GDP.

I'll Pay A Fine In DC Blogger Kangaroo Court For This, But...

...Somehow, Jesus "WWJD" Flores' participation in winter ball escaped my attention until I noticed his name in a post by Kristen at We've Got Heart entitled, "Winter League Updates: Maxwell's power surge", last week, which caught up with the Nationals' catcher in the Venezuelan Winter League...

As of today, Flores' #'s with Navegantes del Magallanes:

Jesus Flores - 11 G, 11 for 42, .262 AVG, 3 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI's, .319 OBP, .405 SLG, .724 OPS.

So, The BIG ?...Is Jesus Flores the Man Behind The Plate For DC's Nationals?

Free Agent Watch...The Washington Nationals' Relatively Insignificant Signing.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 07:55:13 -0000

AFL UPDATE...

Only one of the DC's prospects started for the Peoria Saguaros tonight in their Arizona Fall League matchup with the Scottsdale Scorpions, but by the end of the game two of the potential future-Nationals would end up instrumental in the Saguaros' come from behind win.

Bill Rhinehart, a first baseman in the DC system, got the start at the same spot for the Saguaros tonight and finished the game 1 for 3 with a run scored, a walk and a K, but the one hit by Rhinehart came in the bottom of the ninth with Peoria trailing Scottsdale 4-2, and Leonard Davis, who started the inning with a pinch hit single, already on base. Davis moved to second on Rhinehart's hit and Cards' '08 1st Round pick Brett Wallace drove Davis in with the third straight single off Scottsdale reliever (and Red Sox' farmhand) T.J. Large, who gave up two more singles, to Padres' IF/OF prospect Sean Kazmar, and St. Louis' Shane Robinson, who capped off the comeback with the walk-off winner. Peoria prevails, 5-4 final.

Anderson Hernandez, Wants To Play Second In DC...

The Tigres del Licey game was rained out Saturday night, so Anderson Hernandez's .408 AVG remains intact after 22 games and 98 at bats. Having collected 10 doubles, 4 triples, 1 HR and 16 RBI's with 5 walks, 4 steals, a .433 OBP, .622 SLG, and 1.055 OPS, Hernandez is making a case for himself as the Nationals' starting second baseman next season, as the former Mets' prospect attempts to finally live up to the hype that accompanied his rise through New York's system.

The Nationals Still Like Matt Whitney...

Washington selected Cleveland first base prospect Matt Whitney, (an '02 1st Round pick, 33rd overall), with their 1st pick in the 2007 Rule 5 Draft, but the Nationals were forced to return him to the Indians the following March after a lackluster Spring performance resulted in the 24-year old infielder's being cut from the DC roster. Today the Nationals signed the 6'4'' 190 lb, right-handed hitting and throwing first baseman to a Minor League deal according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article entitled, "Nats, Whitney agree to deal", which noted that the contract included an invitation to Spring Training.

Whitney played the '08 season with Cleveland's Double-A affiliate in Akron, Ohio, where he managed to hit .268 in 129 games and 463 AB's, over which he collected 124 hits, 29 doubles, 2 triples, 10 HR's and 58 RBI's.

This Day In Washington Nationals' History...

11/16/04 -- Though they were still technically the Montreal Expos at the time, the soon-to-be Washington Nationals signed third baseman Vinny Castilla and shortstop Cristian Guzman on November 16, 2004, locking Castilla, then 37, up for two years and giving Guzman, who would turn 25 that March, a four-year deal which he just completed this season before reupping with Washington to the tune of $16 million over two years.

Vinny Castilla's name was in the news recently, when it was announced that he would manage Team Mexico's entry in the '09 World Baseball Classic, which begins on March 5th. For any remaining Castilla fans in DC, check out the link to MLB.com writer Barry M. Bloom's article entitled, "Castilla named Manager of Mexico", to see just how good the only other resident of the Nationals' hot corner is doing...