After pitching to ERAs of 6.15 and 6.95 in 2008 and 8.71 and 5.82 in 2009, Adam Carr had no illusions entering this past season. He had been unprotected for the Rule 5 draft last winter, and making the 40-man roster seemed an unrealistic thought to even have.
Sammy Solis found out that Arizona Fall League hitters generally aren't in a giving mood. In Solis' first four outings with the Scottsdale Scorpions, he struggled to throw strikes with his knuckle-curve. Once he found control of that pitch, he allowed only one run and earned a win in a five-inning start.
If the day comes when Brad Peacock is asked to move to the bullpen, at least he'll know he's capable of blowing away top-notch competition. With the Arizona Fall League's Scottsdale Scorpions, he's pitching in relief for manager Randy Knorr, who guided the Nationals' Double-A Harrisburg team this past season. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound righthander is not undergoing a role change, said farm director Doug Harris, but simply easing out of a year in which he threw 142 innings between high Class A Potomac and Harrisburg.<br/>
Lacy Lusk selects end-of-season award winners for the Nationals system, including Best Player, Best Pitcher and one to Keep An Eye On.
Tony Tarasco has what he calls his "pork chop theory." If a piece of meat—or $100 for that matter—were thrown on the ground, a few ballplayers would be the first to get it just because of their dedication. This year, the low Class A Hagerstown batting coach has an unsung player who fits that mold in 22-year-old Justin Bloxom.<br/>
Nationals catcher Sandy Leon has already shown strong defensive skills, but he's also made strides at the plate this year with low Class A Hagerstown.
Before the Stephen Strasburg Show went national, the 2009 No. 1 overall pick dominated in five starts at Double-A Harrisburg and six at Triple-A Syracuse. He went 7-2, 1.30 with 65 strikeouts in his 55 minor league innings, and then had a similarly easy time against major league hitters. The 21-year-old righthander struck out a Nationals record 14 batters in his major league debut.
The Nationals didn't create any surprises by picking phenom Bryce Harper with the top pick of the 2010 draft. Shifting him from catcher to outfield, however, did raise a few eyebrows.
In lefthander Danny Rosenbaum's junior season at Xavier, he could tell that hitters were looking to take his pitches to the opposite field. Now that he's in professional baseball, that has changed.
After learning the differences between hitters in the Pacific-10 Conference, South Atlantic League, Carolina League and Eastern League last year, righthanded relief prospect Drew Storen was up for an even bigger challenge this spring.<br/>The 10th pick from the 2009 draft showed why he's viewed as a future major league closer—with the future perhaps not far away. Before he was assigned to Double-A Harrisburg, Storen pitched well in major league spring training.
Roger Bernadina didn't exactly come out swinging after rehabbing his fractured right ankle. Instead, he came back bunting. The 25-year-old outfielder showed improvement on that side of his game in instructional league last fall. Speed and defense are his biggest assets, so a few more bunt hits could make a difference in his development.
Not many big leaguers are found for $6,000 bonuses or stand 5-feet-9 and weigh 170 pounds. By the end of this season, especially if all goes as well as it did last year, lefthanded reliever Atahualpa Severino may beat the odds.
Hassan Pena's numbers have benefited from a move to the bullpen and his enjoying his role there as well.
Righthander Jeff Mandel embraces the conversion from starter to reliever.
New Nationals farm director Doug Harris believes he took the right job in the right place.
Baseball America
