Nationals Top 10 Prospects
Washington Nationals
The Nationals endured a whirlwind 2009. By the end of the summer, the signing of No. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg to a record contract and the installation of Mike Rizzo as general manager generated some actual excitement, even with the club headed toward its second straight 100-loss season. But the road to that optimism was a bumpy one.
Washington's year got off to an ugly start when it came out in February that shortstop Esmailyn Gonzalez, who signed for $1.4 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2006, actually was Carlos Alvarez. While his listed age was 19, he actually was 23 years old.
The next week, the Nationals fired special assistant Jose Rijo, who had signed Gonzalez, and moved out of their Dominican academy, which was owned by Rijo. On March 1, general manager Jim Bowden resigned amid a federal probe into Latin American bonus skimming. Rizzo was promoted from assistant GM to interim GM.
With the major league season lost by the end of April, after Washington dropped 16 of its first 21 games, Rizzo's priority became the No. 1 pick in the draft. To no one's surprise, the Nationals selected Strasburg, the most hyped and perhaps the best prospect in the history of the draft. Agent Scott Boras made it clear Strasburg sought a precedent-setting contract, and the Nationals inked him to a record-shattering $15.1 million deal—including a $7.5 million bonus—scant minutes before the Aug. 17 deadline.
Washington also had the No. 10 choice as compensation for its failure to sign 2008 first-rounder Aaron Crow. The Nats used that selection on another college righthander, Drew Storen, who signed for $1.6 million on draft day and quickly reached Double-A Harrisburg. Headlined by the Strasburg and Storen deals, Washington doled out a record $11,511,500 on draft bonuses in 2009.
The Strasburg drama gave Nats fans a distraction from a dismal big league season. There were a few bright spots: free-agent acquisition Adam Dunn slugged 38 homers; franchise player Ryan Zimmerman had another strong campaign and made his first all-star team; center fielder Nyjer Morgan was a revelation after being acquired from the Pirates in a midseason trade for Lastings Milledge; lefthander John Lannan blossomed into a steady workhorse.
But Jordan Zimmermann, who ranked No. 1 on this list a year ago, was lost to Tommy John surgery halfway through his rookie season as a member of Washington's rotation. The Nationals ended the year with the worst record in the majors (59-103) and will have the No. 1 draft pick for the second straight year, giving them another chance to infuse their mediocre farm system with impact talent.
Catcher Derek Norris and shortstops Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa took major steps forward in 2009, but there were few other bright spots in the minor leagues, as many of Washington's top prospects turned in disappointing seasons.
In the fall, Rizzo replaced farm director Bobby Williams with former Indians scout Doug Harris. Longtime scouting director Dana Brown left to take a job with the Blue Jays and was replaced by assistant scouting director Kris Kline.
Rizzo hired decorated Braves scouting director Roy Clark, who consistently brought in quality talent in Atlanta, as vice president of player personnel. The Nats also brought in former Red Sox international scouting coordinator Johnny DiPuglia to revamp the organization's beleaguered international department.
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The Nationals endured a whirlwind 2009. By the end of the summer, the signing of No. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg to a record contract and the installation of Mike Rizzo as general manager generated some actual excitement, even with the club headed toward its second straight 100-loss season. But the road to that optimism was a bumpy one.
Washington's year got off to an ugly start when it came out in February that shortstop Esmailyn Gonzalez, who signed for $1.4 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2006, actually was Carlos Alvarez. While his listed age was 19, he actually was 23 years old.
The next week, the Nationals fired special assistant Jose Rijo, who had signed Gonzalez, and moved out of their Dominican academy, which was owned by Rijo. On March 1, general manager Jim Bowden resigned amid a federal probe into Latin American bonus skimming. Rizzo was promoted from assistant GM to interim GM.
With the major league season lost by the end of April, after Washington dropped 16 of its first 21 games, Rizzo's priority became the No. 1 pick in the draft. To no one's surprise, the Nationals selected Strasburg, the most hyped and perhaps the best prospect in the history of the draft. Agent Scott Boras made it clear Strasburg sought a precedent-setting contract, and the Nationals inked him to a record-shattering $15.1 million deal—including a $7.5 million bonus—scant minutes before the Aug. 17 deadline.
Washington also had the No. 10 choice as compensation for its failure to sign 2008 first-rounder Aaron Crow. The Nats used that selection on another college righthander, Drew Storen, who signed for $1.6 million on draft day and quickly reached Double-A Harrisburg. Headlined by the Strasburg and Storen deals, Washington doled out a record $11,511,500 on draft bonuses in 2009.
The Strasburg drama gave Nats fans a distraction from a dismal big league season. There were a few bright spots: free-agent acquisition Adam Dunn slugged 38 homers; franchise player Ryan Zimmerman had another strong campaign and made his first all-star team; center fielder Nyjer Morgan was a revelation after being acquired from the Pirates in a midseason trade for Lastings Milledge; lefthander John Lannan blossomed into a steady workhorse.
But Jordan Zimmermann, who ranked No. 1 on this list a year ago, was lost to Tommy John surgery halfway through his rookie season as a member of Washington's rotation. The Nationals ended the year with the worst record in the majors (59-103) and will have the No. 1 draft pick for the second straight year, giving them another chance to infuse their mediocre farm system with impact talent.
Catcher Derek Norris and shortstops Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa took major steps forward in 2009, but there were few other bright spots in the minor leagues, as many of Washington's top prospects turned in disappointing seasons.
In the fall, Rizzo replaced farm director Bobby Williams with former Indians scout Doug Harris. Longtime scouting director Dana Brown left to take a job with the Blue Jays and was replaced by assistant scouting director Kris Kline.
Rizzo hired decorated Braves scouting director Roy Clark, who consistently brought in quality talent in Atlanta, as vice president of player personnel. The Nats also brought in former Red Sox international scouting coordinator Johnny DiPuglia to revamp the organization's beleaguered international department.
| Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects
(How to subscribe) |
| Pre-Order the 2010 Prospect Handbook 30 scouting reports on every team |
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