Andry Lara just turned 18 last month and is the #Nats 5th rated prospect; He tells us about his 4-pitch repertoire!

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo provided by Andry Lara from Fall instructs

The Washington Nationals prospect list was just updated this week by Baseball America. Today we bring you the 18 year old, Andry Lara, and tomorrow we will publish Mason Denaburg‘s interview. That will complete the Top-8 prospects of the Nats. Getting to speak with Lara was a key as he is the top international pitcher in the Nats system. Similar to the Nats top-2 pitching prospects, Cade Cavalli and Jackson Rutledge, Lara has a four-pitch repertoire which is impressive. Even Baseball America did not know Lara was throwing a curveball now! Continue reading →

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Scouting #Nats prospects: OF Jeremy De La Rosa and LHP Gabriel Agostini

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Tom Shafer and Lukas McKnight

Asst. GM of Player Development, Mark Scialabba looks on; Photo by Andrew Lang for TalkNats

We connected with TalkNats.com last month, and we thought it might be fun to give the readers here a little more in-depth look at some of the players we like both in their system and those that recently signed with the organization. So, for the next 3 weeks, we’re going to be writing guest posts about players in the Washington Nationals system that you might already be familiar with, and one player that just signed that you’re apt to know much less about. We hope to provide you with a more robust look at each of the players than you’d find elsewhere.

We’re looking forward to this series and our interactions with the passionate Nationals fanbase! Obviously Steve Mears just wrote a piece on Jeremy De La Rosa on Tuesday, and we wanted to expand our thoughts in our analysis because De La Rosa is the top outfield prospect in the Nats system. Continue reading →

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Debbi Taylor was with MASN and she knows about the best and worst of times!

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Andrew Lang

From Debbi Taylor’s Twitter

Charles Dickens wrote it so well,  — ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness …’ and that sums up life as we know it with the ups and downs. Perspective is always a key. Debbi Taylor was the first dugout reporter in the Washington Nationals history from 2007 to 2011. She loved her job even as she endured the back-to-back 100 loss seasons (2008-2009). It wasn’t always cheery in RFK and Nationals Park, but Debbi seemed to be the optimist, and she made it the best of times.

There were those times that general manager Mike Rizzo said that the team had to learn how to win. They acquired Jayson Werth for that 2011 season in a chance to turn the team around to bring that change to the clubhouse.  The best of times would come would come for the Washington Nationals, and while Werth and Taylor had moved on, their contributions to the team were there. Continue reading →

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Jeremy De La Rosa is the #Nats top outfield prospect! He tells us about improving his game and having Juan Soto as a mentor!

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo courtesy of Jeremy De La Rosa

The intersection of youth and talent do not always translate into success. Mentorship and sage advice from someone who has been there before is invaluable. There is no substitution for hard work. Often this winter you can see Jeremy De La Rosa with Juan Soto on social media, and De La Rosa told us that they have trained together in the offseasons in the Dominican Republic. That is a good mentor to have even though they are only separated by 3 ¼ years of age.

The prospect evaluators are unanimous on the Washington Nationals top position player prospects. Top outfielder: Jeremy De La Rosa. Top infielder: Yasel Antuna. Top catcher: Israel Pineda. De La Rosa just turned 19 in mid-January.  Baseball America ranks him 6th overall of all of the Nationals’ prospects.

Continue reading →

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Tim Cate is the #Nats top lefty pitching prospect! What’s he all about and what did Mike Rizzo have to say!

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Andrew Lang

USA Baseball graphic

When general manager Mike Rizzo drafted Tim Cate in the 2nd round of the 2018 draft, the lefty immediately drew comparisons to Gio Gonzalez for their similar size and repertoire of fastball and curveball throwing southpaws. These days, Cate is working hard on his secondary pitches, and if he ever decided to develop a cutter, he would have the five-pitch arsenal of one of the newest Nats, Jon Lester. At Baseball America, their rankings have Cate as the Nats 7th best prospect, and he has been ranked as high as fifth on other sites. The UConn product got to be part of the 60-man pool at the Alternate Training Site for the Nats this past summer in Fredericksburg, Virginia as well as attending Fall instructs. Continue reading →

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All of the top prospect interviews linked here for the #Nats

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo provided by Juan Jose Soto to TalkNats; Juan Soto (L), Jeremy De La Rosa (R)

Here are the top-11 Washington Nationals prospects by our rankings, and their links to the interviews we have completed:

1. Cade Cavalli | RHP – CAVALLI INTERVIEW
2. Jackson Rutledge | RHP – RUTLEDGE INTERVIEW
3. Cole Henry | RHP – HENRY INTERVIEW
4. Yasel Antuna | SS – ANTUNA INTERVIEW
5. Andry Lara | RHP – LARA INTERVIEW
6. Jeremy De La Rosa | OF – DE LA ROSA INTERVIEW
7. Tim Cate | LHP – CATE INTERVIEW
8. Mason Denaburg | RHP – DENABURG INTERVIEW
9. Matt Cronin | LHP – CRONIN INTERVIEW
10. Armando Cruz | SS – CRUZ INTERVIEW
11. Jackson Cluff | SS – CLUFF INTERVIEW

Bonus: Cristian Vaquero is an international free agent who reportedly has committed to the Nationals | CF –  VAQUERO INTERVIEW

(L to R): Juan Soto, Cristian Vaquero, Victor Robles, Armando Cruz; Photo from Cristian Vaquero January 2020

Jonny DiPuglia photo by Steve Mears for TalkNats

General Manager Mike Rizzo (L) and manager Davey Martinez (R)

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Topps picks Juan Soto for the cover of their 2021 Series 1 boxes and packs!

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo supplied by Topps

Every year there is just one player chosen for the cover of Topps Baseball Series 1, and this year the Topps Trading Card executives chose Juan Soto. Fans can also get a first look at the newest Series 1 cards the day before they’re released during the Topps Series 1 Rip Party on February 9th at 6 pm ET, which will be broadcasted live on the Topps YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and topps.com! Continue reading →

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Mike Rizzo, Dave Martinez and Jim Hickey give the State of the Nats!

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Andrew Lang

Screenshot of the event

The Washington Nationals aired their annual offseason “State of the Nats” report this year in a virtual presentation featuring Mike Rizzo, General Manager and President of Baseball Operations, Manager Dave Martinez, and Pitching Coach Jim Hickey. The opening had an introduction from Executive Vice President of Business Operations, Jake Burns. The show was moderated by Nats radio voice Dave Jageler. There was also a special guest appearance from Ryan Zimmerman as the program shifted from Burns to baseball talk. But mostly, this event which is an exclusive perk for full-season ticket holders and their guests, did not have the same feel as prior years when fans packed into a warm inside space at Nats Park before the Super Bowl to attend this coveted event.  Continue reading →

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Cole Henry is one of the #Nats top prospects who you need to know!

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Nationals graphic

The 2020 draft for the Washington Nationals yielded Cade Cavalli, Cole Henry, Samuel Infante, Holden Powell, Brady Lindsly, and Mitchell Parker over the truncated 5-round amateur draft. Most Nats fans are familiar with Cavalli already, and those who follow the top prospects know that Cole Henry is already the Nats Nº. 3 prospect on Baseball America‘s rankings. Continue reading →

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The Alex Avila acquisition leaves 1 or 2 spots left for the #Nats

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

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