Nationals Farm Authority

Yes. It’s finally here. I have at long last transcribed the interview I conducted with Nationals President Stan Kasten back in September of last year (wow, I have been sitting on this for a while).

Some of the information is OBE (overcome by events) like the affiliation discussions, but here are his answers to a variety of questions.

Latin American Progress and the Draft

“It was a very unique year internationally,” Kasten commented. He believed there was caution in movements there in 2008 citing the ongoing investigations by MLB and the FBI in the Dominican Republic.  ‘There are a lot of moving parts there, but it remains an important part of the Nationals game plan,” Kasten added.

This led me to inquire on his feelings regarding centralizing the international market as part of the first year player draft. He replied that “everyone in baseball has felt for a long time that it would be better if we had a more systematic way to bring talent into our industry.” I asked if the draft would be that process. He agreed that it was one method but that there could be other ways to ensure a greater chance at an equitable distribution of talent.

The First Year Player Draft

The interview was conducted less than a month after the August 15 signing deadline so the news was much fresher.

“I was in favor of a [signing] deadline,” Kasten said adding that the fuzzy nature of the process without a deadline was not good. He expanded, “Players were faking going to class [as part of negotiations] which was not good for the colleges or the teams. He was unsure whether the August 15 deadline was perfect.

One thing that he was certainly not happy with was the all of the tumult of late night August 15 as many of the top players waited until the last possible minute to agree to deals. Kasten stated, “I think it’s silly and cynical to have what has been happening at 11:55PM. That’s just childishness and nonsensical.” He added that it started in a little bit in 2007 but “reached new levels of absurdity in 2008.” He was apprehensive about where it could be headed in 2009.

When I asked what could be done to improve the process, his thoughts were that there would be a couple of years of history to inform their opinions when the process comes up for renegotiation, but the optimal result was to find a process that would equitably distribute talent and would not waste a year of development time, something that is not in the best interest of the player or the team.

He-who-shall-not-be-named (Hwsnbn)

I asked for his post-mortem on Hwsnbn. “We were trying but we just didn’t get the deal done,” Kasten said.  Kasten stated that the Nationals had offered the 9th pick of the 2008 draft the highest contract of any pitcher selected in the draft and that “from rounds 2 through 15, we had the second highest expenditures in all of MLB, second only to the Red Sox.”

Signability Picks

I asked him who he reconciled the signing of players who slid due to signability (like Jack McGeary in 2007 and JP Ramirez in 2008) with his feelings that the draft should provide an equitable distribution of talent among all of the teams.

“It is not a perfect system,” Kasten commented. “The draft should be a process whereby professional judgments dictate the decisions which are made, not budgets and negotiating and agents, not extraneous factors like that,” he added. “This should be competition of expertise and experience. Alas it’s not there yet, but I have not given up hope that it will get there some day,” he concluded.

The Non-Latin American International Market

He was tight-lipped about his progress in working with embassies located in the DC area aside from confirming that relationships were being developed and that these relationships were an aspect he loved about his job. He did mention one interesting fact, a friend that he had made in DC was named commissioner of Japanese baseball following his time as Japanese ambassador to the United States. A quick Google search shows that would be Ryozo Kato.

I inquired on the progress in the Pacific Rim and he commented that the Nationals were “keeping their hands in [the market] but not ready to strike yet.” He added that they had representation at the Olympics in China. He commented that both Bill Singer and Mike Rizzo were expanding their networks and they were very much on top of developments there.

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Once again, sorry for the delay and hope you find a nugget or two there.

Thank you to all my readers. Have a happy holiday season (be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or your holiday of choice). Happy new year. I’ll pop back in if something breaks between now and the new year.

With the Yankees’ signing of Mark Teixeira, here is the projected 2009 draft order. The italicized lines are still to be determined. None of those players have signed with a new team but I will leave the possible picks in there for the time being. As you can see, the Teixeira signing had a significant impact on the Brewers’ compensation for CC Sabathia. Before yesterday’s signing, the Brewers were to receive the Yankees’ first round pick (#26 overall) but since Teixeira’s Elias grade was higher than Sabathia, that pick slides into the second round (#81 overall) … a pretty precipitous drop of 55 spots (with the assumption all of the supplemental first round selections actually are awarded). Also note, the Blue Jays compensation for AJ Burnett moved from the second round (#81) to the third round (#111 overall) given the Sabathia shift.

First Round 

Pick	Team	Notes
1	WAS
2	SEA
3	SD
4	PIT
5	BAL
6	SF
7	ATL
8	CIN
9	DET
10	WAS	(A Crow compensation 9A)
11	COL
12	KC
13	OAK
14	TEX
15	CLE
16	AZ
17	LAD
18	FLA
19	STL
20	TOR
21	SEA	(J Fields compensation 20A)
22	HOU
23	MIN
24	CWS
25	LAA	from NYM for F Rodriguez (A)
26	LAA	from NYY for M Teixeira (A)
27	MIL
28	SEA	from PHI for R Ibanez (A)
29	NYY	(G Cole compensation 28A)
30	BOS
31	TB
32	CHC
33	LAA

Supplemental First Round 

Pick	Team	Notes
34	LAA	M Teixeira Type A
35	MIL	CC Sabathia Type A
36	LAD	M Ramirez Type A
37	TOR	AJ Burnett Type A
38	LAA	F Rodriguez Type A
39	COL	B Fuentes Type A
40	CWS	O Cabrera Type A
41	SEA	R Ibanez Type A
42	AZ	O Hudson Type A
43	MIL	B Sheets Type A
44	NYM	O Perez Type A
45	AZ	J Cruz Type A
46	BOS	J Varitek Type A
47	LAD	D Lowe Type A
48	TEX	M Bradley Type B
49	PIT	(T Scheppers compensation 48A)
50	LAA	J Garland Type B
51	MIL	B Shouse Type B
52	BOS	P Byrd Type B
53	AZ	B Lyon Type B
54	CIN	J Affeldt Type B
55	KC	M Grudzielanek Type B
56	MIN	D Reyes Type B

Second Round 

Pick	Team	Notes
57	WAS
58	SEA
59	SD
60	PIT
61	BAL
62	SF
63	ATL
64	CIN
65	DET
66	COL
67	KC
68	OAK
69	TEX
70	CLE
71	AZ
72	LAD
73	FLA
74	STL
75	TOR
76	NYY	(S Bittle compensation 75A)
77	HOU
78	MIN
79	CWS
80	NYM
81	MIL	from NYY for CC Sabathia (A)
82	MIL
83	PHI
84	BOS
85	TB
86	CHC
87	LAA

Third Round 

Pick	Team	Notes
88	WAS
89	SEA
90	SD
91	PIT
92	BAL
93	SF
94	ATL
95	CIN
96	DET
97	COL
98	KC
99	OAK
100	TEX
101	CLE
102	AZ
103	LAD
104	FLA
105	STL
106	TOR
107	HOU
108	MIN
109	CWS
110	NYM
111	TOR	from NYY for AJ Burnett (A)
112	MIL
113	PHI
114	BOS
115	TB
116	CHC
117	LAA

Supplemental Third Round 

Pick	Team	Notes
118	HOU	(C Davidson compensation)

Fourth Round and out 

Pick	Team	Notes
119	WAS	[149, 179, 209, …]
120	SEA
121	SD
122	PIT
123	BAL
124	SF
125	ATL
126	CIN
127	DET
128	COL
129	KC
130	OAK
131	TEX
132	CLE
133	AZ
134	LAD
135	FLA
136	STL
137	TOR
138	HOU
139	MIN
140	CWS
141	NYM
142	NYY
143	MIL
144	PHI
145	BOS
146	TB
147	CHC
148	LAA

They didn’t get Teixeira but they added two minor leaguers (little consolation). According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Nationals signed OF Corey Patterson and RHP Jorge Sosa to minor league contracts today.

The 29-year old Patterson appeared in 135 games for the Reds in 2008, batting 205/238/344 with 10 home runs and 14/23 stolen bases. I’d imagine he’s a consideration for center field in 2009. A very bad one, in my opinion. I’d prefer to see Lastings Milledge take bad angles or allow Roger Bernadina an opportunity. I never have been a Corey Patterson fan and likely never will be, he’s a bad everyday player.

The 31- year old Sosa appeared in 20 games for the Mets in 2008.  He was 4-1 with a 7.06 ERA and 1.89 WHIP. Another right handed arm for the pen. Cheaper than what Colome would have commanded and less of a ceiling.

UPDATE: The press release came out and there are three additional names. Joining the aforementioned two minor league deals are IF Jose Castillo, CA Gustavo Molina, and LHP Gustavo Chacin.

The 27-year old Castillo split his 2008 between San Francisco and Houston. A right-handed 2B/3B, Castillo is a fringy major leaguer. Not sure what he offers that isn’t brought to the table by Cristian Guzman, Anderson Hernandez, and Ronnie Belliard.

The 26-year old is not one of the catching Molina brothers. He is known for primarily for his defense. Spent the 2008 season briefly for the Mets. Looks like an option for Syracuse as a fill-in in Washington for short injuries.

The most intriguing name to me is the 27-year old Chacin. After a breakout 2005 season, the lefty has battled elbow injuries over the 2006 and 2007 seasons before struggling for Toronto in 2008 leading to his designation for assignment. If he can regain anything close to his 2005 form, he’s an option for the back end of the rotation

Courtesy of WGAL

Mayor Stephen Reed and the Harrisburg Senators announced plans Friday for a $45 million renovation of Commerce Bank Park.

The two-phase project will be completed in March 2010.

The first phase will be completed between January and April 2009 and will include:

• A public plaza and entrance to be constructed along the left field corner.
• An 8,600-square-foot operations building (shell to be completed by April 2009 and building to be ready for occupancy in August 2009), which will include offices, a retail store, concession area and rest rooms.
• A new outfield wall to be constructed with LED boards and static advertisement panels.
• Scoreboard upgrades.
• Minor field irrigation and drainage line improvements in the outfield.
• A boardwalk surrounding the outfield to be constructed between the foul poles.
• A new left field seating area and outfield bar, including drink rails.
• The second phase of improvements will be completed between August 2009 and March 2010 and will include:
  • Seating upgrades — individual chair back seats replacing the present bench seating and roofing covering the majority of the seating bowl.
  • Construction of 20 suites with amenities including a glass wall located in the front of the suite to see the field and in the back of the suite to see the city skyline.
  • The completion of new concessions and restrooms on elevated concourses.
  • Upgraded picnic areas, which will nearly double the size of the stadium’s picnic facilities.
  • A complete renovation of existing buildings, including the home and visitors clubhouses and the restroom bunker.
  • The creation of a Midway with activities and specialty areas geared toward children, teens and families.
  • The reconfiguration of field lights (removal of two lights, addition of fixtures to remaining eight lights, add new lamps and adjust position of all lights, addition of quartz lighting bank for emergency purposes).
  • A new commissary kitchen.
  • A new sound system.
  • A new press box, including media and scoreboard control rooms.
  • The relocation of the northern fence line to the top of the berm separating the soccer field from the baseball field.
  • Upgrade of the field-level concourse with brick pavers.
  • Addressing the mayfly problem by relocating lights and placing an awning over a majority of the seating areas.
  • The development of a reserved parking lot.
  • The replacement of cyclone fencing with decorative fencing.
  • An increase to the total seating capacity to approximately 6,000 fixed seats

Press release from the Nationals

The Washington Nationals today announced they have agreed to terms on professional contracts with two International prospects from the Dominican Republic: 16-year-old catcher Bill Pena and 16-year-old left-handed pitcher Gregory Baez. Nationals Director of Scouting Dana Brown made the announcement.

“We are very excited about the potential of these two players, as we continue to add to our stable of talented International prospects,” said Brown. “Pena is a high-energy, two-way catcher with a very strong arm. At 6-foot-2, Baez has good size and has great potential. He throws with an effortless motion and gets outstanding late movement on his pitches.”

Brown and National Crosschecker and Special Assistant to the General Manager Deric Ladnier recently scouted both players at the Loma del Sueno complex in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.

The Nationals have had recent success recruiting and signing International prospects, evident by consecutive Dominican Summer League championships in 2007-08. They have signed 13 International free agents this year, 12 from the Dominican Republic and one from Venezuela.

The thirteen international free agents signed in 2008 are:

1. Pena
2. Baez
3. 16-year-old RHP Pedro Encarnacion
4. 17-year-old IF/OF Jairo Bernabel
5. 19-year-old OF Aridio Rodriguez
6. 18-year old OF Joseph Cabreja
7. 17-year old SS Elvin Cuello
8. 18-year old 3B Alexander Romero

Those eight, I know for certain. The other five are likely from a group that includes 17-year old RHP Victor Baez, 19-year old CA Anderson Bocio, 18-year old CA Jesus Ariza, 19-year old SS Justino Cuevas, 19-year old OF Elvin Rodriguez, 19-year old CA Andruth Ramirez, and 18-year old LHP Gabriel Santos

From the Nationals …

The Washington Nationals today announced the signing of 13 players who have agreed to minor league contracts. Nationals Director of Player Development Bobby Williams made the announcement. The following players have agreed to minor league contracts with invitations to big league camp in spring training: infielders Freddie Bynum, Brad Eldred, Joel Guzman, Pete Orr and Matt Whitney; outfielders Ryan Langerhans and Jorge Padilla; right-handed pitchers Bobby Brownlie, Preston Larrison, J.D. Martin and Ryan Wagner; left-handed pitcher Justin Jones. The club also signed outfielder Mike Vento to a minor league contract.

We already knew about most of these names. The only new ones to me are Vento and Guzman. Vento was with the Nationals back in 2007. He spent 2008 in Triple-A for the Blue Jays so Syracuse will likely be his home again in 2009 with the Nats. The way the release is worded implies he is not getting a spring invitation.

The other name is much more intriguing. Joel Guzman is a name familiar to prospect hounds. He was signed back in 2001 by the LA Dodgers to a $2.25M bonus. He was in the Dodgers top prospect lists for five years going from #3 in 2002 to #9 in 2003 to #11 in 2004 to #1 in 2005 [#5 in all of baseball] to #3 in 2006. He was dealt to the Rays in 2006 for Julio Lugo. Guzman stayed on the BBA map for TB at #11 in 2007 and #29 in 2008. It is not a matter of skills with Guzman as scouts see him as a five-tool guy. It’s makeup and attitude that has held him back. BBA had this about him in 2008 ” he fails to get the most from his talent because he doesn’t make adjustments. He doesn’t play with much energy and dsiplays an apathetic approach to improving his skills.” Guzman has only played briefly in the majors over his seven professional seasons. He has become predominantly a third baseman/corner outfielder. The one thing he has going for him is his age. Guzman only turned 24 in November so he still has time. Whether a new organization finally kick starts him is an enormous question. A nice gamble for a team that can afford to give it a shot.

The Nats had six players who had to be tendered contracts by midnight this evening. Five of them will be returning.

The Nats agreed to a two-year deal with IF/OF Willie Harris. Harris was entering into his final year before free agency so the Nats have bought out his last year of arbitration and one year of free agency. Solid enough deal, I guess. Harris had a solid 2008 with Washington hitting 13 home runs with 43 RBI and a .417 slugging percentage. Update: Per Mark Zuckerman at the Times, 2 years $3 million ($1.5 million in 2009 and 2010). Not bad.

LHP Scott Olsen, OF Josh Willingham, 3B Ryan Zimmerman, and RHP Shawn Hill were all offered arbitration. The first three are no-brainers. The Nats would not have traded for Olsen and Willingham without offering them arbitration and Zimmerman needs no explanation. All three are likely to see increases from their~$400K salaries. Zimmerman will probably see the biggest raise, my guess is somewhere around $3.5 million. Both Willingham and Olsen seem likely to get around $3 million each.

Hill was probably the biggest question mark given his injury history. He also made ~$400K in 2008 and given his injury history shouldn’t see as much of a raise. Guessing somewhere around $1 million.

RHP Tim Redding was non-tendered, making him a free agent. This is somehwat surprising given the Nats lack of starting pitching but it appears that the potential to owe him $2 million or more was not worth it for the Nationals.

The Nats are now at 38/40 on their 40-man roster.

Early reports …

Selected was RHP Terrell Young from the Cincinnati Reds. John Manuel at Baseball America highlighted Young this morning … “The 6-foot-3, 175-pounder went 2-5, 2.88 and allowed only one homer in 59 innings between low Class A Dayton and high Class A Sarasota. Lefty Philippe Valiquette, 21, has reached the mid-90s with his fastball and also thrived in a bullpen role between Dayton and Sarasota last season, posting a 65/28 strikeout/walk ratio in 65 innings with a 3.65 ERA.” and the latest “Young’s fastball is a potentially plus pitch. When he’s on, Young’s 93-95 mph fastball will touch 98 mph on good days. His breaking ball however is fringy and he struggles to locate it. Without solid secondary stuff, Young will have to show he can locate his fastball consistently to stick with the Nationals.”

The Nats passed in round 2.

Young was a late riser as BBA mentioned him only yesterday. I really do not know enough about him outside of the cited quotes. Definitely an unknown unknown to me.

No Nationals were selected in the major league portion of the draft.

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From the Triple-A portion of the draft, the Nationals added CWS OF Ricardo Nanita (can you say toolsy OF?). There is no roster requirement for him in Triple-A, he can be assigned as the Nats see fit.  They lost RHP Luis Ortega to KC. Ortega spent his 2008 season in the Dominican Summer League. They lost RHP Josh Perrault to Baltimore in round two. Perrault split time in 2008 between Double and Triple-A, a right-handed relief pitcher.

From the Double-A portion of the draft, the Nationals did not make any selections and lost no one.

The 2008 Winter Meetings wrap up in Las Vegas at 11:30AM with the Rule 5 draft. The Rule 5 draft allows opportunities to players who were not placed on their team’s 40-man roster with other teams (more details here).

The Nats hold the first pick in today’s draft and seem likely to make at least one selection (they can make two if they want). This year’s draft has not received the buzz as some of the past years.

I had a posting on who I was interested in last week. The names I highlighted were:

• Jordan Brown 1B from Cleveland … the 24-year old Brown (25 on 12/18) was a 2005 4th round selection by the Indians as an OF out of the University of Arizona. Over the last two seasons, Brown has seen more time at 1B than in the OF and it looks like his future is there. He is a lefthanded bat but does not have the power a team typically looks for at 1B.  His 18 combined homers over the past two years are not prolific by any stretch of the imagination (though to be fair Buffalo and Akron play slightly less than a fair park for home runs … Akron actually is a bit tougher [data here]). But Akron BBA ranked him as the Indians #7 prospect just last season. Their scouting report read, “Brown profiles as a first baseman in the mold of Sean Casey or Lyle Overbay.” He is not the impact bat at 1B that someone like Mark Teixeira or Adam Dunn would be, but he is an interesting option if the Nationals have any concerns with the availability of Nick Johnson in 2009.
• James Skelton CA from Detroit … Another catcher might seem like an unusual option given the presence of Jesus Flores, but the 23-year old Skelton is intriguing as a lefthanded counterpart to Flores. He was a 14th round selection by the Tigers in the 2004 draft and has batted right around 300 for his minor league career. I doubt the Nationals will want to have two young catchers on the roster, but Skelton’s LH bat is something not typically found in the Rule 5 draft.
• RHRP Eduardo Morlan from Tampa Bay … this is the guy that most sites out there are targeting as the best available player in the draft. The 22-year old was part of the Matt Garza/Delmon Young trade from last season. He throws in the low-90s and has struck out 382 batters to 120 walks in 321 minor league innings. The 6′2″ 220-lb righthander has made eight appearances in the Puerto Rican winter league with a 1-0 record with 2 saves, striking out twelve and walking three over eleven innings pitched. 
• LHSP Chuck Lofgren from Cleveland … starters are typically not selected in the draft given that they were unprotected because their organization did not consider them ready to fill in as a major league starter in the immediate. The 22- year old Lofgren (23 in January) might be an exception a rebuilding team like the Nats can take.  Drafted out of high school in the 4th round of the 2004 draft, Lofgren fits the mold of a solid back of the rotation starter. BBA had him ranked as the Indians #2 prospect last season. Their scouting report read “Lofgren adds and subtracts with his full arsenal of pitches, beginning with a fastball that ranges anywhere from 87-93 mph and tops out at 95. He added a slider in 2006 and developed it into a true out pitch last year. He also throws a spike curve in the upper 70s and an average changeup. An imposing presence on the mound, he gets downhill easily and pounds the bottom of the strike zone. The Indians love his makeup.”  He had a terrible 2008 where he was 2-6 with a 5.99 ERA and 1.69 WHIPfor Double-A Akron. The Nats could use another lefthanded option in their rotation if Odalis Perez does not return.
• LHRP Jose Lugo from Minnesota… Lugo throws a sinking mid-90s fastball. The 24-year old has struck out 295 batters over 300 minor league innings with 124 walks. It would be a huge jump for him from High A to the majors but the Nationals could use a lefthanded power arm out of the bullpen to complement Mike Hinckley.
• RHRP Pedro Strop from Texas … Strop is a converted shortstopwho was claimed off of waivers by the Texas Rangers from the Colorado Rockies despite undergoing surgery for a fracture in his right elbow. Reports are that he will be able to resume throwing in early 2009. He is all about potential, ranking as BBA’s #9 prospect for the Rockies in 2008. His scouting report, “Having pitched just 81 pro innings, Strop has a fresh arm that delivers power stuff. His fastball ranges from 92-96 mph, while his slider runs from 85-88 mph. He can make hitters look silly with his splitter, giving him three swing-and-miss pitches. He has adapted quickly to the nuances of pitching, most likely because of the feel for the game he showed at shortstop, and is an elite fielder, another sign of his shortstop background.”

Jonathan Mayo at MiLB.com has his preview up where he highlights some names to watch:

• Cubs LHP Donald Veal … “Chicago’s second-round pick in the 2005 Draft, has had a roller-coaster pro career thus far. Blessed with above-average stuff, he had a fantastic first full season in 2006, being mentioned among the better left-handed pitching prospects in the game. His ‘07 was uneven, to say the least, and ‘08 — a repeat of Double-A — was more of the same.”
• Pirates LHP Kyle Bloom … “a fifth-rounder in 2004 out of Illinois State University, has had an uneven career with the Pirates, reaching Double-A Altoona and posting a 4.25 career ERA. But he opened some eyes in Hawaii Winter Baseball this fall with a 1.50 ERA over seven starts, as he held hitters to a .144 average.”
• Brown
• Rockies MI Everth Cabrera … ”A native of Nicaragua who was signed by Colorado in 2004, Cabrera’s tool is his plus speed. The switch-hitter led all of the Minor Leagues with 73 stolen bases in 2008, getting caught 16 times. He hit .284 for Class A Asheville in the South Atlantic League. In 221 total professional games, he’s stolen 104 bases.”
• Yankees SS Reegie Corona … ”The Venezuelan shortstop originally signed with the Bombers in July 2003. He was an All-Star in the South Atlantic League in 2006 and again in ‘07, this time in the Florida State League. In 2008, he played all season at age 21 in the Double-A Eastern League, hitting .274 with 24 steals.”
• Dodgers RHP Javy Guerra … ”After going 5-4 with a 4.07 ERA in 31 outings — almost all in relief — for Class A Inland Empire in the California League, Guerra struck out 28 in 23 1/3 innings in Hawaii Winter Baseball. The fourth-round pick in 2004 had been a starter, making the switch to relief this past season. “
• Lofgren
• Yankees LHP Zach Kroenke … ”The 2005 fifth-rounder out of the University of Nebraska made it up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2008, combining for a 2.85 ERA and a .190 batting average against across two levels.”
• Rays RHP Chris Mason … ”Mason struggled in Triple-A and the AFL in 2008, so those who decide to take a shot with the 2005 second-rounder will be doing so based on his 2007 season, when he went 15-4 with a 2.57 ERA and was named MLB.com’s Double-A Starting Pitcher of the Year.”
• Morlan
• Cardinals RHP Luis Perdomo … ”The Carolina League All-Star was traded from the Indians to the Cardinals for Anthony Reyes in July. He had gone 3-1 with a 0.92 ERA and 18 saves for Class A Kinston before getting promoted to Double-A Akron and then being dealt to the Cardinals. Overall, he saved 20 games and had a 2.36 ERA over 72 1/3 innings. He struck out 82 and held hitters to a .190 batting average against.”
• Mariners LHP Robert Rohrbaugh … ”A name that cropped up late, Rohrbaugh was a seventh-round pick in the 2005 Draft out of Clemson University. He had a 5.25 ERA with Triple-A Tacoma over 96 innings and missed two months of the season. Still, he’s a lefty who did come back to throw well at the end of the year.”

Adding to the information is Baseball America, who along with a complete list of Rule 5 eligibles, had some additional names to watch from John Manuel (he has an update this morning, looks like the Nats could lose recently signed minor league free agent RHP JD Martin to the Pirates):

• Dodgers RHP Jordan Pratt … ”The 2003 fifth-round pick out of an Oregon high school has yet to progress past Class A. He spent 2008 in high Class A Inland Empire and walked 67 (while striking out 80) in 69 innings. However, Pratt has premium stuff, with a fastball that consistently reaches 94 mph, and an inconsistent curveball and a premium cutter that helps him handle lefthanded hitters. They went 2-for-35 off him in Hawaii Winter Baseball, where Pratt showed off some smoother mechanics that helped him throw more strikes. Lefty David Pfeiffer of the Dodgers, a sidearmer, also was getting some attention.”
• Diamondbacks LHP Jordan Norberto … ”Norberto has upside, as he’s just 22 and has reached 96 mph with his fastball. He’s also spent the last two years in the low Class A Midwest League, striking out 220 in 204 innings while walking 102.”
• Rockies IF Corey Wimberly … ”No one in the class fits the utility profile better than Wimberly, a 5-foot-8 switch-hitter with plus speed and defensive versatility. Wimberly played second base, third base, shortstop and the outfield in ‘08 at Double-A Tulsa while posting a .370 on-base percentage. He lacks strength but has a solid track record as a hitter.”
• Twins RHP Loek Van Mil … ”The 7-foot-1 righthander has shown a fastball up to 97 mph in the past but has a partial ligament tear due after injuring his elbow just prior to the Beijing Olympics. Fellow Dutch national teamer Hainley Statia (Angels) remains the top middle-infield possibility in a thin group of players there.”

One other name that is worth watching is Marlins RHP Jeff Allison.  The 24-year old Allison was the 16th overall selection in the 2003 draft. His career has been derailed thus far by drug addiction, but some teams might be willing to gamble that the talent is still there and hope for a Josh Hamilton-like resurgence.

With all of that information, who do I think will the Nationals pick?

I’d hope they target one of the arms with the first selection rather than burn a pick on someone like Brown or Skelton. With the second pick, I still believe an arm is the better choice, though I can imagine a bat if an arm goes first. The guys that intrigue me the most are the relievers. Morlan (RH), Strop (RH), and Lugo (LH) from before along with new names like Pratt (RH), Norberto (LH), and Veal (LH).

I’m hoping for two relief pitchers, a righthander and lefthander.