Nationals Farm Authority

Peoria (AFL)

• Brendan Harris SS - 1/4 1K
• Josh Whitesell 1B - 0/4 1K
• Roy Corcoran RP - 1IP 2H 2R(2ER) 2BB 1K 1HR

Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional

• Navegantes de Magallanes: Ender Chavez CF - 0/4 1BB 2K

Liga Mexicana del Pacifico

• 11/8 Algodoneros de Guasave: Kenny Kelly PR - 0/0
• 11/9 boxscores pending

Liga de Beisbol Dominicano

• Aguilas Cibaenas: Bernie Castro 3/3 1R 1BB

Jim Bowden will be interviewing for the Red Sox GM role this week. I’ll leave to the others to defend/discount the overall value of Bowden. I’ll focus on what he did/didn’t do to the farm system.

October/November 2004

• Signed 3B Rick Short and RHP Dan Smith: Short was a nice story in 2005. He has the potential of being the 25th man (Carlos Baerga’s spot) in 2006 if he recovers from shoulder surgery. Smith spent the entire season in New Orleans with terrible numbers in before he had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in July, ending his season. [NFA: Nice find on Short.]
• Signed SS Ramon Castro and OF Cristian Guerrero: Castro started out promising but was hit with an unprecedented 105 game suspension in July. Guerrero put up solid numbers in Harrisburg. [NFA: Two nice finds for Bowden. Both are probably no more than organizational players at this point. Though, Castro bears watching]
• Purchased the contracts of INF Alejandro Machado, LHP Michael Hinckley, 1B Larry Broadway and RHP Darrell Rasner from Harrisburg; Purchased the contracts of RHP Josh Karp and RHP Danny Rueckel from Edmonton: This added one only one guy to the 40-man roster who even appeared once for the Nationals in 2005 (Rasner). Rasner’s best shot is as a #5 SP in 2006. Hinckley, Broadway, and Karp all battled injury/inconsistency in 2005. Machado was subsequently traded to the Red Sox in April 2005 for IF Carlos Torres. Torres put up terrible numbers in Vermont while Machado made a brief appearance for the Red Sox late in the season. Rueckel was removed from the 40-man in August to make room for Deivi Cruz. [NFA: The loss of Machado is not terrible but in hindsight, he would have been a nice piece during the Vidro injury/Guzman struggles. Rueckel will be exposed to the Rule 5 Draft in December. No problems with the other moves]
• Outrighted RHP Shawn Hill and INF Josh Labandeira to Edmonton: Hill was recovering from Tommy John surgery while Labandeira battled inconsistency, injury, and a suspension for violation of the substance abuse program. [NFA: Ideally, Hill will compete for a spot in the bullpen in 2006 with the possibility of spot starts (think Sunny Kim ’s role in 2005). ]

December 2004

• Signed RHP Rabell Rivera: Rivera did not play in 2005.
• Traded OF Antonio Sucre to Pirates for OF J.J. Davis: Davis was subsequently paired with Zach Day in a trade for Preston Wilson. Sucre spent the season in the South Atlantic League with marginal results. [NFA: Solid, not spectacular, move that led to a contributor at the major league level]
• Sold the contract of OF Val Pascucci to the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese Pacific League: Pascucci had limited playing time in Japan in 2005. Though 8 of his 29 hits were HR. [NFA: Not a terrible move. He wasn’t going to make the major league roster and the additional dollars (however small) were probably welcome given the budget constraints.]
• Released LHP Chad Bentz: The lefthanded Bentz caught on with the Marlins and pitched horribly in 4 appearances with Florida. [NFA: Aside from the fact he was a LH RP, his loss was not terrible. He is no better than Joe Horgan, who was quickly cast aside.]
• Selected OF Ty Godwin from the Blue Jays and IF Tony Blanco from the Reds in the Rule 5 Draft: Godwin’s rights, and the ability to send him to the minors, were acquired in exchange for 20-year old LH SP Aaron Wideman. Godwin had a solid year in New Orleans (caveat … he’s 26), while Wideman pitched solidly in the Midwest League. Blanco spent the entire season sitting on the bench in Washington with limited playing time. [NFA: The jury is still out on Wideman, but it will be interesting to see what he becomes. Godwin appears to be a AAAA player. Blanco’s impact is much more a negative. Not only did he lose a year of development, but he also hamstrung the Nationals with regards to player personnel decisions during the season. This was apparently due to strained relations between Bowden and his former employer, the Reds who refused to discuss any trade options.]
• Selected RHP Victor Prieto from the Marlins, IF Edgar Gonzalez from the Rangers, and OF Doc Brooks from the Diamondbacks in the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 Draft: Prieto was immediately traded to the Red Sox for cash considerations. He pitched only 0.1IP for the GCL Red Sox. Gonzalez played well in a season split between Harrisburg and New Orleans while Brooks apparently regressed in his third straight season in High A. [NFA: Gonzalez and Brooks are organizational players. They provided depth to a farm system that was hungry for serviceable players.]
• Selected OF Jim Kavourias from the Marlins, RHP Dan Kolb from the Brewers, 2B Dan Dement from the Devil Rays, and OF Marcus Nettles OF from the Padres in the Double-A portion of the Rule 5 Draft: Kavourias (April) and Nettles (May) were subsequently released. Kolb struggled in his third straight year in High A. Dement split the season between Harrisburg and New Orleans, batting over 300 in both stops. [NFA: Kolb and Dement are also organizational players with little chance of making the majors.]
• Signed the following players to minor league contracts with invitations to Spring Training (OF Jeffrey Hammonds, 3B Phil Hiatt, IF Jared Sandberg, CA Keith Osik, RHP Hector Carrasco, RHP Chad Durbin, RHP Seth Greisinger, RHP Luis Pineda, LHP Micah Bowie, and OF Michael Coleman): Hiatt and Pineda did not make the team nor play for anyone else in 2005. Sandberg was released and caught on with the Red Sox farm team. Greisinger spent most of the season in Triple-A and pitched briefly for the Braves. Bowie battled injuries in the Nats farm system. Hammonds and Osik played briefly for the Nats in 2005. Carrasco was an invaluable member of the 2005 Nats bullpen and excelled as a SP late in the season. [NFA: The players who were lost as well as Bowie, Hammonds, and Osik were organizational players. Carrasco was a find for Bowden, a diamond in the rough]

January/February 2005

• Released 2B Rafael Batista: Did not play in 2005. [NFA: No impact]
• Signed IF George Arias to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training: Arias was subsequently released. [NFA: No impact]
• Signed RHPs Kip Bouknight, Mark DiFelice, David Gil and Brian Powell; SS Jason Bowers; LHPs Alex Lontayo, Matt White and Ed Yarnall; 1B Aaron McNeal; and, OF Melvin Nieves: Lontayo and McNeal were both released in April. McNeal caught on with Colorado but played poorly. DiFelice and Nieves played in Nats farm system until their July releases. Powell, Yarnall, Gil, Bowers, White, and Bouknight all spent the entire season in the upper levels of the Nats farm system. White made a spot start for the Nats in August. [NFA: Is there an echo in here? Organizational players. I bet we’ll see more of the same type of guys signed in February 2006]
• Invited SS Ian Desmond to Spring Training: Desmond impressed the fans with his defense in Spring Training. He split the season between Savannah and Potomac. [NFA: Desmond’s performance turned the spotlight on the Nats farm system in the spring. What it showed was less than encouraging. Desmond is still a ways away from making the majors]

March/April/May 2005

• Released OF Dominick Ambrosini and RHP Matthew Skrmetta: Neither played in 2005
• Traded OF Jerry Owens to White Sox for OF Alex Escobar: Escobar missed the season with a strained right quadriceps. Owens, on the other hand, had a breakout season in Double-A. [NFA: The acquisition of Escobar is open to much debate among Bowden supporters/detractors. Owens is probably going to be no better than a #4/5 OF in the majors, but the fact that he excelled while Escobar spent the season on the DL magnifies the disparity in the return on the deal. Escobar fit the bill with regards to Bowden’s fascination with toolsy OFs. He has not lived up to the promise that made him a key piece of the Roberto Alomar trade. It’s not the worst deal but it’s definitely not one that Bowden would want on his resume]
• Signed CA Craig Kuzmic: Spent the season in New Orleans. [NFA: Random catcher for depth]
• Released RHPs Edward Diaz, David Haverstick, Ricky Jenkins, and Brandon Roznovsky; LHPs Keith Ferguson, Tony Ferrari, and Josh Girdley; OFs Maurice Cobb, Ramon Diaz, and Danny Rombley; and, IFs Luis Cordova, Francis Desena, Brian Ellerson, Luis Rojas, Jason Conslik, and Jose Ovalles: Only Ferrari played in 2005, actually returning to the Nationals mid-season. [NFA: no impact]
• Signed RHP Travis Hughes: Pitched well in relief for New Orleans with a couple of appearances for the Nats. [NFA: A solid waiver claim for Bowden. Hughes offered depth for both this past season as well as in 2006]
• Released IF Clark Parker: Played briefly in Harrisburg prior to his release. [NFA: no impact.]
• Acquired CF Marlon Byrd from Phillies in exchange for CF Endy Chavez: Byrd played well in platoon time for the Nationals while Chavez was relegated to PR/late inning defensive replacement. [NFA: Another solid move for Bowden. Byrd can serve as a #4 OF for the Nats in 2006.]

June/July 2005

• Drafted and signed the following players from the 2005 First Year Player’s Draft: Ryan Zimmerman 3B (1st); Justin Maxwell OF (4th) [signed in October]; Ryan DeLaughter OF (5th); Marco Estrada RHP (6th); Mike Daniel OF (7th); Jack Spradlin LHP (8th); John Michael Howell OF (9th); Dee Brown OF (10th); John Lannan LHP (11th); Craig Stammen RHP (12th); Andre Enriquez RHP (13th); Deryck Johnson OF (14th); Michael Watkins RHP (15th); Josh Palm RHP (16th); Eduardo Pichardo RHP (17th); Tim Pahuta 1B (18th); Bradley Clark RHP (19th) [signed in October]; Ricky Shefka RHP (20th); Coby Mavroulis RHP (21st); Antonio Evangelista RHP (22nd); Jeffrey Taylor RHP (24th); Andrew Lane 2B (27th) - Zimmerman had the crash courtse through the minors to the majors in a few months. Maxwell, if he can stay healthy could prove to be a value pick in the 4th round. Delaughter is playing the OF but is also highly thought of as a RHP. Estrada, Spradlin, Lannan, and Stammen all bare watching as SP prospects. Daniel, Howell, and Brown are all interesting OF prospects to watch for their power (Brown) and hitting (Howell and Daniel). From the picks in the 13th round and later, it’s honestly a crapshoot though Bradley Clark has the most upside if he can overcome his reputation. [NFA: Zimmerman has proven a really good pick. The fact that he signed 22 out of his first 25 picks is nice, though it’s uncertain how many of the picks were based upon signability.]
• Signed OF Dee Brown; RHPs Ryan France, Edulin Abreu, and John Ogiltree; SSs Scott Hodges and Juan Melo; and, LHP Stephen Randolph : All but Abreu and Randolph filled the roles of organizational players. Abreu did not play. Randolph was traded to the Giants for future considerations. [NFA: No prospects worth watching]
• Acquired RHPs Ancil Baldwin and Mike Kobow from Tigers for future considerations: Kobow played in Potomac. [NFA: no impact]
• Released SS Juan Lorenzo; RHP Samuel Martinez; OF Duron Legrande: None were picked up by anyone else. [NFA: no impact]
• Claimed OF Kenny Kelly off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds: Played briefly in the majors. [NFA: His signing did mean Wil Cordero was removed from the roster, so there is some positive there. Kelly is another AAAA OF that infatuates Bowden]

August/September 2005

• Announced RHP Sun-Woo Kim was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Rockies: Pitched better in Colorado than he did in Washington. [NFA: Trying to sneak Kim through waivers a second time cost Bowden an arm that could have helped in September]
• Signed SS Frank Cruz of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: No stats available as he is too young to play in the US. [NFA: Signings out of the Dominican Republic and other Latin American countries are not necessarily up-to-date. Latin America is an area that Bowden and his team (Jose Rijo specifically) need to resuscitate. Hopefully we will begin to see more names popping up in the future.]
• Acquired SS/2B Deivi Cruz from the San Francisco Giants for RHP Ben Cox: Cruz was roster filler at MI for September. Cox spent his Nationals time in the South Atlantic League. [NFA: Cox is just another RH RP in the minors. He could turn into a solid contributor, or he could flame out. The trade gave the Nats another MI body for the last month of the season.]
• Signed RHPs Amado de los Santos, Bryan Lambert, Billy Sylvester; CAs Brian Peacock and Emilio Soto; IF Jonathan Martinez; and, LHP John Halama: de los Santos, Lambert, Soto, and Martinez were signed as undrafted free agents. Sylvester is another organizational type. Peacock was signed as a draft and follow after being drafted in the 39th round of the 2004 draft, he was rumored to be picked in the first 15 rounds if he returned to the draft. Halama was brought in when the Nationals faced a SP shortage. [NFA: Peacock, de los Santos, Lambert, Soto, and Martinez bear watching to see if Bowden found any diamonds in the rough]
• Released RHP Aaron Coonrod, CA Lyndsey Simmons, 3B David Travis, and SS Gabriel Suarez: Simmons and Travis were 2004 draft picks who did not pan out. Coonrod and Suarez were minor league free agents who the Nats determined were not necessary. [NFA: no impact]
• Acquired RHP Rhys Taylor and RHP Yader Peralta from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for LHP Mike Stanton: Two GCL arms for a guy the Red Sox wanted for one weekend. [NFA: Whatever Taylor and Peralta end up doing is icing on the cake. Getting anybody for a weekend rental is a solid move]

Overall, Bowden’s impact on the farm system has not been detrimental. The players he lost through ill-advise trades (Owens) and bad gambles (Kim) do not damage a long neglected farm system that much. His obsession with toolsy OFs (Escobar and Kelly) have not cost the Nats anything of value in either the near or long term. He has brought in a large haul from the 2005 draft class and only time will tell how many of the picks end up in the majors. He’s not the best GM in the majors, but most of the moves he’s made with regards to the minor leagues appear to be OK given the state of the farm system when he arrived.

Peoria (AFL)

• Josh Whitesell 1B - 2/5 1RBI
• Chris Schroder RP - 1IP 1H 0R 0BB 0K

Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional

• 11/7 Pastora de los Llanos Mayque Quintero SP - 3.1IP 9H 7R(6ER) 0BB 1K
• 11/8 Navegantes de Magallanes Ender Chavez CF - 0/4 1BB 2K

Liga Mexicana del Pacifico

• 11/8 boxscores pending

Liga de Beisbol Dominicano

• 11/8 boxscores pending

Peoria (AFL)

• Brendan Harris 2B - 1/5; left 2 RISP w/ 2-outs
• Josh Whitesell 1B - 3/5 2RBI 2 doubles; 2 RBI w/ 2-outs; 1E
• Roy Corcoran RP - 1IP 2H 1R(1ER) 1K 1HR

Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional

• 11/7 boxscores pending

Liga Mexicana del Pacifico

• 11/6 Algodoneros de Guasave: Kenny Kelly RF - 0/3 2K
• 11/7 no games

Liga de Beisbol Dominicano

• 11/7 no Nationals played

Peoria (AFL)

• 11/4 Brendan Harris 2B - 1/3 1RBI 1K 1SF 1E
• 11/4 David Maust SP - 4IP 0H 0R 1BB 2K 1HBP
• 11/5 Josh Whitesell PH/DH - 0/1
• 11/5 Roy Corcoran RP - 1IP 1H 0R 0BB 1K; Save

Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional

• 11/4 Pastora de los Llanos: Frank Diaz CF - 1/4
• 11/4 Navegantes del Magallanes: Ender Chavez CF - 0/4 1BB
• 11/4 Leones del Caracas: Ed Yarnall SP - 2.2IP 6H 6R(5ER) 3BB 3K; Loss
• 11/5 Pastora de los Llanos: Frank Diaz CF - 2/3 1R 1BB
• 11/5 Pastora de los Llanos: Jacobo Sequea RP - 1IP 2H 2R(2ER) 0BB 1K
• 11/5 Navegantes del Magallanes: Ender Chavez CF - 2/5 2R 1K
• 11/6 Pastora de los Llanos: Frank Diaz CF - 0/2
• 11/6 Leones del Caracas: Armando Galarraga SP - 4IP 3H 0R 0BB 3K
• 11/6 Navegantes del Magallanes: Ender Chavez CF - 1/5 1R double

Liga Mexicana del Pacifico

• 11/3 Tomateros del Culiacan: Joe Horgan RP - 0.2IP 2H 0R 2BB 2K
• 11/4: no Nationals played
• 11/5 Algodoneros de Guasave: Kenny Kelly RF - 1/5 2K
• 11/6 boxscores pending

Liga de Beisbol Dominicano

• 11/4 Tigres del Licey: Tony Blanco 1B (defensive replacement) - 0/0
• 11/4 Aguilas Cibaenas: Bernie Castro 2B - 0/5 2K
• 11/5 Aguilas Cibaenas: Bernie Castro 2B - 0/4 1R 1K
• 11/6 Tigres del Licey: Tony Blanco LF - 1/3 1R

Apparently, the Nationals signed 2005 19th round draft pick, Bradley Clark, some time in October.

Baseball America’s take:

Enigmatic Bradley Clark is a tall, projectable righty who had shown well in showcase events. Academic issues kept Clark ineligible for the first three years of his high school career, leaving him less refined than the average prep senior and in need of a lot of seasoning. He didn’t respond well to the pressure of his first season, losing his feel for the easy, fluid arm action he’s shown in the past, losing life on his fastball and leaving it up in the zone too often. Clark is considered an easy sign and has some real advantages. At 6-foot-6, 200 pounds, he has plenty of room to fill out and add velocity to his 88-92 mph fastball, and he throws a slider that can be a very good pitch.

Long story short. Clark has some growing up to do. But he was a worthy gamble for the Nationals given the lack of depth in the farm system.

I know I’m late to the party, but I’ve been trying to craft a minor league angle with regards to the Vinny Castilla for Brian Lawrence trade. Plenty of others have commented on the major league impact of the trade.

I’ll move beyond the obvious impact on Ryan Zimmerman.

The player who should be smiling the most might just be Brendan Harris. Harris spent most of the 2005 season on Jim Bowden’s Do Not Call list.

With the bat, the 24-year old Harris has shown he can hit … at the minor league level. Though his 2005 regression is a concern.

• 2003 West Tennessee [Double-A] 285/345/480 with 5HR and 51BB/72K in 435AB
• 2004 Iowa/Edmonton [Triple-A] 302/354/515 with 17HR and 26BB/61K in 377AB
• 2005 New Orleans [Triple-A] 270/329/417 with 13HR and 40BB/77K in 470AB

The story we have continued to be fed through the media (Barry Svrluga, Bill Ladson, etc) was that Harris could not play his position at the major league level, be it 2B or 3B. Barry’s analysis of the Nationals’ opinion of Harris would be best summed up as follows:

Brendan Harris cannot play 2B or 3B at the major league level. But we are going to play him at those positions that we know he cannot play in order to show other teams that he can play those positions.

Makes complete sense in a Ryan Church cannot hit lefties because he doesn’t hit against lefties kind of way.

Proving that he was not completely off of Bowden’s radar, Harris was sent to the Arizona Fall League where he has been playing alot. Alot of SS. All while hitting 397/446/562 with 1HR 5BB/6K in 73AB. In his chat this week, Barry stated the Nationals were doing this as a means of shopping Harris to potential suitors.

Well, all of the discussions of Harris moving onhave been put on hold (apparently). Bowden specifically mentioned Harris as part of the reasoning behind moving Castilla. Harris is now the frontrunner for the Carlos Baerga/Wil Cordero utility player/PH.

In my opinion, this is the ideal spot for Harris and a solid move for the Nationals. Harris does not appear to have the ability to be an everyday player. I see him as a Tony Graffanino type for the Nationals. Harris has the ability to fill in at 2B, SS, 3B, and likely 1B. If you run him out there everyday, his weaknesses are going to be exposed. But if you let him play the super sub role, spelling Zimmerman (a rookie), Guzman (if he doesn’t bounce back), Vidro, or Johnson (both oft-injured). Carrying a guy like Harris allows Bowden to turn two bench spots (Carlos Baerga and Junior Spivey) into one bench spot in 2006. This permits Bowden to carry an extra OF or two, something he clearly loves to do.

From my perspective, and more importantly, Harris’, this is a good second step in the off-season rewickering of the Nationals roster.

Peoria (AFL) [Lost to Surprise 11-4]

• Josh Whitesell DH - 0/3 1BB 1K

Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional

• Navegantes del Magallanes: Ender Chavez CF - 0/1 2R 3BB
• Pastora de los Llanos: Frank Diaz CF - 2/4 2R 2RBI
• Pastora de los Llanos: Jason Stevenson SP - 7IP 3H 2R(2ER) 1BB 3K; Win

Liga Mexicana del Pacifico

• 11/1 Tomateros del Culiacan: Joe Horgan RP - 0.2IP 1K
• 11/2 no Nationals played
• box scores of 11/3 pending

Liga de Beisbol Dominicano

• Aguilas Cibaenas: Bernie Castro LF - 0/2 1R
• Tigres del Licey: Tony Blanco 1B - 0/4 1K

Nationals IF Brendan Harris was named today to the U.S. roster for ‘05 CONCEBE Olympic qualifier. Harris, who has been tearing up the Arizona Fall League (397/446/562), will likely split time between 2B and 3B for the Olympic team. Games begin on November 15, so Harris gets to continue playing in Arizona through November 19.

Rick Eckstein, David’s brother, was named an Assistant Coach.

Peoria (AFL) [Defeated Peoria Javelinas 5-0]

• Ryan Zimmerman, starting 3B - 1/4 3K
• Brendan Harris, starting SS - 0/3 1R 1BB 1K 1GIDP
• Josh Whitesell, starting 1B - 0/3 1R 1BB 1K [first appearance … Larry Broadway is likely gone from AFL]
• Chris Schroder RP - 2IP 2H 0R 1BB 1K; Win
• Roy Corcoran RP - 2IP 0H 1BB 2K

Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional

• Pastora de los Llanos: Frank Diaz CF - 2/5 2R 2K
• Pastora de los Llanos: Mayque Quintero SP - 4.1IP 5H 5R(5ER) 3BB 1K
• Navegantes del Magallanes: Ender Chavez PR - 0/0 1R

Liga Mexicana del Pacifico

• box scores from 11/1-2 still pending

Liga de Beisbol Dominicano

• Azucareos del Este: Bernie Castro 1/4 2R 1RBI 1BB 1K triple
• Tigres del Licey: Tony Blanco 0/3 1K