Nationals Farm Authority

Rizzo, who spearheaded some of baseball’s top drafts this millennium during his tenure as Arizona ’s Scouting Director, added “I am very pleased to add these 10 gentlemen to our staff, all of whom have solid reputations that are well known throughout the game. I feel the Nationals are now equipped with one of the premier scouting staffs in baseball.”

The Nationals and their fans are banking on Rizzo to duplicate his successes from Arizona where he quickly rebuilt a neglected Diamondback farm system into one of the better ones in the major leagues over a four year period of time. Rizzo strength in the first few rounds was targetting players that were tougher signs (Stephen Drew or Justin Upton).

“I am very pleased to be a part of this exciting time with the Nationals, as our focus is on scouting and player development,” said Brown. “This is the best way to build a successful organization, and I am honored to be continuing as the scouting director.”

LaMar brings 20-plus seasons of professional baseball evaluative experience to Washington , including 11 seasons (1995-2005) as Tampa Bay ’s General Manager. LaMar’s stay with the Devil Rays was highlighted by the stockpiling of young talent that included Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, Delmon Young, B.J. Upton and Scott Kazmir. Prior to his tenure in Tampa Bay, LaMar worked in Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, where he played an important role in positioning all three franchises for post-season success and—in the cases of the Braves in 1995 and the Reds in 1990—World Championships.

While LaMar’s track record as GM in Tampa Bay left much to be desired, he was in charge of a Tampa organization that stockpiled some of the better hitting prospects in all of the major leagues. His presence is not that surprising given he has worked in the past with Stan Kasten in Atlanta and Jim Bowden in both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

Stubing spent the previous 40 years with the Los Angeles Angels as a player, coach, big league manager and scout (in nearly every conceivable capacity). His vast experience in talent evaluation helped build a foundation for the Angels’ 2002 World Championship club.

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Singer joins the Nationals after a three-year stay with the Arizona Diamondbacks as Major League Scout, where he worked under Rizzo. Singer was a two-time All-Star during his playing career, which included a pair of 20-win seasons (with Los Angeles-NL 1969 and California in ‘73) and 118 wins. He has more than 30 years of professional experience as a player, area scout, national crosschecker, professional scout and international scout.

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With 17 years of scouting experience under his belt, Kline also joins the Nationals after spending the previous seven seasons with Arizona , the last three of which were spent as the Diamondbacks’ Western Supervisor. He earned a World Series ring in 2001 as the Diamondbacks topped the Yankees in seven games. Before joining the Diamondbacks, Kline spent 10 seasons scouting for the Angels after completing his four-year professional playing career.

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Johnson, a former big league pitcher, brings 25 years of professional experience to Washington , the last 15 of which have been spent scouting at every level from the amateur ranks to the big leagues. Johnson pitched eight big league seasons for the White Sox, going 43-51 with a 3.94 ERA.

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Gonzales, who is credited with signing NL All-Star Adam Dunn, will draw on 16 years of professional scouting experience in his new role with the Nationals. Most recently, Gonzales was the Reds’ Midwest regional cross checker.

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Zona has 17 years of professional experience as a player, scout, supervisor and advance scout. He worked with Boston as the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, and is credited with signing outfielder Trot Nixon and right-handed pitcher Cla Meredith during his tenure there.

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Kelly will scour Southern California , where he will put over 30 years of professional experience as a player, coach, front-office executive and scout to use. Tim Salmon and Troy Percival are among the many players scouted and signed by Kelly during his baseball career.

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Wilt comes to the Nationals after scouting for Cincinnati each of the previous six seasons. There, he was a scouting supervisor in six Midwest states and worked directly for Gonzales.

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Arneiri sports 20 years of professional experience, spent primarily with the San Francisco Giants, most recently as their Canadian crosschecker. Five members of the 2006 Giants were signed by Arneiri.