Nationals Farm Authority

Unless there is some breaking news over the weekend, I will not be updating the site until after the New Year.

Thank you to all my readers. Have a happy holiday season (be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or your holiday of choice). Happy new year.

See you on January 3.

I have been thinking about this for a while and fortunately someone far more eloquent than I provided an excellent explanation of what I was thinking (not a baseball-related site).

Over the past couple of months, there have been instances where comments have been made disparaging someone, be it a player or fellow commenter. I’ve tried to figure out a way to handle each situtation without appearing to be heavy-handed.

I am going to adapt that policy here going forward …

Comments are welcome on all postings. I would ask that if you would like to leave a comment that you think of this website as my family’s home and that you wouldn’t say anything on this site that you wouldn’t, as an invited guest, say in someone’s home. Constructive criticism is welcome, as we all benefit from such advice. Rude, mean, or obnoxious comments are not welcome and will not be approved to post (that’s me, gently escorting the misbehaving guest out of the house). Please restrict your comments to the topic at hand, for the benefit of all who may be reading.

Thanks.

Jeff Garber, who spent the last 20 years in the Kansas City Royals organization as a player, coach or manager, joins the Nationals as Minor League Field Coordinator. The 41-year-old served as Kansas City’s Minor League Field Coordinator and Outfield  Coordinator in 2007 after working as Coordinator of Instruction in 2006.

Garber replaces Tim Foli who was named the manager of the Columbus Clippers

The Nationals official release came out and it included the GCL staff

• Manager Bobby Henley
• Pitching Coach Franklyn Bravo
• Hitting Coach Paul Sanagorski
• Coach Cesar Cedeno
• Trainer Allen Wood

Henley, who is also the organization’s catching coordinator, returns to the GCL in 2008. Joining him again in 2008 is Bravo. Sanagorski was a hitting coach for the Double-A Carolina Mudcats (Marlins) in 2007. Cedeno, who served as a Spring Training instructor with the Nationals in 2007, has been named a coach with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Nationals.

TopProspectAlert.com has posted their Nationals Top 10

1. Chris Marrero (2006)
2. Ross Detwiler (2007)
3. Collin Balester (2004)
4. Michael Burgess (2007)
5. Josh Smoker (2007)
6. Justin Maxwell (2005)
7. Colton Willems (2006)
8. Jack McGeary (2007)
9. Jordan Zimmermann (2007)
10. Jake Smolinski (2007)

and here is Vermont

Ramon Aviles will manage the 2008 Lake Monsters in his 38th season in professional baseball, while Rusty Meacham returns as Vermont pitching coach for the second straight season. Jason Camilli, who played with the Vermont Expos back in 1995, returns to Centennial Field for his first season as the hitting coach for the Lake Monsters.

Aviles replaces Darnell Coles who is now the manager in Hagerstown. Aviles was last a manager in the Brewers system (2005-06). No notes on his role in 2007. Both Meacham and Camilli return to Vermont.

Only Vermont, the GCL and DSL to go. From Hagerstown

The Washington Nationals have announced the Hagerstown Suns coaching staff for the upcoming 2008 season. The Suns staff features former Major Leaguers with plenty of Minor League coaching experience. Darnell Coles will serve as the Suns manager, and Tony Tarasco will be brought in as the hitting coach to complement returning pitching coach, Paul Menhart. Completing the staff are Sergio Mendez and trainer Atsushi Toriida.

Coles moves to manager role in Hagerstown from the same role in Vermont in 2007. He replaces Tommy Herr who left the organization. Tarasco was the hitting coach under Coles in Vermont. Tarasco replaces Jerry Browne who assumes the same role in Potomac. Mendez was a manager for the Nationals in the DSL. It appears he will have a general coaching role.

Three down …

From the Clippers website

The Columbus Clippers announced that Tim Foli will manage the Columbus Clippers in 2008. Foli’s staff will include Steve McCatty, who will return as pitching coach, and Mike Quinn returning as trainer. A hitting coach has not been named.

Foli was the field coordinator for Washington’s minor league farm system in 2007. Boots Day was the 2007 hitting coach for the Clippers. No word on whether Day will remain with the organization.

Baseball America’s minor league transactions feature the Nationals once again. This time, the Nationals have signed a pair of right-handed pitchers, Rob Bell and Brian Sanches.

• Rob Bell is a journeyman right-hander who has pitched in six organizations over a thirteen year professional career (four different teams in the majors). The 31-year old Bell has a history with Nationals GM Jim Bowden who acquired him for the Reds (along with Denny Neagle and Michael Tucker in exchange for Bret Boone and Mike Remlinger) and then Bowden dealt him to Texas in a steal for Edwin Encarnacion and Ruben Mateo. He seems like an extra arm for the Nationals in spring training.
• Brian Sanches is another right-hander who seems likely to fill in for the Nationals during the spring training. The 29-year old Sanches is a one-pitch reliever (fastball)

Apparently, today is the day of the coaching announcements. From the P-Nats

The Potomac Nationals today announced that manager Randy Knorr, pitching coach Randy Tomlin and trainer Sean Wayne will return to the P-Nats staff for the 2007 season. In addition, Jerry Browne will replace Troy Gingrich, who was promoted to Double-A Harrisburg, as the team’s hitting coach. The announcement was made by Potomac Nationals General Manager Jonathan Griffith.

Browne joins the P-Nats from the same role in Hagerstown in 2007 (and Savannah in 2006).