Washington Post

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News from the Nats

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Nationals take Abreu with First Pick!

The Washington Nationals got slotted into the #8 spot in the Inaugural DBL Fantasy draft. Sitting in the middle of the pack is something GM Alex Davies was hoping for and with their first pick in the draft, he selected 2014 Rookie of the Year from the Chicago White Sox, Jose Abreu. "It's always a hard decision to make when there are a lot of solid guys out there to choose from so early in the draft. We feel like he is one of the best 1B options out there and almost a lock to blast 30 balls out of the park while driving in 90 for us this year and for years to come." Davies told James Wagner of the Washington Post early Friday Morning. "Getting a solid bat to build our position players around was our top priority going into the draft and we feel like we did an excellent job doing that."

Jose Abreu hopes to follow up a solid rookie campaign that saw him belt 36 homers and drive in 107 runs with a .317 average in 145 games. He is a solid 6'3", 255 lbs and just turned 28 yesterday (January 29th). Look for him in the Nats' red, white and blue at first base on opening day, 2015.

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Nats Welcome Harvey to Washington!

The Washington Nationals officially made their second pick in the DBL Inaugural Draft and they decided to add a starting pitcher with that pick. The pick was made after much deliberation and the decision came down to the Nats needing a solid arm at the top of their rotation. "A lot of people might see Matt Harvey as an arm that is coming off Tommy John Surgery, We see him as a well rested arm ready to perform at the level he was before the surgery." Nats GM Alex Davies said in a press conference Saturday afternoon. "Matt was one of the top young aces before the surgery and is expected to be our ace on opening day. He was an All-Star and Cy Young candidate in 2013, and we believe those goals are easily attainable for the 25 year old stud."

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Nats Get Cy Young Winner in 3rd Round!

The Washington Nationals have made their 3rd pick in the DBL Draft. They decided to go with another top arm in the game with the selection of starting pitcher Corey Kluber out of Cleveland. The 28 year-old Kluber brings with him the 2014 A.L. Cy Young award and has quickly established himself as a top 10 pitcher in the MLB, according to Nats Media Relations correspondent Ken Rosenthal (link). "We are thrilled to see Corey [Kluber] fall to us in the 3rd round of the draft. We were contemplating taking him in the second and feel that he fully deserved to be the second round pick for the Nationals." Alex Davies told Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post Sunday evening. "He is a top 10, possibly even top 5 starting pitcher and is sure to compete with Matt [Harvey] to be our teams 'Ace'."

A situation not many teams can say that they will be in come Opening Day 2015. If Kluber can replicate his 2014 Cy Young Season, and Harvey bounces back to form, they could form one of the most dangerous one-two punches at the front of the Nationals rotation. Kluber posted 18 wins, 269 strikeouts, a WHIP of 1.095, an ERA of just 2.44 while being a work horse for the Tribe pitching in 235.2 innings over his 34 starts in 2014. The Nats will just have to wait and see if these two starters can repeat the feats in 2015.

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Nats Grab Top Reliever!

The Nats stepped up to the podium this afternoon at the DBL Draft and made their 4th selection. They went the way of a reliever and grabbed the top relief arm in the game today, Craig Kimbrel. "We see a lot of talent popping up in the later rounds and feel like there are only a handful of relievers out there that are on our radar. None of them are better than Craig Kimbrel." Nats' GM Alex Davies stated. "He is #1 when you talk about relievers in the MLB now that Mariano Rivera is gone. We couldn't see ourselves passing up another round without picking up Craig and making him a Nat."

Craig Kimbrel will be 26 years old come opening day and has a solid 4 and a half years of experience under his belt. He came into the league as a 22 year-old relief pitcher in 2010 and made a statement with his 0.44 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 20.2 innings and he has only gotten better through the years. He has been an All-Star in all 4 of his full years, won the Rookie of the year award in 2011 and has been in the top 10 in Cy Young voting each of those 4 years as well. Craig Kimbrel has 185 saves in the last 4 years averaging 43 saves a year. He posted a WHIP under 1 (0.908), an ERA of 1.61 (his highest since his rookie year, 2.10) and threw 95 strikeouts over his 61.1 innings (both his lowest numbers, still amazing.) Look for Kimbrel to be the last man out of the Nats bullpen for years to come.

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Washington Gets Their Second Baseman

The Washington Nationals have made their fifth pick in the DBL Draft today and we, here at the Post, think it's a good one. Your Nationals selected second baseman Brian Dozier from the Minnesota Twins. GM Alex Davies had this to say about the 27 year-old middle infielder, "He's a solid offensive player from the #4 spot on the field. There are not many players, let alone second basemen, that are 20/20 [homers and steals] guys and Brian is one of them. He's emerged as one of the top players at his position and we felt like we just had to take him in the fifth round or else not get him at all."

The Nationals newest member put up good numbers for a second baseman last year after hitting 23 homers and stealing 21 bases. He also knocked in 71 runs while scoring 112 runs himself to go along with a 33 doubles and 90 walks. If Dozier, 27, can keep up these numbers, we're almost certain that he will move up to the top spot in his position and become an All-Star in the process. Welcome to Washington Mr. Dozier.

 

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Can't Spell Santana Without NATS

The Nationals selected Carlos Santana, Catcher/First Base/Third Basemen from Cleveland, with their sixth pick today. "Carlos really gives us the options we are looking for with his trifecta of position eligibility. Having the option to throw him behind the plate, at the hot corner or even give Jose [Abreu] a days rest at first is a huge bonus." Nats GM Davies told the Post. "He's a guy that is going to give us 150 games and 500 ABs to go along with 20+ homers and 75 RBIs. We couldn't wait any longer to pull the trigger on making him a Nat."

Carlos Santana is coming off one of his better years in the Majors. He hit 27 HRs, 85 RBIs and 113 walks in 152 games (94 at 1B, 26 at 3B, 22 as DH and 11 at C). He is looking to keep up those numbers while hoping to improve on his average, .231 last year. The Nats have him currently slotted in as their everyday third baseman but you can expect to see him behind the plate and at first base as well in 2015.

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Nats Add More Power

Your Washington Nationals have added a couple more power bats to their upcoming 2015 line-up. With their 7th pick in the DBL Draft, the Nats picked Mark Trumbo from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Washington then followed it up with their 8th pick of the draft and selected Evan Gattis, Catcher from the Houston Astros. "We're hoping that we will just demolish other teams in power and these two 6'4", 28-29 year old sluggers will certainly help us with that." Nats GM Davies said in a press conference earlier. "Mark fills our left field position and has the ability to play first for us as well. While Evan, or El Oso Blanco as we will officially be calling him, gives us our catcher and is expected to play some Left Field later in the season."

Both Trumbo and Gattis can definitely hit home runs in the bunches as they have proven over the last couple years. Trumbo has hit the 30-90 (HR-RBI) plateau twice while coming close in his rookie season as well. Trumbo is looking to bounce back from a down season that saw him only play in 88 games and is expected to get back into the swing of things in 2015. Gattis has two 20+HR seasons under his belt now too and we expect to see similar numbers from him in 2015.

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Speed on the Basepaths

Washington has made an attempt to add some speed to their already powerful line-up. They did so with the addition of 28 year-old shortstop Alcides Escobar out of Kansas City. "We started to notice that a lot of teams in the DBL still have a need for a shortstop and after taking a look at our list, noticed that he was one of the last, younger shortstops near the top." Alex Davies said to the media Friday afternoon. "He isn't the type of guy that's going to drive the ball out of the park, but we have plenty of guys to make up for that already. What we get with Alcides is speed, he's going to swipe anywhere from 25-40 bags for us this year and will form an excellent middle infield with Brian [Dozier]."

Alcides Escobar was a part of the Cinderella story Royals team last year that saw them go all the way to the World Series. He had a hand in that trip batting .310. He has been the main shortstop for Kansas since coming over from Milwaukee in a deal that saw Zack Grienke move to the Brewers. Escobar played in all 162 games last year batting .285 with 3 homers, 50 RBIs and 31 stolen bases.

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Washington Deals Trumbo to Mets

The Washington Nationals made a trade today that will see Mark Trumbo, as well as some low draft picks, go to the New York Mets. The Mets are sending 2 Mid round (17 & 18) DBL Draft Picks and a 2nd Round Prospect Draft Pick in return for the 29 year-old slugger. "It's never easy trading a player that has proven to hit bombs like Mark can. We really want to help build the future of the Nats with our Prospect Draft and now have three picks in the 2nd round that we will surely put to good use." Nats GM Alex Davies stated via email. "We know that this takes away our only guy in the Outfield right now and we do have a master plan for that solution and no, it doesn't involve Angels in the outfield. We wish Mark the best of luck in New York and would like to thank Mets GM Armando for his negotiations."



We at the Washington Post would like to wish Mark Trumbo the best of luck in New York and would like to thank him for his days of service here in Washington.

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Washington Drafts Future 'Ace'

The Nationals have entered in their pick in the 11th round of the Inaugural 2015 DBL Draft after a busy day of trading (Trade). They selected 22 year-old starting pitcher Taijuan Walker from the Seattle Mariners. "We have been waiting on this player since the 3rd round of the draft and figured we just couldn't wait any longer. Once we read the rule that 'Any player that has played 50 games or pitched in 50 innings or more is eligible for the draft" we knew that we had a bit of a hunt for sleepers on our hands." GM Alex Davies said with a smirk. "Taijuan is a top pitching prospect and was seen at the top of everyones prospect lists for the last couple years. Well now hes at the top of our rotation and will be for years to come!"

This selection had other DBL GMs in an uproar while seeing some commend the knowledge of your Nats GM Alex Davies.

Feb 7, 2015 17:09:31 GMT Alan - Pirates said:

man I would have drafted Walker 5 roudns ago if i thought he was available. i cant keep my head wrapped around these different rookie rules! lol

Feb 7, 2015 17:06:34 GMT Chris - Expos said:

Great pick Davies, I was going to grab him with my next pick.

We at the Post agree with the latter and think that Alex Davies is really starting to come into his own as the Nationals GM. We will just have to wait and see how the next couple rounds go, and make our judgement after that.

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Nats Add a Couple Outfielders

We all have been wondering what exactly Nats GM Alex Davies has been thinking when it comes to his outfield for 2015. Well you can stop worrying now Nats fans, as the Nats selected Ben Revere, 26 year-old Centre Fielder, and Brandon Moss, 31 year-old Corner Outfield. "Adding these two talented outfielders has been a couple rounds in the making. After dealing [Mark] Trumbo, we were left with an outfield that even Angels couldn't help." Nats GM Alex Davies said on the radio show Nats Talk Live with Phil Wood. "These two guys are almost complete opposites and both bring something we want to the table. Ben [Revere] is going to bring us some speed to go along with Alcides [Escobar] and Brian [Dozier] to give us probably the fastest trio up the middle of the field. Moss gives us some power to replace Trumbo and also a safety net at first as well as the ability to play both left and right field."

Ben Revere is coming off a solid 2014 that saw him hit his first home run of his career but more importantly, he stole 49 bases and .309 for the Phillies. The Nats shouldn't expect to see a lot of pop from this 26 year-old CF but another 40 steal season is definitely possible. Brandon Moss came out of the gates flying in 2014 and even earned himself an invite to the All-Star game. A decline after that game dropped his value enough to watch him slide to the 13th round of the DBL Draft. The Nats were thrilled to see this drop though as he is a 25 HR, 80 RBI kind of player and has multiple positions. Both will be seen in the Nats outfield to start the 2015 season.

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Nats Add Catcher of the Future

The Washington Nationals have drafted yet another catcher in the 2015 DBL Draft. Before you fans that are 'Nuts about the Nats' start actually going nuts about this pick, let me tell you something about it. Mike Zunino may be the third catcher named to the Nats roster, but he is the only legitimate catcher. Evan Gattis is slated to play left field more than he will catch, and Carlos Santana has made a move to 3B and 1B more than Catcher as well. "Mike gives us that option for someone to stick at catcher and be able to play Evan [Gattis] in Left which then fills out our outfield. This pick-up kills two birds with one stone and sets us up nicely in the process." Nats GM Alex Davies said in front of a, now calm, group of fans.

Mike Zunino is set to turn 24 in March, making him one of the younger catchers out there. In 2014, he played in 131 games (130 of them behind the plate) and batted a dismal .199. What he did do though, is produce some runs. He drove in 60 RBIs while hitting 22 homers and crossed the plate 51 times himself. Zunino is still figuring out the game behind the plate and once he does that, mixed in with his offence, he will be a top catcher in the game.

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Nats Add Some Relief

The Washington Nationals made a pick in the late hours of the night yesterday. They selected relief pitcher Sean Doolittle from the Oakland Athletics. "We saw an opportunity to take a closer on a pretty decent team that should be able to get plenty of save chances. We almost made a deal to move up in the draft to get Sean [Doolittle] and it would've cost us a Prospect Draft Pick." Nats GM Davies told the Post. "He's 28, got a wicked beard and is one of the top relievers in the game for a reason. We were surprised to see some of the other relief pitchers go ahead of him and are thrilled to be throwing him in the bullpen next to Kimbrel."

Sean Doolittle flourished last year after being named the team's closer when Jim Johnson fell apart. He ended the season with 22 saves in 26 chances, 62.2 innings pitched with 89 strikeouts (12.8 k/9 as opposed to his 7.8 k/9 in 2013), an ERA of 2.73 to go along with a WHIP of just 0.73. These numbers are comparable to those of Craig Kimbrel as well. The Nats are feeling very comfortable and are starting to look like a team to watch out for going into the 2015 DBL Season.

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Nats Add Starting Trio

The Nationals have added to their starting rotation with their last three picks in the DBL Draft. They selected a trio of starters over the last day and change starting with 29 year old Mike Fiers, followed by 28 year old Derek Holland and lastly adding 24 year old Jarred Cosart. "With the addition of these 3 pitchers, we are really starting to get an idea of what our team will look like come the start of 2015 and we are liking what we see." Nats GM Alex Davies told James Wagner of the Post. "Each of these guys put up good numbers last year on the mound. Fiers came back from a couple injury riddled seasons, pitched extremely well for the Brewers and made a name for himself. Holland has always been a reliable arm for the Rangers and when he returned to the mound after a leg injury last year, they noticed. Cosart seemed to find his groove in Miami after being traded there by Houston and should continue his dominating pitching there next year."

Here's what the Nats are getting their hands on with these three starters; Mike Fiers posted a 2.13 ERA with 76 strikeouts over his 71.2 innings in 14 games (10 starts). Derek Holland came back to make 5 starts last year and posted a 1.46 ERA over his 37 innings with 25 strikeouts. Jarred Cosart ended the year with a 3.69 ERA and 115 strikeouts over 180.1 innings but in his 10 starts in Miami, he posted a 2.39 ERA and 40 Ks over 64 innings. These 3 will surely help the Nats rotation and definitely give them some depth behind Kluber, Harvey and Walker.