I know this is a little late, but with the reformatting of the blog and everything this got caught a little bit in the shuffle. However, the top prospects are my favorite part of writing about baseball, espessially for a team like the Nationals. Today I will talk about the top 10 overall, and over the next several days I will break down each player from 10-1, as I did last year.

Baseball America's 2010 Top 10 Prospects:

1. Stephen Strasburg, rhp
2. Derek Norris, c
3. Drew Storen, rhp
4. Ian Desmond, ss
5. Danny Espinosa, ss
6. Chris Marrero, 1b
7. Jeff Kobernus, 2b
8. Justin Maxwell, of
9. Michael Burgess, of
10. Destin Hood, of

Three of the top 10 players came from the first two rounds of last years draft, a draft many considered a historic change in the Nationals franchise. Obviously, no shocker here, Stephen Strasburg tops the list as he has been renowned as arguably the best prospect ever. Behind him is the very talented Derek Norris, who in many other systems very well may be the top prospect in their organization. Norris, 20, batted .286/.413/.513 with 23 homers last year in 126 games for Hagerstown.

New to the list in 2010 are Strasburg, the Nationals compensatory pick Drew Storen, Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa, second round pick Jeff Kobernus, and Justin Maxwell. This represents a big change for a Washington club that suffered a lot of trials and tribulations in 2009. For the Nationals however, change represents a good thing.

Take a look at the 2009 top 10 list:

1. Jordan Zimmermann
2. Ross Detwiler
3. Chris Marrero
4. Michael Burgess
5. Jack Mcgreary
6. Derek Norris
7. Destin Hood
8. Adrian Nieto
9. J.P. Ramirez
10. The artist formerly known as Esmailyn Gonzalez

Six players that were on this list are no longer ranked in the top 10. The most notable two left off the 2010 list are obviously Zimmermann and Detwiler. While clearly these two players are still prospects, as they are young, and learning, and incredibly talented, they no longer are on the list because 2009 officially counted as their rookie season. So when you read the 2010 list, keep in your mind that the Nats also have those two arms in their arsenal.

Also off the list are Mcgreary, who has now combined for a 5.15 ERA in three minor league seasons. Nieto, a Cuban catcher who batted only .227 in rookie ball last season. Ramirez, who batted only .264 in Vermont, and Esmailyn, who, well...has had some issues of his own.

The Washington Nationals made the decision today to non-tender both Scott Olsen and Mike MacDougal. As a result, neither of the Nationals pitchers will receive arbitration, and both will become free agents.

Finally for a change Washington has had the guts to get rid of players who have overachieved while on their team. For too long the Nationals have overpaid payers in order to not lose what they have, instead of being smart and shopping for the best values.

The most notable move of the two was the Nationals decision to cut their closer Mike MacDougal. no comments

The Nationals held the worlds first press conference to introduce a back up catcher today, as the club officially unveiled Ivan Rodriguez to the Washington public. Rodriguez was brought in by GM Mike Rizzo to serve as a role model and back-up catcher to the young and talented Jesus Flores.

It appeared at the press conference, however, that Rodriguez had other ideas:

"Well, I'm ready to play every day. We discussed that. I'm a player that can still play every day, and I will play every day and basically do my best for the club. I know it's hard for me to play 162 games; that's impossible for a catcher. But as long as I'm healthy, feeling great physically, I'll be in the field playing."

Rodriguez has had an illustrious career in which he has won an MVP, been an all-star 14 times, and never once served as a true back-up, and at the age of 38, he doesn't seem to want to start now.

"Again, I said that I'm ready to play. Look forward to spring training and do my job and play the game. I'm a guy that I take care of myself very well; I'm keeping myself in good shape. And I'm gonna be in spring training in February ready. Those decisions are not in my control. My control is just to go to spring training in good shape and be ready mentally and physically to play on an everyday basis."

In what was a slightly awkward press conference, Rizzo did his best to save face and make best of the situation:

"Would you expect anything different? He's a 14-time all-star. He's a very prideful guy. And he thinks his skills are at their finest, and he might be right, you never know. Like I said at the beginning, he's going to be a significant contributor to the ballclub. Now if that means 70 or 80 games or 70, 80, 90, 100 games, those are questions that will be answered throughout the course of the season. The best problem I could have all season is, 'Who of these two hot catchers are we going to play on an everyday basis?'"

To be fair, should Rodriguez earn himself the starting spot it ought to be given to him. Even at the ripe age of 38, Rodriguez can provide so much on the field that the Nationals desperately need. The catcher is the general on the field, the leader, and he sets the tone for the defense. Defense, of course, was one of the teams worst assets last season. It was an attribute that was often ignored by the previous administration (Bowden), and since the Rizzo era it has been addressed again and again. Take Nyjer Morgan for instance. Aside from the fact that he hit an incredible .351 with 24 steals in his 51 games with the Nationals, the club improved exponentially with his great defense in the middle of the field. The difference was noticeable, as the clubs record dramatically improved after the trade, and errors and runs allowed all went down. Rodriguez can provide the same kind of effect by anchoring the team as their back-stop. He could also be a quick fix to the stolen base against problem the team suffered last year, as opponents ran rampant against the Nationals in 2009.

Furthermore, at 25, if Flores isn't ready to take the helm as the everyday starting catcher, then when will he? Flores put up a disappointing .256/.296/.402 in 2008 following what was a promising rookie season. He answered with a strong .301/.371/.505 in 2009, but was only on the field, healthy, for 93 at bats. While he still has prospect status to many this will be his year to put-up or shut-up in Washington, as the Nationals have the supremely talented Derrick Norris rising through the ranks, as well as Bryce Harper waiting in the wings to be drafted.

In far less exciting, but rather interesting news, the Nationals first overall pick in the 2009 Draft, Stephen Strasburg, donated $141,000 to San Diego State baseball. Strasburg, the former San Diego State ace, signed with the Nationals for a record $15.1 million over four years. It's good to see the kid give back.

The money will go to re-surfacing the field at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

Top prospect and likely the top overall pick for next years MLB Draft, Bryce Harper, passed his GED earlier this week. Harper, 17, dropped out of high school after his sophomore season in order to attend community college this season, and become eligible for the 2010 draft.

By leaving school a year early and getting a year of college under his belt, he will become eligible for the draft after what would have been his Junior year of high school. Harper will join his brother, Bryan Harper, at the Community College of Southern Nevada. Bryan had been playing for Cal State Northridge, but transfered to play with his brother for one last year. The two shared one varsity season together at Las Vegas high school.

While leaving high school early to enter the draft may seem a vain attempt at money, in reality it was the right move for the phenom. Harper is far and away the most advanced sophomore in high school baseball, possibly ever. The competition level is just too low for him, and staying around will only hurt his development. In 38 games last season Harper batted .590 with 11 homers, this past season he hit .626 with 14 homers and 55 RBI. He also became the first sophomore in history to be named first-team All American by Baseball America.

While Harper can be jokingly referred to as the best thing since Stephen Strasburg, his hype appears well deserved as scouts and coaches who had experience with the likes of Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez at the same age say Harper is far and away better. That's pretty good praise.

(Read: Bryce Harper's accolades read like a list of Chuck Norris Facts)

Baseball Prospectus breaks down each team at the Winter Meetings in Indiana and gives reason for Nationals fans to have hope:

"It’s important to remember that the Nationals are still feeling the effects of years of being owned by MLB. You don’t recover from being a ward of the state, run without anyone deeply invested in the success of the team on or off the field, for some time. They don’t have the talent base to contend, and they’re just starting to develop a farm system, so all they can do is make constant marginal improvements. It would be good to see them trade Adam Dunn, a great hitter on a fantastic contract who should return a good price in prospects. Dunn would be an impact player for a dozen teams, and not just ones in the AL who can use him at DH."

The Washington Times praises the Nationals for changing their approach this winter:

"The Nationals' front office packed up at the conclusion of the winter meetings Thursday having generated more activity - and buzz - than any session in the past few years. Unlike 2007 - when former general manager Jim Bowden made a series of trades for reclamation projects or unproven prospects - and last year - when their futile pursuit of Mark Teixeira was the only substantive activity they generated - the Nationals gave strong signals they were ready to pursue a different course."

The Washington Post looks at the market change, especially for pitchers, so far in this off-season:

"As a whole, the market for free agent pitching is shifting significantly upward, with the deals signed by Randy Wolf (three years, $29.75 million from Milwaukee), Brad Penny (one year, $7.5 million from St. Louis) and Rich Harden (one year, $7.5 million from Texas) signaling rising prices on the remaining inventory -- both on the prime (Lackey) and sub-prime (Jon Garland, Jason Marquis, Vicente Padilla, Joel Piñeiro, et al.) markets.

A team like the Nationals, then, must either raise its offers in line with the current market, or aim a little lower.

"We're engaged with a lot of agents on a lot of pitchers," Rizzo said. "We're trying to find the best fit for us, with the best pitchers at the ability level we're looking at. I think it's going to take a little bit of time. I don't think it's going to be a real fast-moving market. But as always happens, when pitchers start [signing], there usually is a domino effect."

The Nationals are also expected to officially introduce new catcher Ivan Rodriguez. The future hall-of-famer recently signed a two-year, $6 million deal with the Nationals to play mostly back-up catcher for Jesus Flores.

-The Washington Nationals selected four players in Major League Baseball's Rule 5 Draft today, but traded their first overall pick, Jamie Hoffmann, to the Yankees as the "player to be named later," in the Brian Bruney trade.

Hoffman, 25, was drafted by the Nationals out of the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system. In 68 games at AAA Albuquerque Hoffmann batted .284/.360/.455 with eight homers and 48 RBI. He will likely serve as a reserve outfielder for the defending World Champions, if he is not shipped back to L.A. first.

The Nationals drafted three other players in the draft today:

• Arismendy Mota (RHP), from the  Chicago White Sox in the AAA phase.
• Nicholas Moresi (OF), from the New York Mets in the AAA phase.
• Michael Wlodarczyk (LHP), from the Tampa Bay Rays in the AAA phase.

-According to a tweet from the Washington Times Ben Goessling, one executive he talked to expects the Nationals to sign their staff ace John Lannan to a long term deal sometime this season. Lannan, 25, finished with a 9-13 record to go with a 3.88 ERA.

Washington would like to have the young John Lannan signed long terms to be part of their (re?)building efforts. Lannan should be the veteran ace to go with a group of young prospects rising through the system which include Jordan Zimmermann, Ross Detwiler, and recently drafted Stephen Strasburg.

-Dave Sheinen of The Washington Post reported that both the Washington Nationals and veteran starter Livan Hernandez would be interested in reaching a deal that would bring Livan back to Washington for another year.

Hernandez, 34, went 2-4 with a 5.36 ERA for the Nationals in 2009 after signing in August. Hernandez was also the centerpiece of the Nationals first starting rotation as he was the clubs ace in 2005 and 2006. While Hernandez best days are far behind him, the Nationals likely want to sign the starter to serve one purpose, eat innings. In his 13 year career, Hernandez has pitched 2734.2 innings, averaging 225 per season. He has led the league in innings pitched three times; 2003, 2004, and 2005, his only three full seasons as a member of the Expos/Nationals franchise.

-According to Chico Harlan of Nationals Journal, Washington has met their needs of acquiring both a bullpen arm, and solid catcher. These goals were accomplished with the signing of Rodriguez and the trade for Bruney. The club will now set their sights on starting pitching. On their list:

• Jon Garland
• Jarrod Washburn
• John Smoltz
• Ben Sheets
• Joel Pinero
• Vicente Padilla
• Jason Marquis
• John Lackey
• Rich Harden
• Livan Hernandez

The Associated Press reported today that the Washington Nationals will sign Ivan Rodriguez to a two-year, $6 million contract. The deal is subject to Rodriguez, 38, passing a physical.

The 14-time All-Star has had an illustrious 19 year career which has seen him win an MVP (1999), reach two World Series, and win one with the Marlins in 2003. Rodriguez has a career .299 batting average, and has averaged 21 homers and 86 RBI in his 19 seasons. He will be remembered as arguably the best defensive catcher of all time, and has 13 Gold Gloves to back it up.

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