When we last left Bryce Harper he was batting .408/.451/.712 with six homers and 20 RBI through 20 games in his first, and likely only collegiate season. In seven games since he has managed to raise his numbers to .420/.514/.864 with eight homers and 32 runs scored.

Take a second to digest that, he is getting on base at better than 50 per cent of the time he goes to the plate and is slugging well over .800. To put that in perspective, the major league leader in slugging last year, Albert Pujols, only slugged .658. Harper also has an unthinkable 1.379 OPS as a 17-year-old...with a wood bat.

Harper has continued to show versatility by playing all over the field. Interestingly, he has started in centerfield his last two games and has appeared in the outfield in seven of his last nine games. Could it be possible Harper is advertising that he could be just as valuable to a major league club in the outfield as he would behind the plate? The Nationals just recently severed ties with their supposed right fielder of the future, could Harper fill that hole in a few years?

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The Washington Nationals made another round of cuts today. Shairon Martis was optioned to Syracuse while Chris Duncan and Pete Orr were re-assigned to Minor League camp, leaving 36 players trying to make the Major League club.

While none of these cuts are surprising, perhaps the most disappointing is that of Chris Duncan. Duncan, 28, was the National League St. Louis Cardinals Rookie-of-the-Year in 2006 when he hit .293/.363/.589 with 22 homers and 60 RBI in just 90 games, while helping to spark the Cardinals to a World Series Title. Duncan has had trouble replicating his rookie numbers since however, tumbling on a decline that has seen him get traded and then cut in the last two years.

Many were hoping that a change in scenery would have helped the once-sweet-swinging lefty find himself, however, Duncan hit only .156 with seven RBI in 32 at-bats. Duncan remains positive though, telling MLB.com's Bill Ladson:

"If I can go down there (Syracuse), get at-bats and find my swing, the Nationals could find a spot for me on this team. I don't think I found my swing yet. I'm a lot closer than I was last year. I put in a lot of work. Hopefully it comes around. I know what I'm capable of when I get hot."

The question: Who would be the Nationals' everyday right fielder after Elijah Dukes was released? The answer: Willie Harris, if the season started today.

That said, by no means does Harris have a stranglehold on the position. Justin Maxwell, Mike Morse, and Roger Bernadina, all certain to remain on the 40 man active roster, if not on the major league team, will continue to compete for playing time. While there is obviously no star among the bunch, the hope is that each player's individual skills can be exploited in the most advantageous situations, thus creating a competent, if not stellar right field platoon.

Also, as was reported on Thursday, the Nationals and 1B/OF Adam Dunn have begun contract discussion; however, the slugger does not want the negotiations to interfere with the season. While no concrete deadline has been set, Dunn has stated that an extension would ideally solidified by summer. Both Dunn and general manager Mike Rizzo appear optimistic about the likelihood of such an extension, but both have declined to set a definitive date in order to avoid unnecessary tension.

The MLB bloggosphere and mainstream media were sent buzzing after it leaked that the Phillies were kicking around the idea of offering their slugger Ryan Howard, for Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols. While the supposed trade was never more than a hypothetical, the idea caught the imagination of many and played on the fears of a few. Despite Howard being a perennial MVP candidate, there are many who believe that Pujols will end up being possibly the best hitter ever, meaning the Cardinals probably wouldn't have even considered the trade were it ever offered.

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It was leaked this week that Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington tested positive for cocaine use during the 2009 season. Washington was subject to a random drug test in the middle of last season, knowing that he would test positive, he reportedly admitted his use to MLB officials before the test came back. Washington released this statement to the press Mar. 17:

"I am here today to apologize for a huge mistake I made during the first half of the season in 2009.

I am not here to make excuses. There are none.

I am not here to ask for sympathy. That would be asking too much.

I fully understand that I disappointed a lot of people----my family, my players, coaches, as well as the team's leadership, especially Nolan Ryan and Jon Daniels, as well as young people who may have looked up to me.

I am truly sorry for my careless, dangerous, and frankly, stupid, behavior last year."

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It was confirmed today that Minnesota Twins star closer, Joe Nathan, will need to have season ending Tommy John surgery on his elbow. It was revealed several weeks ago that Nathan had a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

The closer tested his arm this week to see if he would be able to pitch through the tear, but the results did not go as well as the Twins had hoped. Without Nathan the Twins, who hoped to be competitors this year, are left without a defined closer just weeks before the season breaks.

Nathan had been a steady hand for the Twins, posting six straight seasons with 35-or-more saves, an ERA below 2.70, and at least 68.1 innings pitched. Possible closer options for the Twins include former ace Francisco Liriano, set-up man Matt Guerrir, and former National Jon Rauch.

Nathan, 35, isn't expected to be able to pitch again for at least 12 months following the surgery, meaning he will likely be ready by June of next season.

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The Boston Red Sox top prospect, Ryan Westmoreland, successfully underwent brain surgery on Tuesday. The 19-year-old had a cluster of blood vessels removed that had been growing on his brain stem, which could have posed a serious future threat. Due to the complex nature of the surgery, it is Westmoreland's future is still unknown.

Jordan Zimmermann, the Washington Nationals top prospect in 2009, is set to have his first bullpen session since reconstructive elbow surgery last summer. The 23-year-old is expected to throw 10-15 pitches from the mound Monday at Nationals camp, until now Zimmermann had been building arm strength throwing three days a week on flat ground.

Zimmermann scorched through the minor leagues after being drafted in 2007. In just over two minor league seasons he made 37 starts, posted a 15-5 record with a 2.81 ERA and 215 strikeouts in in 195.2 innings pitched. After only one start in Triple-AAA, Zimmermann took his arm to Washington and was in contention for the National League Rookie of the Year before an elbow injury forced him to receive season-ending Tommy John surgery.

With Zimmermann throwing his first bullpen session early next week, the righty is ahead of schedule. Tommy John surgery can keep pitchers off the field anywhere from 12-18 months, but according to General Manager Mike Rizzo, Zimmermann could be back on the mound as early as August. This would put his recovery time at about 13 months, good news for the hurler. no comments

The Washington Nationals optioned Stephen Strasburg and re-assigned Drew Storen to Double-AA Harrisburg today, putting an end to what had been an exciting glimpse of the future in Viera. With only 14 combined innings pitched, the two first round draft picks of 2009 gave Nationals fans some strong hope for the second half of the 2010 season.

Storen will start the season in Harrisburg where he pitched 10 games last season. The 22-year-old bullpen hand will likely only see a few appearances in Harrisburg before getting the call to Syracuse. If he performs well there, he could conceivably be the Nationals set up man by late May, and their closer by the end of the summer depending on Matt Capps' and Brian Bruney's success. Storen has little left to prove at the Double-AA level, the righty pitched 12.1 scoreless innings there last season, allowing only three hits and striking out 12.

Storen has had mixed success this spring against Major League opponents, and at times looked slightly overmatched. This of course is to be expected, the future closer is only 22-years-old and less than a year out of college baseball. In five innings pitched this spring he struck out six, but walked three and gave up three earned runs with three hits. In the minors he will need to work on hitting his spots and cutting down on mistakes. Without overpowering stuff, Storen will need to be able to get ahead in the count and award no free passes.

A look at Storen's projections show that there is little agreement on how ready he is to pitch in the majors:

CHONE: 29 G, 1-2, 5.88 ERA, 7.62 K/9, 5.19 BB/9, 5.25 FIP
ZiPS: 29 G, 2-1, 3.78 ERA, 8.64 K/9, 3.24 BB/9, 3.92 FIP.

The CHONE projection suggests that he still has a way to go in harnessing his control. As you can see their 5.19 walks per nine innings pitched is far higher than the ZiPS projection of 3.24. The higher FIP projection is also a result of missed spots which results in harder hit balls. ZiPS however thinks he should be ready to contribute right away. Either way, Storen will go down and work on his control, and will be up ready to make his mark soon.

Strasburg too will likely start the season in Harrisburg, his first official minor league stint. In nine innings Strasburg was absolutely electric this spring. The 21-year-old struck out 12 batters, walked only one, and allowed only two earned runs. More impressively, as Adam Kilgore points out, none of Strasburgs outs left the infield. Of his 27 outs he struck out 12, had one pop out, and forced 14 ground outs.

Of course there is still work to be done with Strasburg. His 12 strikeouts came against few top major league hitters, and he allowed two homers yesterday on what were likely a result of missed spots. For Strasburg it's the age-old problem, when you throw incredibly hard, the ball tends to fly pretty hard off of batters bats when they catch up to the smoke. This problem can clearly be seen in the eight hits Strasburg let up in nine innings of work. None were off of solid contact, but they all found their way through the infield off of 96 mile-per-hour fastballs. The best way to fix this is for him to try and be more deceptive with his off speed pitches and pitch to contact slightly less.

Buster Olney of ESPN pointed out an interesting point; so far this spring Strasburg has looked relatively uncomfortable working out of the stretch. The reason? He's not used to pitching with batters on base. While that answer may seem like a joke, it's just the truth, in his years at San Diego State he was so dominant that he hardly ever had to pitch with runners on. It's an important skill to work on and it's something he will no doubt try and develop while in Harrisburg and Syracuse.

Minor adjustments aside, it is clear that barring a some sort of catastrophe or major set-back, Strasburg will be brought up as soon as the arbitration clock is set back. This means in about two months people will be lining the centerfield gate to see last years number one overall pick pitch in Nats Park. If the Nationals are able to play .500 ball until then, who knows what sort of spark Strasburg could provide.

In the spring of 2009 Adam Dunn signed with the Washington Nationals after a disappointing free agency. The man who had hit 40 homers-or-more the past five straight years was looking to cash-in, in a big way.

Unfortunately for Dunn, it was not a good year to be on the market, and it seemed that no teams felt he was worth big contract money. Dunn decided to settle with the Nationals signing a modest two-year $20 million deal.

Many felt Dunn's value on the market was hurt by the fact that he had hit only .236 in 2008.  All of Dunn's secondary statistics were outstanding though, in 2008 he got on base at .386 between Cincinnati and Arizona and slugged .513. Still, general managers couldn't seem to get past his sub .250 batting average, his extremely high strikeout totals, and his notoriously poor defense.

In 2009, however, Dunn was able to have his most balanced year at the plate, earning a career high in batting average (.267), and falling just two points shy of matching a career best in on base percentage (.398). So what did Dunn do to adjust in 2009?

Despite his undeniable talent and potential - and apparently impeccable clubhouse demeanor - it appears to be a foregone conclusion that the Washington Nationals' prized pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg will begin the season in the minor leagues and remain there until late May.

Amid rampant speculation and rumors, Adam Kilgore details why the Nationals should delay Strasburg's major league debut. In addition to the developmental advantages of easing a 21 year-old pitcher with such towering expectations into professional baseball, the primary benefits the Nationals stand to gain are in the form of salary relief.

While Strasburg's contract includes a $7.5 million signing bonus and $7.6 million in total salary from 2009-2012, the Nationals can delay his arbitration eligibility for another year by ensuring that his major league service clock does not begin until mid-to-late May. (This would secure his status as a "zero-to-three" player and avoid a flirtation with "Super Two" standing. For an example of such a treatment, see the Baltimore Orioles' actions with regards to all-world catching prospect Matt Wieters.) By deterring salary arbitration for a year, the Nationals extend their rights over Strasburg through 2016 and guarantee that he receives compensation in accordance with his rookie contract during the 2012 season. If he performs anywhere near the lofty expectations that many hold for him, the Nationals would save approximately $10-15 million in salary during that one season.