With their collective backs against the wall, and time ticking away, both the Washington Nationals and Bryce Harper came together to get a deal done before the midnight deadline. As a result, the 17-year-old Harper will begin his journey towards his ultimate dream, becoming a major league star, and the Nationals will shell out a big check.

Reports are saying that Harper will receive a $6.25 million signing bonus, to be paid in five equal payments of $1.25 million. The actual contract is a five-year major league deal where he will earn $500K in 2011 and 2012, $700K in 2013, $900K in 2014, and $1 million in 2015. That works out to a total of $9.9 million over five seasons, making it the largest contract ever given to a position player out of the draft.

The deal reportedly came down to the final seconds before the deadline, with Kasten expressing afterwords to reporters that going into the last minute neither he nor Mike Rizzo was sure a deal would be made. no comments

1. Bryce Harper, C/OF - There really isn't much more to be said about Harper that hasn't been said already. By Monday evening at midnight Eastern Time, Nats' fans will know whether or not they have added their second franchise-changing prospect in as many years. While significantly farther away from major league readiness, Harper projects to have comparable effect on the major league level, particularly since he is a position player who will see the field on a daily basis. Assuming he signs, his career at catcher is likely over so that the franchise can preserve his health in order to maximize his prodigious offensive abilities. Though most fans are well aware, his numbers are worth repeating. In his lone college season, Harper hit an absurd .443/.526/.987 with 31 home runs in just 228 at bats. He walked nearly as many times as he struck out (39 BB/43 Ks), and stole 20 bases in 24 attempts. In short, the kid is a stud, the total package, and it would behoove the Nationals to do anything and everything in their power to sign the rising star.

2. Yunesky Maya, RHP - Maya is major league ready now and looks to contribute with the Nationals sooner rather than later. The 28 year-old signee from Cuba joins the Nationals after a very successful stint in the Cuban National Series, where he went 13-4 with a 2.22 ERA and seven complete games in garnering their equivalent of the Cy Young Award. The Nationals obviously think very highly of Maya, signing him to a four year, $8 million contract, and he quickly backed it up by going three innings without allowing a hit in his minor league debut. With a rash of injuries and incompetence plaguing the major league staff, it appears likely that Maya will quickly climb the minor league ranks.

3. Derek Norris, C - Although Norris' struggles this year have been well-documented (the young backstop has endured everything from a broken wrist to a pitch to the head), he remains a top prospect for the Nationals. The second offensive-minded catcher on this list, Norris - like Harper - seems poised for a position change ultimately. The presence of Ivan Rodriguez, coupled with the acquisition of Wilson Ramos, apparently solves Washington's need at catcher, but Norris' bat is and will remain his meal ticket. Though he is currently hitting just .221 and slugging only .387, Norris is still getting on base at a very high rate (.406) and is just one year removed from .286/.413/.513 with 23 home runs. His injuries this year, combined with his banner 2009 campaign, make it far too early to discount the player Baseball America ranked the 38^th overall prospect entering the 2010 season.

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Bill Ladson of MLB.COM reports that the once thought finished deal for right-handed high-school pitcher A.J. Cole is now off:

 

"A last-minute problem has surfaced between the Nationals and right-hander A.J. Cole, which means the two parties may not be doing a deal, according to a baseball source. It's not known what the problem is.

Early Sunday morning, it was reported by Baseball America -- then confirmed by MLB.com -- that Cole, the fourth-round pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, and the Nationals agreed to terms on a $2 million deal."

Analysis:

We're trying to get to the bottom of this here. The Nationals had offered Cole a record high bonus for a fourth round draft pick, giving him first round money with a $2 million deal. To put that in perspective, Drew Storen, who the Nats took 10th overall last year, received a $1.6 million signing bonus.

It can't be about money, unless the two sides hadn't actually agreed on terms when it hit the media. My best guess is an 18-year-old who was all but set to go to college in a few weeks is having second thoughts about not going to school. Again..that's only a guess...more will come out soon.

 

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Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports that the Washington Nationals have signed right-hander A.J. Cole, the club's fourth-round draft pick in 2010. Cole, a 6-5 high school talent, was set to attend the baseball hotbed that is the University of Miami, but the club was able to lure him away with a way above slot bonus of $2 million.

Cole was considered one of the higher potential pitchers in the 2010 draft, but also arguably the least signable, which is why he slipped to the fourth round. General Manager Mike Rizzo decided to take a chance by selecting him in an early round, and was able to convince Cole that Washington was a good place to build a future.

According to scouting reports, Cole's biggest asset is his massive potential. While his fastball currently sits in the low 90's (good for a high schooler), scouts project it to reach the mid-to-high 90's when he fully develops. He also reportedly throws an curve in the high 70's and is developing a change-up and a slider.

The Nationals have also reportedly signed left-handed starter Sammy Solis out of the University of San Diego. Solis, the clubs second-round pick in 2010 signed for a $1 million bonus.

Solis provides a low 90's fastball with a lot of movement and was thought to be a potential top ten pick coming out of high-school. He also throws a big, looping left-handed curve and a change-up. His history of back issues cause some to worry that he may not make it through the minors, but if he can stay healthy people believe he projects to be a mid to back of the rotation starter.

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Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider reports that Yunesky Maya, the Washington Nationals recent Cuban free-agent acquisition pitched three hitless innings in his organizational debut for the Gulf Coast League Nationals:

"In his minor-league debut, Maya tossed three hitless innings for the Nationals' rookie Gulf Coast League squad, allowing only one of 10 batters faced to reach base...The 28-year-old starter hit the first Marlins batter who stepped in against him, then proceeded to record eight straight outs on groundballs before striking out the final batter he faced in the third."

Maya recently signed a four year $8 million contract with the Washington Nationals after defecting from Cuba this summer. The starting pitcher is projected to be a number two or three starter.

Analysis:

At 28-years-old, Maya isn't going to be getting any better. His stint with the GCL Nationals was more likely precautionary than anything else. I'd be very surprised to see him in the Nats minor league system much longer unless he runs into some trouble at the higher levels. We should instead probably just view this as almost a rehabilitation no comments

Washington Nationals fans entered Spring Training 2010 with a lot of hopes and expectations. One of those expectations was likely not that the Nationals would award potential starting outfielder Elijah Dukes his outright release before the season even started. Yet, the club did just that in March and the troubled outfielder could not find a major league team that would even give him a minor league contract.

Seven months into the season and few around Nats Town question if the move was the right decision. Dukes was given several years to develop at the Major League level, and while he had developed as a grown-up, his game showed little progress. In his stead the Nats may have found a gem in rookie Roger Bernadina who is hitting a respectable .270/.331/.418, and the club drafted a corner outfielder of the future in Bryce Harper.

Yet still people have to wonder, what the hell happened to Dukes? How could he go from a potential starting outfielder for the Nationals to not even a minor league player on any other MLB organization? While his behavior had been questionable through his earl career, why did no one even take a chance on his talent?

We may never know.

After initially being reluctant to play in the independent league, Dukes signed with the Newark Bears at the beginning of July. Since he has been on a tear (which I assume is to be expected), hitting .367 with 5 homers and 18 RBI in 25 games. However, what's much more interesting, is the motley crew of former MLB players he joins in Newark:

Manager - Tim Rock Raines

CL - Armando Benitez 22 IP 7 SV 0.82 ERA
1B - Carl Everett .281 BA 9 HR 38 RBI 
OF - Daryle Ward .295 BA 14 HR 71 RBI
OF - Tim Raines JR. .300 BA 
IF - Eric Munson .182 BA, 4 HR 7 RBI

If the Bears are looking for a set up man, I hear John Rocker is available.

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In a recent Baseball Prospectus article titled, "Future Shock: Prospects Who Have Stalled," Kevin Goldstein writes about Nationals catching prospect Derek Norris's difficult season:

"Although recovery from a major wrist injury is a mitigating factor, that alone can't wipe away Norris' strange line of .240/.415/.397 for High-A Potomac. An offense-first catcher, Norris has remained an absolute walk machine, but the wrist issue has made him almost too passive. His ability to hit for average and power has slipped away. Because of his defensive shortcomings, he can't afford to be a one-trick pony at the plate, and an expected 2011 assignment to Double-A could be a make-or-break season for Norris, at least in terms of his reputation as one of the better catching prospects in baseball."

Unfortunately, this excerpt only paints half the picture for the talented 21-year-old.

Norris entered 2010 as the #38 prospect in baseball according to Baseball America. The year before the 20-year-old cruised through Single-A Hagerstown batting .286 with 23 homers and 30 doubles in 126 games, earning Nationals' Minor League Player of the Year honors. He showed outstanding patience, getting on-base at .413 for the season, showing scouts that he had the potential to be a serious power/walk threat at the big league level in a few years. Traditionally for young players raw power comes first, and patience comes later, but it seemed that for Norris, he was advanced beyond his years as a true outcome potential star at a premium position.

Norris ended his season in 2009 with surgery to repair a fractured bone in his hand. Despite entering 2010 with high expectations, he was sidelined from the beginning with nerve irritation from his fall surgery, and didn't return to the field until the middle of May. Just 11 days later Norris suffered a bean-ball to the head that hospitalized the young catcher. As you've read above, it was downhill from there once he got on the field.

To make things worse, the Nationals used their second biggest bargaining chip at the trade deadline to acquire a near major-league ready catching prospect in catcher Wilson Ramos. While Ramos has struggled in 2010, many believe he will be the Nats catcher of the future, and possibly a starter in 2011.

This means that on top of the injuries, the pitch to the head, and the sudden power-zap, Norris will now likely have to deal with a change of position. Never the defensive wizard behind the plate, he will likely now switch to either first base or corner outfield in a move that will prove more taxing than normal with his struggles at the plate. In the long run though this could be a blessing in disguise for the 21-year-old. Catching is a position that slows many prospects because of the both physical and mental demands it requires. Perhaps with a clean slate at an easier position, Norris can return to the promising hitter he was in 2009, and forget about the terror that has been 2010.

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Now that the trade deadline has passed, the Washington Nationals have a short vacation until an even more stressful date approaches: the August 16^th deadline for the Nationals to sign baseball prodigy and social media extraordinaire, Bryce Harper.

Harper, 17, made several updates on his Facebook page referencing the fact that he plans on going back to College of Southern Nevada next season to win a "National Championship."

Maybe playing for CSN aroused Harper's sense of duty and respect for his teammates-nay, friends. Seeing mere mortals grapple with such banalities as not hitting 500 foot home runs aroused in Harper realizations of how extraordinarily blessed he is to be so talented and to accept, with humility, his moral duty to bring a even a brief flicker of joy into the lives of his comrades in the form of a D-1 NCJAA Championship.

More believably, Scott Boras could be looking for leverage in negotiations with the Nationals. That, or-and this is what I hope is true, the page could be a fake.

At any rate, it seems the consensus is that the Nationals have likely not yet begun serious negotiations with Harper because Boras likes to wait until the deadline to get deals done. Those who followed Stephen Strasburg's signing are familiar with his tactics.

This means that if you are a Nationals fan, the weekend before and the day of August 16^th will be completely filled with fear, dread, doubt, and worry-even more so than usual.

Even if Bryce Harper does not end up signing, however, the Nats will still receive the second overall pick in next year's draft which will be stocked with good pitching prospects. Harper himself could even still be available. Then we can relive the nightmare again.

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Lefty bullpen guys are supposed to be tough to find.  How else can you explain Ron Villone still on the roster in Syracuse?

So, finding one on the scrap heap should be a cause for celebration.  Looks like GM Mike Rizzo may have done just that with the emergence of LHP Chuck James at Harrisburg this season.

James was a 20^th round pick for the Atlanta Braves in 2002.  After dominating the rookie league as a 21 year old in 2003 (50.1 IP 1.25 ERA 0.894 WHIP and a 12.2 K/9 3.4 BB/9) he posted similar numbers in a full season a Low A (132.2 IP 2.24 ERA 1.055 WHIP 10.6 K/9 3.3 BB/9) in 2004.

2005 saw James go from High A ball to a cup of coffee with the Braves.  And you can see why: 161.1 IP 2.12 ERA 0.862 WHIP 10.8 K/9 2.0 BB/9.

He spent the bulk of the next two seasons in the Braves rotation posting a 118 ERA+ in '06 and 103 ERA+ in '07.  James couldn't translate his dominance to the big league level however with his K rates slumping to 6.9 k/9 in '06 and 6.3 k/9 in '07.  As a result, we find a huge variance between his 3.78 ERA and 5.06 xFIP in '06 and 4.24/ 4.97 in ‘07.  In other words, James was pretty damn lucky.

His luck turned in '08 and he was sent out after 15 terrible starts (9.10 ERA although he didn't pitch nearly that bad with an xERA of only 6.28.)

James underwent shoulder surgery after the season.  He was out of baseball for all of 2009 and according to Geoff Morrow of the Patriot-News in Harrsiburg, James contemplated retiring and becoming a firefighter. no comments

The Washington Nationals traded Matt Capps tonight and acquired the Minnesota Twins number-two prospect, catcher Wilson Ramos, along with reliever Joe Testa.

Ramos, 22, entered the 2010 season ranked as the 58th top prospect in baseball and is considered by many as big league ready. However, with the Nationals already holding stock in 25-year-old catcher Jesus Flores, 21-year-old catching prospect Derek Norris, and not to mention Ivan Rodriguez (we wont even go there with Bryce Harper), the backstop position just got a bit more crowded.

Ramos signed with Minnesota in 2004 as an 18-year-old un-drafted free agent. The athletic catcher boasted both plus hitting and fielding skills as he progressed through the minors, batting above .286/.339/.434 in year-long stops at rookie ball, Single-A, and high Single-A.

In 2009 the backstop had a breakout season, combining to hit .317/.341/.454 in 54 games in Double-A New Britain, while throwing out an impressive 41% of would-be base stealers. At the young age of 21, Ramos had arrived as a true triple-threat prospect with an extremely advanced bat, glove, and arm.

Entering 2010 Baseball America named Ramos the Minnesota organization's second best prospect behind outfielder Aaron Hicks. They also named Ramos as the organization's top power hitter and best defensive catcher. However, despite being considered by many as one of the top catching prospects in baseball, he was still stuck behind three-time batting champion, and hometown hero, Joe Mauer.

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