Nationals Acquire Gio Gonzalez
The Washington Nationals have acquired left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez and minor league righty Robert Gilliam for four of the Nationals top minor leaguers. The trade will include three of the Nationals top ten prospects including A.J. Cole, Brad Peacock, Tom Milone and Derek Norris.
Nationals Bryce Harper Blows Kiss to Pitcher after Homerun
The Washington Nationals Bryce Harper is tearing the cover off the ball his spring. The # 1 prospect in Major League Baseball is batting .342 with a .435 OBP and .623 SLG. That, along with 14 homeruns, 14 doubles, 42 RBI’s and 12 stolen bases in Single A Hagerstown is showing he is certainly ready to move up to Double A and possibly up to the big leagues very soon. Being the # 1 prospect for your organization, the # 1 prospect in the Majors and killing the ball every time you step up to the plate is one thing, but does that give you the right to do whatever you want? Some people are wondering the same thing.
Bryce Harper hit his 14th homerun Monday night. But he didn’t just hit it, run around the bases and touch home. He hit it, watched it for a couple of seconds, flipped his bat and started his trot around the bases. That’s not all he did. Halfway to home plate, after rounding third base, he looks over at the pitcher and blows him a kiss. Really? Did he really just do that? Yes he did. And does he really care what anyone else thinks about it? I’m not thinking so.
Mike Schmidt was on ESPN and had his own thoughts on the matter, saying that Harper should just play the game and not act like that was the first homerun he has ever hit. He also mentioned that if he didn’t tone it down, these type of actions would be policed by the players once he arrived in the big leagues. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports said this is exactly what baseball needed. I’m not sure exactly what the game needs, but I’m pretty sure it’s not that.
Jayson Werth gets his own stimulus plan in Washington
I don’t know if anyone else was caught off guard yesterday, but I never once factored in the Washington Nationals as a front runner for Jayson Werth or any other top free agent on the market. Werth signed a seven-year, $126 Million deal yesterday which also happened to be the 3rd biggest contract a free agent outfielder has signed in MLB history. The Philadelphia Phillies offered Werth arbitration but will not receive the Nationals first-round pick due to that pick being protected. They will instead receive a