WASHINGTON (AP) — Davey Johnson will be back as manager of the Washington Nationals in 2012.

The Nationals announced Monday that they’re picking up Johnson’s managerial option.

He took over as Washington’s manager in June, after Jim Riggleman abruptly resigned. The Nationals went 40-43 under Johnson and finished 80-81, in third place in the NL East.

Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said Monday “it became obvious that the Nationals would be best served” if the 68-year-old Johnson continued in the role.

The Nationals are the fifth major league club managed by Johnson, who won World Series titles as a player and a skipper. He was the 1997 AL Manager of the Year with the Baltimore Orioles.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Washington Nationals Manager Davey Johnson, who guided the team to 15 wins in their final 20 games,
will return to manage the Major League Baseball club in 2012.

Johnson, who led the New York Mets to the 1986 World Series
title, replaced Jim Riggleman, who left the Nationals in June
because management wouldn’t discuss his contract option for next
season.

“It became obvious that the Nationals would be best served
if Davey Johnson would continue as manager,” General Manager
Mike Rizzo said in a statement. “His baseball acumen coupled
with a proper offseason of planning, including a full regiment
of spring training, should put our players in a position to
succeed in 2012.”

The Nationals were 40-43 under Johnson last season,
finishing 80-81, in third place in the National League Eastern
division.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Curtis Eichelberger in Washington at
ceichelberge@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net

WASHINGTON (AP) — Davey Johnson will be back as manager of the Washington Nationals in 2012.

The Nationals announced Monday that they’re picking up Johnson’s managerial option.

He took over as Washington’s manager in June, after Jim Riggleman abruptly resigned. The Nationals went 40-43 under Johnson and finished 80-81, in third place in the NL East.

Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said Monday “it became obvious that the Nationals would be best served” if the 68-year-old Johnson continued in the role.

The Nationals are the fifth major league club managed by Johnson, who won World Series titles as a player and a skipper. He was the 1997 AL Manager of the Year with the Baltimore Orioles.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Davey Johnson will be back as manager of the Washington Nationals in 2012.

The Nationals announced Monday that they’re picking up Johnson’s managerial option.

He took over as Washington’s manager in June, after Jim Riggleman abruptly resigned. The Nationals went 40-43 under Johnson and finished 80-81, in third place in the NL East.

Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said Monday “it became obvious that the Nationals would be best served” if the 68-year-old Johnson continued in the role.

The Nationals are the fifth major league club managed by Johnson, who won World Series titles as a player and a skipper. He was the 1997 AL Manager of the Year with the Baltimore Orioles.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the last two seasons, the Washington Nationals have signed Chien-Ming Wang(notes) for one-year deals. In 2010, he ended up playing no games for the Nats while this year found him on the mound for 11 starts for Washington. He went 4-3 with a 4.04 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 62.1 innings pitched. That’s apparently enough for the Nationals to give him a new deal.

The Washington Post reports that the team and Wang’s agent, Alan Nero, are negotiating another deal. The Nats are Wang’s “first choice,” Nero said, according to the Post “We’re trying to find the common ground,” Nero said, according to the paper. “There’s nothing contentious on either side. We expect to get something done.”

The 31-year-old Wang, who led the American League with 19 wins back in 2006 when he was with the New York Yankees, can be a free agent five days after the World Series ends.

Let the rumors come to you. Follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

Source: Washington Post

Related: New York Yankees, Washington Nationals

The Chicago Cubs rewarded Alfonso Soriano(notes) with an eight-year, $136-million contract after he recorded more than 40 home runs and stolen bases with the Washington Nationals in 2006. The Cubs were hoping that he’d evolve into a leadoff threat or a middle-of-the-order hitter once his speed diminished. However, Soriano’s production has dropped off immensely since 2008. He’s also never had a season where he’s stolen more than 19 bases since joining the Cubs in 2007.

Soriano still has three years and $54 million remaining on that contract. While he finished the 2011 season with 26 home runs, he’s been a liability in the outfield and on the bases. Soriano is an all-or-nothing hitter who doesn’t excel in the clutch. He had a .244 batting average and .289 on-base percentage to go along with his disappointing season.

Many Cubs enthusiasts have voiced their displeasure with Soriano and would love to see him traded or even released. I’ve also been on that bandwagon as I’ve feared that he could be a poor influence on Starlin Castro(notes). Soriano will turn 36 in January of 2012. That makes it difficult for me to believe that he’ll be able to improve the errors in his game.

Many fans don’t want Soriano. However, don’t start thinking that he’s going anywhere anytime soon; Theo Epstein isn’t ready to give up on him. Epstein recently stated on The Waddle & Silvy Show on ESPN 1000:

“From afar he still brings a lot to the table. He had 26 bombs, and he is still a threat offensively. Yeah, there are other areas of the game where he hasn’t quite performed up to expectations the last few years. I think it’s the good quality of an organization to look at every player and ask how can we get the most out of this guy. And I look at Alfonso and I think there is still more in there.”

I really don’t want Soriano anywhere near the Cubs’ 25-man roster. Despite that, I do appreciate that Epstein is exuding patience and wants to get a first-hand view of what this franchise possesses before taking any drastic measures. He hasn’t had the luxury of watching every Cubs game and getting a firm knowledge of his roster yet. That may take him a year.

Now what could this mean for free agency? Epstein may not want to be overly aggressive in his first stint of free agency with the Cubs. I could see him wanting to watch this team before he makes any long-term commitments on players like Prince Fielder(notes) and Albert Pujols(notes).

Epstein will also have decisions to make with other veterans such as Ryan Dempster(notes), Carlos Zambrano(notes), and Aramis Ramirez(notes), to name a few.

Joshua Huffman grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as a Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cubs enthusiast. He immediately gained an admiration for Cubs fans after watching numerous games on WGN during the mid 1990s. His favorite Cubs moment was Kerry Wood’s(notes) 1-hitter, 20K extravaganza that was only denied of a no-hitter by Kevin Orie’s defensive blunder. As a Packers and Cubs fan, he suffered through Steve Bartman and “4th & 26″ in a span of three months.

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Read More: Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals will name Davey Johnson as manager for the 2012 season, reports William Ladson, citing “a baseball source.” The MLB.com scribe says the Nationals will announce the hire upon the conclusion of the World Series, which could take place as soon as Thursday.

Johnson served as Washington’s interim manager after Jim Riggleman abruptly resigned in June, guiding the team to a 40-43 finish to the season. Though he’s managed at the Major League level for 15 seasons, he had not managed a team since the 2000 Los Angeles Dodgers prior to filling in for Riggleman. His career record stands at 1188-931 and includes a World Series championship with the 1986 New York Mets.

Last Thursday, Rizzo told Mark Zuckerman that he had interviewed other candidates for the club’s managerial position, though no word of precisely who else the Nationals considered has yet surfaced. However, it’s long been suspected that Washington would invite Johnson to return.

Please visit Federal Baseball for more Nationals coverage.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — There’s a video on the Internet of Bryce Harper.

Well, to be accurate, there are hundreds of thousands of videos of the most hyped power-hitting prospect in a generation. Some are favorable, others less so, but all chronicle nearly every move the Washington Nationals’ prized minor leaguer makes.

When it comes to being Bryce Harper – the 19-year-old most people seemingly love to hate, but love to watch play even more – a cellphone video camera is never far away.

The attention, director of player development Doug Harris said, is “significant.” Many people call him unspeakable things and hope for him to fail – perhaps because they’ve been watching him perform superhuman acts since before he was old enough to drive.

One talent evaluator watching the Arizona Fall League, where Harper is playing his second season, opined that he might be largely misunderstood – a player vilified for playing the game hard on every play in a time when that’s no longer the norm for every player. Even in the outfield, where he played exclusively this year for the first time, he rarely gets bored because “fans keep me in it and opposing bullpens keep me in it.”

But he’d be lying if he said he didn’t revel in it.

“I can’t say I don’t like the attention. I like it,” Harper said. “It comes with the territory. If people are talking about you, you must be good. If they weren’t talking about me, I’d be pretty [ticked] off.”

Awaiting his arrival

Ideally what they’ll be talking about next year is when the Nationals will be calling Harper up to the majors, though everyone in the organization declines to estimate when – if at all – it might happen.

He played 109 minor league games this season, 72 with Single-A Hagerstown and 37 with Double-A Harrisburg – all with the eyes of a franchise watching intently.

“I don’t really care what’s going on up in the big leagues,” Harper said, admitting if he did he might have to combat some frustrations that he wasn’t already there. “[I’m] in Harrisburg. [I’m] in Hagerstown. My head can’t be in Washington. It’s got to be in Hagerstown or Harrisburg. I keep my head out of that. I don’t really care. … Seeing those guys do good up there, I think that’s huge. We’ve got a lot of young talent coming up, [and] I’m excited to see what happens in the near future.”

How near, though, is the one question everyone wants answered.

“It would not surprise me if somehow he was in the big leagues next year at some point,” said Paul Menhart, the pitching coach for Single-A Potomac this past season and the Nationals’ representative on the Scottsdale Scorpions’ coaching staff. “He’s got all the tools that are necessary. He just needs the experience and the reps right now for the powers that be to really think that he’s ready. Right now, he’s well on his way.”

Room for improvement

So what’s left to get him there?

Story Continues ?

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Oct. 24 (Bloomberg) — Stan Kasten, former president of Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves, talks about the contract offers St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is likely to see if he opts for free agency following this season.
Klein speaks with Erik Schatzker and Stephanie Ruhle on Bloomberg Television’s “InsideTrack.” (Source: Bloomberg)

Taipei (The China Post/ANN) – Chien-Ming Wang, the Taiwan-born U.S. pro-baseball player on the Washington Nationals squad arrived in the country on a trip yesterday, saying he was ready for the coming season after his dramatic comeback last season in a sputtering career dogged by injuries and self-doubt.

Arguably the most visible Taiwanese player in U.S. Major League Baseball, Wang also said he would like to meet Yani Tseng, Taiwan’s world No. 1 female golf player, whose fans were three-deep at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship 2011 yesterday.

But Wang has a tight schedule. He is back in Taiwan primarily to join his teammates on the Taiwan national team to square off with a team of U.S. major leaguers in a five-game All-Star series scheduled for Nov. 2-6 in three different cities.

In a sharp contrast with the self-doubt he exhibited during his home visit last year, the right-armed pitcher exuded confidence, a far cry from the time when he was recuperating in Florida.

“Back in Taiwan, I am supposed to keep the strength of my arm intact and be ready for the games next year,” said Wang, whose earlier-than-scheduled arrival in Taiwan had taken the majority of media by surprise.

Asked in the arrival lounge whether he would like to meet Yani Tseng, another sweetheart of Taiwan sports fans, Wang said: “Naturally.”

Wang is expected to be the starting pitcher for the Taiwan team in at least one of the five games. Looking forward to playing again with his former teammates, Wang said: “It has been a long time since I last played with them.” Wang was hopeful that he will be able to remain on the mound for at least three innings.

Asked whether he has other career plans beyond the ball park, where dreams come true or get dashed, as in the case of Hong-Chi Kuo, another Taiwan pro-baseball player in the United States, Wang said he had no other career plans at present. “I hope my arm will become more and more powerful and I will remain in good health,” he said, revealing what might be interpreted as a professional dream, or part of it.

Kuo, dogged by injuries last season and said to be in no mood to play again, is reportedly considering pursuing a career in a different field.

Shortly after his arrival with his wife and son, Wang returned to Tainan, his hometown, by the Taiwan High Speed Rail.

“It is nice to be back in Taiwan,” he said, adding he wanted to go home first before considering who to meet. Wang is expected to meet manufacturers and advertisement agents and discuss with them his spokesman roles for their products.

The best thing to do right now is to have a good rest before proceeding with preparations for the All-Star games, he said.

It’s not Pittsburgh, Cleveland or Buffalo, whose civic identities are often wrapped around pro teams with longstanding working-class roots. Neither is it Atlanta, Tampa or Miami, cities known for indifference toward pro sports teams.

“Washington fans are really a wonderful blend of the best parts of Northern tier fans and Sun Belt fans,” former Washington Nationals president Stan Kasten said. “They’re really in the middle.”

Washington, as Kasten sees it, displays neither the generational, salt-of-the-earth passions of the Northeast nor the prefab apathy of the Sun Belt. It’s a conclusion supported by a new Washington Post poll of D.C. area sports fans, an in-depth look into the region’s attitudes toward sports and its major sports franchises.

The area’s sports loyalties and fan behavior reflect many of the salient characteristics of the region as a whole.

Washington residents care more about sports than the national average, but many don’t cheer for Washington teams, reflecting the region’s dramatic population growth and sizable transient makeup. In a city whose power structure is biennially reshaped by wins and losses, fans flock to winning teams and tend to ignore losers. And, not surprisingly, D.C. fans have an inflated view of themselves: 81 percent of area sports fans say the city is an average or above average sports town and 11 percent say it’s the best in the country. Only 1 percent in a recent national poll say the same about D.C.

“I lived in Boston, I lived in Philly, I lived in Columbus, [Ohio], and this is definitely a unique area,” said Gary Williams, the longtime University of Maryland men’s basketball coach who recently retired. “A lot of people come here to work, but they’re not from this area. It takes time to build a fan base, and just as you’re starting to get people interested, all of the sudden they’re gone, they go somewhere else. Politics change, contracts run out. This is a unique area.”

‘D.C. feels so much bigger’

Ronald Montague moved to the Washington area in 1959, going to high school and college in the District and eventually settling in Arlington. He spent his teenage years rooting for the Washington Senators, and remembers attending games surrounded by other Senators fans before the team relocated to Texas in 1971.

When Major League Baseball returned with the Nationals in 2005, though, the crowds had transformed.

“I think Washington had changed,” said Montague, 67, a retired air-traffic controller. “Washington had become more international, there were more people coming from different parts of the country. So when the Nationals came here that first season, there weren’t just Nationals fans. When they played Arizona, there were Arizona fans. When they played the Phillies or Giants or Atlanta, those fans were in the stadium.”

Read More: Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals 2011 season can’t exactly be called a huge success, but the young club did give fans ample reason to be hopeful about the direction the club is heading in for 2012 and beyond. The Nationals finished the season 80-81, an 11.5 improvement from their 2010 record of 69-93.

When Jim Riggleman surprised the baseball world by stepping down just shy of the halfway mark of the season with the Nats sporting a winning record (38-37), Davey Johnson was hired three games later to manage the club for the remainder of the season. That couldn’t have been too easy of an environment to walk into, but Johnson kept the ship afloat as Washington played close to .500 baseball under his direction (40-43).  According to Mike Rizzo, Washington’s general manager, Johnson more than earned the opportunity to remain as manager of the club in 2012:

“We feel pretty confident that Davey’s in place,” Rizzo said. “He’s going to be here for years to come. He’s a terrific manager. I can see him managing this team through 2012. We haven’t made any announcements yet, because we haven’t done our full due diligence, but those announcements will come probably soon after the World Series.”

We’ll see if there is actually any more ‘due diligence’ to do, or if Rizzo and the Nationals are appropriately waiting until after the World Series to conclude before making any formal announcement, but all signs point towards the 68-year old returning for at least one more year of duty for the improving Nationals organization.  

Read More: Derek Norris (C – WAS), Rafael Martin (P – WAS), Bryce Harper (CF – WAS), Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals season might have ended, but the Arizona Fall League is just firing up and the Scottsdale Scorpions roster has quite a few hot Nationals prospects on it to watch. The Scorpions will begin their defense of the AFL title Tuesday night against the Surprise Saguaros at 9:35 P.M. EST, but they will be doing it without the Nationals 2011 First Year Players Draft top pick, third baseman Anthony Rendon.

Rendon, once listed on the list of Nationals prospects that would be taking part in the AFL, will now stay behind in Viera, FL and continue in the instructional league while the Nationals send their 2011 third round pick left-hander Matt Purke at the conclusion of the instructional league. It is unknown at this time what the Nats plans are for the Rendon.

Rendon is said to have the best bat coming from the 2011 Draft and at one point it was said he was close to MLB ready. One has to wonder if the Nationals have just reevaluated or have seen something they don’t like and would like to season their prospect a little more.

Other Nationals prospects on the Scorpions include Bryce Harper, Derek Norris, Sammy Solis, Patrick Lehman, Zach Walters and Rafael Martin. This will be Harper’s second stint in the AFL and the first time he will journey through the League for a full season as last season he was put on the taxi squad.