AFL UPDATE...

After Wednesday night's 3-2 victory over the Peoria Javelina's, the Peoria Saguaros dropped Thursday night's rematch by a score of 9-6, which left the Saguaros tied atop the Arizona Fall League's American Division with the Mesa Solar Sox heading into play on Friday. The Javelina's needed a 6-run eighth inning Thursday night to give them enough of a lead to hold off the late-charging Saguaros, who scored 4 runs in the ninth but came up short in their comeback attempt. 

Ian Desmond was the only Nationals' prospect in the field Thursday, finishing 1 for 3 with a walk and a K, and after 22 games and 82 at bats, the 22-year old infielder has a .269 AVG with 4 doubles, 3 triples, 3 HR's, 3 stolen bases and 16 RBI's. DC's left-handed pitching prospect Ross Detwiler pitched a scoreless inning of relief after getting hit hard last time out, but Zechry Zinicola didn't fare nearly as well, coming on in the eighth with the Saguaros down 3-2 and allowing a leadoff walk, a 1-out double and 3-straight singles, resulting in a total of 5 ER's crossing the plate in just 0.1 IP. 

The Mesa Solar Sox are playing this afternoon, (and currently leading Phoenix 10-0 in the 5th), with the Saguaros scheduled to start their game with the Scottsdale Scorpions at 7:05 pm MST tonight. Cory VanAllen, (1-1, 9.19 ERA), another of DC's left-handed prospects gets the start for Peoria tonight. 

The Battle for DC's Starting Spot at 2nd is over...or is it?

Anderson Hernandez has his Dominican Winter League average up to .408 after 22 games and 98 at bats with the Tigres del Licey, and he's collected 10 doubles, 4 triples, 1 HR, 16 RBI's and 4 steals so far, which would lead one to believe that after his impressive end to the '08 campaign in DC and the recently completed deal to send Hernandez's competition at second, Emilio Bonifacio to Florida, the Nationals' 26-year old infielder would be a lock to start at second for Washington in '09...BUT...

Just yesterday, in MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article entitled, "Nationals expand hot stove search", Mr. Ladson wrote:

"As far as second base goes, Bowden indicated that Anderson Hernandez could be the answer, but free agent Orlando Hudson is on the Nationals' wish list."

Hudson will be 31 in December, and the All-Star second baseman enters free agency coming off an '08 campaign with the D-Backs that saw him hit .305 with 29 doubles, 3 triples, 8 HR's and 41 RBI's in 107 games. A 31-year old infielder doesn't exactly fit into the Nationals' youth-oriented approach to growth, but in light of the fact that Anderson Hernandez brings a .232 career MLB AVG into '09, (even after hitting .333 in 28 games last fall), it might not be a bad idea to add a veteran presence to the infield...though it would make Ronnie Belliard redundant...

So, Just in Case You're Counting...

The Nationals' media wing has now mentioned, Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixeira, Jason Giambi, Pedro Martinez, Orlando Hudson, Adam Dunn, Odalis Perez and Aaron Boone, as possible free agent targets...Which of those players do you think DC will end up signing? You might as well just hand out a list of all the available free agents and say, "We're interested in signing them all," the way that Washington's been dropping names recently...Now what happens if they come up empty? With the kind of money that's expected to be thrown around that's a distinct possibillity...

No FA news yet...I'll check back later with the Saguaros' score and any updates....