Originally announced on his personal website and verified twitter account, former San Diego Padres 2B Matt Antonelli signed a Triple-A contract without invitation to major league spring training, verified by a Nationals official this afternoon. Antonelli will be 26 in April. He was a once promising second base prospect in the San Diego organization, taken with the 17th overall pick in the 2006 MLB Amateur Draft by the Padres, and spent 21 games in 2008 at the big league level, hitting .192/.292/.281 in just 65 plate appearances. His best minor league season was in 2007, split between A and AA ball, when he hit .307/.404/.491 with 21 homers and 78 RBIs. Antonelli missed the entire 2010 season with a broken hamate bone in his left wrist and played in just 59 games in 2009 due to a leg injury.