• Nats Chatter: Nats' catching prospect Derek Norris is swinging a hot bat out in Arizona. Jesus Flores is tearing the cover off the ball in Venezuela. The Washington Nationals are one of several teams being linked in print to 25-year-old Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish. Though DC GM has said in the past that he expects Adam LaRoche to be back at first in 2012, MLB.com's Bill Ladson talked to LaRoche, who told him he hasn't been promised anything. Interesting. The #signprincefielder lobby just got very excited. Is free agent-to-be C.J. Wilson raising or lowering his profile in the postseason? Is there any pending free agent the Nationals aren't being attached to via the rumor? It's all in the links. Ready, set, read...
• THE BIG STORY:
• "LaRoche said the Nationals didn't promise that he would play every day at the position next season." - "LaRoche getting closer to baseball activities" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News
• NATS BEAT:
• "Mike Rizzo has often explained the two byproducts of building up a deep farm system..." - "Should Nats trade from surplus?" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com
• Rizzo?: "The BtBWAA has you covered for saber-slanted end-of-season awards. First up: MLB Executive of the Year." - "BtBWAA Awards: MLB Executive of the Year: Alex Anthopoulos" - Lewie Pollis, Beyond the Box Score
• YU DARVISH LINKS:
• "The Nationals have kept tabs on Darvish, and they figure to be involved in trying to land him if he does decide to head to the U.S. this winter." - "If Yu Darvish comes to the U.S., Nationals might want to proceed with caution" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com
• "Other teams that have been linked to Darvish include the Blue Jays, Nationals and Orioles. Toronto GM Alex Anthopolous went to Japan to watch him, according to news reports." - "Yu Darvish, the pitching sensation from Japan, may be a Yankees option this offseason: report" - Anthony McCarron, New York Daily News
• AFL UPDATES:
• "Scottsdale catcher Derek Norris had a big game at the plate Wednesday, going 3-for-4 with a solo homer and two RBIs in Mesa's 6-5 win over the Scorpions." - "With Walters playing third base, could Rendon wind up at second?" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com
• "After Derek Norris hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth to put Scottsdale up a run, it appeared Mesa's comeback attempt might fall short. That is, until Aaron Hicks fouled off a sacrifice bunt attempt." - "Hicks leads Mesa past Norris" - David Heck, Scottsdale MLB.com: News
• "AFL Update: October 20, 2011" - NationalsProspects.com
• WINTER LEAGUE Wrap: "Altuve nearly perfect at plate for Navegantes" - MLB.com: News
• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama): "The capacity to devote yourself to the welfare of others yields otherwise unobtainable power and potential for good."
• NATSTOWN:
• "Chien-Ming Wang – Age 31 – 6 Years MLB service. How He Became A Nat: Re-signed with the Nats for 1 year, 1 million dollars, with sizeable performance based bonuses." - "A Few Good Men: 8 - Wang" - Sean, Capitol Baseball
• "In 496 plate appearances in the 2011 season he batted just .159. As if that wasn’t bad enough for a full time designated hitter, he also struck out 177 times." - "Adam Dunn's Historically Poor Season" - Aaron Somers, District on Deck
• "We all want Bryce to be the next big thing. Nats fans obviously , but there also seems to be a push from everyone to anoint Bryce the greatest thing ever." - "Bryce might not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer" - Harper, Nationals Baseball
• NL EAST UPDATES:
• Marlins: "After speaking with Hanley Ramirez on Tuesday, new Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen isn't ruling out the possibility of Ramirez playing a position other than shortstop next year." - "Ozzie keeps open mind on Hanley's position" - Adam Berry, marlins.com: News
• Braves: "In 2011, the Vaunted Atlanta Braves Bullpen pitched a total of 522.1 innings of relief. This was second most in the National League, only behind the Pirates." - "2011 Atlanta Braves Player Reviews: The Other Bullpen Guys" - royhobbs, Talking Chop
• Mets: "Ron Darling in the latest Stand Up To Cancer commercial, holding up a sign for his former catcher, Gary Carter..." - "Photo: Ron Darling stands up for Gary Carter" - MetsBlog.com
• Phillies: "WholeCamels has covered Raul Ibanez' hot-and-cold tenure with the Phillies, but it's worth noting that his 3-year stint here capped a remarkable decade." - "Raul Things Part 2: Thirtysomething Star" - schmenkman, The Good Phight
• MLB NEWS:
• "The Cardinals, who would be one of the most amazing long-shot champions in history, have karma, too." - "St. Louis Cardinals keep putting bite in underdog’s role in World Series Game 1" - Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post
• "Pitching coach Edgar Ferreira Arias has the pained look in his eye of a person who made a big mistake and paid dearly for it." - "Fraud still rampant among Dominican baseball prospects" - Frances Robles, MiamiHerald.com