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Nationals 2014 Fantasy Baseball Preview With Razzball.com

The Washington Nationals are hard at work in Viera, Florida preparing for the 2014 campaign and we're hard at work in an undisclosed northeast location preparing for the new season of coverage of the Nats' run at the NL East crown and beyond. We answered a few questions from Razzball.com...

By Patrick Reddington
Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

Here at Federal Baseball, we're dedicated to spreading the good word about the Washington Nationals. We've been doing it for years. (ed. note - "Under current management since August, 2007.") In keeping with that mission we like to do interviews. Yes, send those questions along if you need someone to ramble on about the Nats and what they have planned for the rest of the National League this season.

"It's really just humbling and it's really just exciting to think about I can have a chance to help this team..." - Steven Souza on looking forward to the 2014 campaign

This is the first one we've done for the 2014 season, I think, along with a big season-preview-ish thing (4,000 words!) that will be published soon, I suspect. But there's always a little lag between when the answers go out and get published, so you'll note in this interview that I was still waiting on the addition of a second catcher at the time I answered the writer from Razzball.com's questions. The Nationals have since, of course, acquired Jose Lobaton from the Rays.

That's the only detail that's really outdated in the answers we provided... Oh wait, we dropped Nathan Karns' name into the answer below and he went to Tampa in the Lobaton deal. So two things. Check out one Q and one A below and you can read the rest of the interview through the Twitter link provided at the end. And thanks again to Razzball.com for asking, did a google search and found interviews with them going back to 2007-2008. Fun stuff. And we were actually 100% right about everything we said. (ed. note - "Please don't google up results to check that last sentence for accuracy.") Without further ado...

Razzball: Anthony Rendon got the call in 2013 for the Nationals. Which prospects in the Nats' farm system should fantasy owners be excited about for 2014 and beyond?

Federal Baseball: I'm not too sure there are going to be any big prospects coming up this year like Harper and Rendon in the past two seasons. I think Taylor Jordan and Nathan Karns might work their way back up again and Sammy Solis has a good shot at seeing some time in the majors if the lefties the Nationals have struggle at all. I think A.J. Cole has just about the right mix of stuff and innings on his arm that he might get a look at some point this season depending on the health of the pitchers in the majors. Blake Treinen's another pitcher whose name keeps coming up when I'm talking to people who follow the Nationals' organization. I think it's going to be mostly pitching prospects impacting the Nationals this season though unless a Matt Skole or Steven Souza, Jr. go on a tear and there's a need at the major league level.

As for the future, there's no bigger prospect in the Nats' system than Lucas Giolito and this will be his first full year back following Tommy John so it will be interesting to see what he does when gets a chance to put together a full season's worth of innings. I'm really excited to see if Matt Purke can take the next step now that his shoulder issues seem to be behind him. He was a first round talent who fell to the third because of injury concerns the Nationals were willing to deal with and I'm interested to see if that investment pays off. This will be a big season for his development and with his age and contract (major league deal so he's on the 40-Man) who could move quickly if he's anything like the talent scouts thought he was. But I think all eyes in the organization are going to be on Giolito this year.

• Check out the rest of the interview here:

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