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Future Nationals' prospect Trea Turner to start at Double-A in Padres' system

Washington Nationals' prospect Trea Turner, the PTBNL in this winter's three-team trade with the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays, was assigned to Double-A in San Diego's system yesterday, where he'll likely play until he can be dealt in June.

By Patrick Reddington

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Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

One of the two prospects the Washington Nationals acquired in the three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padres this winter was assigned to Double-A Harrisburg yesterday.

Joe Ross, the Padres' 21-year-old, 2011 1st Round pick, pitched at High-A and Double-A in San Diego's system in 2014, going (8-6) with a 3.98 ERA, 3.83 FIP, 2.48 BB/9 and 7.70 K/9 in 19 starts and 101 ⅔ IP for the Lake Elsinore Storm (A+) and (2-0) with a 3.60 ERA, 2.67 FIP, 0.45 BB/9 and 8.55 K/9 in 20 IP at Double-A San Antonio.

"Any time you have a player or a group of players that are going to be playing in another organization you certainly have to trust the organization to do right by the player..." -Mike Rizzo on MLB Network Radio on PTBNL in three-team deal w/ Padres/Rays

The other prospect the Nats acquired, the Player to be Named Later widely reported to be 21-year-old shortstop Trea Turner, was assigned to Double-A in the Padres' system yesterday, where he'll play while Washington and San Diego wait until June, a year from the day he was signed so that he can officially be dealt.

Turner, the 13th overall pick in last June's Draft, started his professional career at Low-A in San Diego's system, putting up a .228/.324/.283 line in 23 games and 105 plate appearances over which he hit two doubles and one home run before moving up to Class-A Fort Wayne where he put up a .369/.447/.529 line, 14 doubles, two triples and four home HRs in 46 games and 216 PAs.

MLB.com ranked as the no.3 prospect in the Padres' system this winter and the no.8 shortstop prospect in baseball.

As UTSanDiego.com's Dennis Lin reported yesterday, Turner, "... will open the season with Double-A San Antonio, bypassing High Single-A."

"Despite the subsequent awkwardness," Lin wrote, "Padres officials all along have said they would handle Turner as they would their other prospects."

In an MLB Network Radio interview in January, Washington's GM Mike Rizzo talked, without naming Turner, about trusting San Diego to handle his development until the deal can be officially completed.

"Any time you have a player to be named later, you pick from a list that you have written down," Rizzo explained. "It's in the Commisioner's office. It's an agreed-upon list and then at the time that the player to be named later becomes a part of the trade you pick from that list. And we're going to follow that protocol and do the same."

"Any time you have a player or a group of players that are going to be playing in another organization," he continued, "you certainly have to trust the organization to do right by the player and we feel good about that aspect of the player to be named later part of the trade."

Once the trade is official, Baseball America's John Manuel has Turner ranked as the top infield prospect and the no.2 overall prospect in the Nationals' system:

• Check out Fake Teams' Jason Hunt's report on Turner from this morning:

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