WASHINGTON--The Nationals announced a four-year working agreement that will keep its advanced Single-A team in Woodbridge yesterday.
General manager Jim Bowden would like to move the rest of the team's minor league affiliates closer to Washington as well.
"I think geographically the closer you can bring them to your place the better," Bowden said. "We are working very hard at trying to bring our affiliates closer than we have had it."
Re-upping with the Carolina League's Potomac Nationals, which have been the team's closest affiliate since the franchise relocated to D.C. last year, is the first step. The four-year agreement is the maximum allowed under Major League Baseball rules.
"The fact that fans in Potomac get to see our young stars as they're coming in and then guess what, they get to the big leagues and [fans can] come here and watch them," Bowden said. "It's ideal."
Washington is expected to part ways with Triple-A affiliate New Orleans and the team is competing with the Baltimore Orioles to land Norfolk as the home of their top minor league affiliate.
The Nationals are also close to a deal to make Hagerstown, Md., the team's low Single-A team. The Savannah (Ga.) Sand Gnats have been affiliated with the franchise since 2003.
Hagerstown, which at one time was a Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, was an affiliate of the New York Mets for the past two seasons.
The Nationals are also expected to end a 12-year affiliation with the Vermont Lake Monsters of the New York-Penn League.
The Orioles represent stiff competition in the race to grab Norfolk as an affiliate. Both teams have an interest in broadening their regional appeal. The alternatives are hardly as pleasing.
The Orioles, Nationals and New York Mets, who had been in Norfolk since 1969, will land in New Orleans, Norfolk or Columbus, Ohio--but none of the East Coast teams want to be in New Orleans, which plays in the Pacific Coast League and represents a significant travel burden.
"Geographically we would like to get closer than New Orleans," Bowden said. "We would like to get to the point where you are at least an hour flight away from getting a player here. If you get an injury at 4 o'clock you can get him here for game time. If we had an injury now it's the next day before you get a player in."
Lopez a stealFelipe Lopez has always been fast. That never changed. What has changed this season is the shortstop's approach to stealing bases.
"I am just experiencing different parts of my game," said Lopez, who was acquired in an eight-player trade with the Reds in July. "I never used to run like this. I have always wanted to use my speed and last year I got on base a lot and I walked a lot and I just told myself I am just going to try it, I am just going to go."
After never stealing more than 15 bases in a season, Lopez is poised to steal 40 this season. The 26-year-old shortstop has 39--including 16 in 60 games with the Nationals--and though his power numbers have slipped from last year, he's happy with his season. He hit .291 with 23 homers a year ago; he's hitting .276 with 11 homers this season.
"It's been a consistent year," Lopez said. "It wasn't like last year but it's been consistent and I am pretty happy about that."
To reach TODD JACOBSON:
Email: tjacobson@freelancestar.com