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Nationals minor-league spotlight Date published: 5/2/2008 By RICH CAMPBELL BY RICH CAMPBELL WASHINGTON-- Collin Balester watched during April as two of his fellow starting pitchers at Triple-A Columbus were called up to Washington.He can hardly wait to join them. Balester, the Nationals' top-ranked right-handed pitching prospect according to Baseball America magazine, has advanced to the cusp of the major leagues this spring by steadily increasing his velocity into the mid-90s. With a bit more consistency, he could become the Nationals' next pitching prospect to arrive. "I would say I'm very, very eager, but I'm not thinking about it so much that it would make me not perform good or get mad that I'm not up," Balester said this week. "I think about it, and everyone thinks about it, but you've got to keep it in the back of your mind and kind of not read about what's going on up there. You just perform on the field and good things are going to happen." Balester, 21, has steadily ascended through the farm system since being drafted out of high school in Huntington Beach, Calif. in the fourth round of 2004, the franchise's last season in Montreal. He is currently 1-2 with a 4.24 ERA in five starts at Columbus. In 23 innings, he has 20 strikeouts and nine walks. At 6-foot-5 and 194 pounds, he has developed a reputation as a power pitcher. He's always had a good fastball, but he has taken it to new level recently. He has reached 95 mph this season, significantly faster than any of the Nationals' current five starters. In high school, Balester maxed out at 92, but he'd consistently throw in the high 80s. Once he was drafted, though, he began lifting weights to strengthen his leg and core muscles. In 2006, he began working with trainer Alan Jaeger in Jaeger's popular yoga and long-toss program. His fastball soon improved. "It's something we didn't see the last couple years," general manager Jim Bowden said. "Obviously, we're very pleased with the velocity that he's showing. He's continues to get better and develop, and I think he's a starter that will certainly be in our consideration between now and the end of the year." That's exactly what Balester wants to hear, especially after John Lannan and Mike O'Connor were promoted last month.
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