Good Morning Washington Nationals Fan,

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, September 4, 2023. My name is Haden Raymer, let’s dive into the news.

Leading today’s Morning Briefing: Director of International Scouting and Assistant GM Johnny DiPulgia resigns

Johnny DiPulgia, the director of international scouting and assistant GM, resigned on September 2. DiPulgia has been with the team since October 2009. No reason has been released for his resignation.

Listen to our conversation from earlier this year with DiPulgia on In the Clubhouse.

DiPulgia has been credited for essentially rebuilding the Nationals’ international scouting from scratch. Under his watch, the Nationals brought in young talent like Juan Soto, Victor Robles, Luis García, and Joan Adon.

The resignation comes at an interesting time. Currently Mike Rizzo has not officially signed a contract extension and remains a “free agent” following the end of the season. There is also the lack of recent success in bringing in top talent into the organization, with Armando Cruz, Jeremy De La Rosa, and Cristhian Vaquero all struggling in the low minors (though Vaquero has heated up recently). This isn’t necessarily a DiPulgia issue though. Organizationally, the Nationals have struggled to develop those non-superstar talents, failing to get production from players like Erick Fedde, Carter Kieboom, and countless other prospects who flame out in the minors.

It also comes just after the DSL season ended, where the Nationals went 11-39 with a negative 140 run differential. This was the second worst run differential in the league, behind a Padres affiliate that shares prospects between two teams.

Maybe the front office is continuing to shake things up, or maybe this signals an end of Rizzo’s time as the general manager of the Nationals. Only time will tell.

Nationals swept by the Miami Marlins

Over the weekend the Nationals took on the Miami Marlins and lost every game. Jake Irvin was the lone bright spot in the rotation over the weekend, throwing five innings of three run baseball on Friday in a 8-5 loss. Trevor Williams had one of the worst starts in Nationals history on Saturday in an 11-5 loss. On Sunday, there was shouting from starting pitcher Josiah Gray to centerfielder Jacob Young in the 6-4 loss. That’s not even the first time a young starter was seen yelling at a Nationals centerfielder this season, with MacKenzie Gore and Victor Robles getting into trouble earlier in the season.

This series was filled with many mistakes that show that this team is not playoff ready. There is still many improvements to be made, but thankfully there is plenty of time to learn.

This series was also filled with bright spots. Travis Blankenhorn is hitting .333/.500/.667 through his first three games. Catcher Drew Millas got his first two big league hits. Jacob Young has made adjustments offensively and has looked like an improvement over Alex Call. After taking Thursday off because of back tightness, Lane Thomas hit .538/.538/1.231 with three home runs this weekend.

The Nationals have a much needed day off today, but will take on the Mets for a two-game set on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Down on the Farm: What happened last night with the Nationals Minor League teams

The Rochester Red Wings won 10-3 over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Tanner Rainey struck out two in an inning of relief. Every player in the lineup got a hit, with Luis García getting two, including a double.

The Harrisburg Senators lost to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies 3-1. Thad Ward threw five innings, allowing two earned runs and one unearned. The only hits came from Lucius Fox, Jackson Cluff, Murphy Stehly, and Robert Hassell III. Cole Henry threw two innings and struck out four.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks beat the Hudson Valley Renegades 5-3. Andrew Pinckney keeps raking, going 2-4. Jared McKenzie went 2-3 with a double and a home run. Kyle Luckham threw a quality start.

The FredNats lost the Lynchburg Hillcats 6-5. Elijah Green hit a home run and walked. Marcus Brown went 1-2 with a double and two walks. 2023 draft pick Merrick Baldo threw three innings, improving his ERA to 1.93 over 14 innings in Low-A.

Featured Story of the Day

A ‘life-changing’ baseball makeover helps Erick Fedde star in South Korea via The Washington Post