Outstanding 2008 part of the big picture

By Dave Utnik

Published: September 15, 2008

The plan is unfolding exactly the way Washington Nationals President Stan Kasten promised it would. Give it time.
Seriously.
The Nationals are going to win and it will happen a lot sooner than most fans might expect — perhaps even next season.
On the surface, it might not appear that way, but the potential for 100 losses and a last place finish in the National League East is obscuring the truth about the future.
Look beyond the four-year streak of major league futility and there is something magnificent happening. The Nationals are building the foundation for a contending team.
When Kasten was hired during the 2006 season, he announced a grand vision for the entire organization — one that began with rebuilding the minor league system. He vowed to invest money in scouting, player development and young talent with the promise that, in time, Washington would be a player at the World Series level.
Things are changing and the future that Kasten promised is about to arrive.
The 2008 Potomac Nationals are undisputed evidence of that. Friday night’s 8-2 victory over Myrtle Beach was a defining moment for a farm system that was once barren of any recognizable talent. In capturing the Class A Carolina League championship — the first postseason title for any Washington affiliate — the P-Nats showcased all the behind-the-scenes work that Kasten, general manager Jim Bowden, scouting director Dana Brown and director of player development Bobby Williams have put into evaluating and signing talent.
This was the plan and it is working.
The Nationals’ minor league system is now regarded as one of the best in baseball and that is a significant accomplishment. The Tampa Bay Rays built a first-place team this way. So did the Atlanta Braves.
Of the 67 players that Potomac manager Randy Knorr used this season, 29 were drafted within the past four seasons.
Among the current members of Washington’s 40-man roster, John Lannan, Marco Estrada, Luke Montz, Shairon Martis, Collin Balester, Kory Casto, Mike Hinkley, Roger Bernadina, Mike O’Connor, Charlie Manning, Garrett Mock and 2007 first-round draft pick Ross Detwiler have all reached the majors after spending at least a portion of one season in Potomac.
So did outfielder Justin Maxwell, who already has a big league homer.
What the 2008 P-Nats added to the equation is a winning mentality. Potomac spent all but two days in first place and the players took great pride in becoming the first team in the franchise’s 31-year history to capture the Northern Division pennant in both halves.
Wearing a Potomac uniform, even briefly, meant something this summer. The P-Nats possessed a team mentality that doesn’t always exist in the minor leagues and winning was considered as important as moving on to Double A and beyond.
Most organizations will admit that developing players is the priority of a major league farm system. Winning is secondary.
In Washington, that isn’t necessarily the case. Thanks to the P-Nats, winning has become a part of development.
Since the Potomac franchise moved to Woodbridge from Alexandria in 1984, the team has been affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. Until last week, only the Yankees had put a championship team on the field and that was in 1989.
Potomac’s playoff teams in 1995 and 2004 had losing records. Even with Barry Bonds, the 1985 Prince William Pirates were a third-place team that lost 74 games.
Knorr’s squad watched prospects come and go all summer. Yet, it didn’t matter who took the field, the P-Nats found a way to win.
If that wasn’t part of Kasten’s plan two years ago, it certainly is now.