Washington Nationals Sign Eastern League Rookie Of The Year Kory Casto and Lastings Milledge Among Several Others - National League

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com - The Washington Nationals agreed to terms today with eight players for the 2008 season. Five of them, including 2006 Eastern League Rookie of the Year Kory Casto, have logged time with the Harrisburg Senators.

Casto, left-handed pitcher Ross Detwiler, left-handed pitcher John Lannan, outfielder Lastings Milledge, right-handed pitcher Garrett Mock, right-handed pitcher Chris Schroder, first baseman Josh Whitesell and first baseman Matt Whitney were the eight who signed. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

Casto was the Senators’ Most Valuable Player and an Eastern League All-Star in 2006. He hit .272 with 20 homers and 80 RBIs. He spent 2007 with Triple-A Columbus and the big-league Nationals.

Detwiler, the Nationals’ 2007 first-round draft pick, made his major-league debut in his first professional season. He also appeared in the Gulf Coast League and at Advanced-A Potomac. The southpaw is only 21 years old.

Lannan was quickly promoted through the Nationals’ system in 2007. He started the season at Advanced-A Potomac. A stint in Harrisburg saw him go 3-2 with a 3.25 ERA. The 23-year-old starter had a quick stop at Triple-A Columbus before making his big-league debut July 26.

Milledge was drafted in the first round of the 2003 draft by the New York Mets. He logged major-league time in 2006 and 2007. An injury early last season hampered him as he played five games in the Eastern League for the Binghamton Mets. Still 22, he was acquired by the Nationals this off-season in exchange for Brian Schneider and Ryan Church

Mock, a starting pitcher, battled injuries for much of 2007. He has spent parts of the past two seasons at Commerce Bank Park. He was acquired with former Senator and current Nationals starting pitcher Matt Chico for Livan Hernandez in August of 2006.

Schroder spent parts of four seasons from 2003-06 in a Senators uniform. In 2003, he went 9-2 with a 2.84 ERA. Last year the reliever was dominant for Triple-A Columbus before being promoted for an effective stint in the big leagues.

Whitesell spent the last two seasons with the Senators. In 2007, he was one of the offensive leaders for Harrisburg; the 25-year-old hit .284 and led the team with 21 home runs and 74 RBIs.

Whitney was a first-round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians in 2002, but a freak injury during a pickup basketball game at Spring Training wiped out his 2003 season and part of his 2004 campaign. Last year, he hit .299 with 32 home runs and 113 RBIs in stops with Low-A Lake County and Advanced-A Kinston. He will be 24 on Opening Day 2008.