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Potomac Nationals

Hot Stove Banquet and Silent Auction Guests Announced

January 16, 2015 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


Woodbridge, VA- The Potomac Nationals are pleased to announce Washington Nationals number one overall prospect (Baseball America and MLB.com), right-handed pitcher, Lucas Giolito will appear at the P-Nats 20th annual Hot Stove Banquet and Silent Auction on Sunday, January 25th at Old Hickory Golf Club in Woodbridge, VA as a special player guest of the club. Former Major League veteran and current Washington Nationals Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) television color commentator, F.P. Santangelo will serve as keynote speaker for the official off-season kickoff event hosted by P-Nats Baseball.

Giolito, 20, a native of Santa Monica, CA, was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 1st round of the 2012 MLB Draft with the 16th overall draft pick out of Harvard-Westlake School (Los Angeles, CA). During high school play while Giolito was regarded as one of the most advanced prep prospects in the nation, his blistering fastball registered as high as 100 mph on the radar gun. After undergoing Tommy John Surgery in August of his draft year, Giolito flourished in stints with the Gulf Coast League Nationals and the Short-season A Auburn Doubledays in 2012 and 2013, going a combined (2-1) on the hill with a 2.09 earned run average in 12 starts while fanning 40 batters in 38.2 innings pitched.

In 2014, as Giolito was set for his first full-season in pro ball with the Class-A Hagerstown Suns, Baseball America recognized the six-foot, six-inch, 255-pound power righty for owning the "Best Fastball" and "Best Curveball" in the Washington Nationals Minor League system for the second straight year, and Giolito did not disappoint. En route to claiming 2014 Washington Nationals Pitcher of the Year honors, Giolito hurled to a (10-2) record on the mound while maintaining an anemic 2.20 ERA and a 1.00 walks and hits per innings pitched ratio to complement a whopping 110 strikeouts and only 28 walks in 98.0 frames (20 starts). At season's end, Giolito won the 2014 South Atlantic League Most Outstanding Pitcher Award after dominating the circuit to the tune of a 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings ratio and a .197 opposing batting average against.

Tabbed the number eight overall prospect in baseball by MLB.com entering the 2015 campaign, Giolito has his sights set on a higher level to begin his second professional full-season journey after standing out as one of the top Major League pitching prospects currently competing in the Minor League landscape.

Santangelo, 47, a former Major League player, joined the Washington Nationals MASN television booth in 2011 as color commentator alongside play-by-play veteran, Bob Carpenter. Together, the duo has broadcasted a pair of Nationals playoff runs including the first-ever Washington Nationals postseason appearance in 2012.

Santangelo, known for his conversational-style, no-hitter superstition, and complementary comedic banter on the air, was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 20th round of the 1989 MLB Draft out of Sacramento City College (CA) and the University of Miami (FL) after graduating from Oak Ridge High School (El Dorado Hills, CA). Santangelo was a lifetime .245 hitter in seven Big League seasons with the Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Oakland Athletics, where he made the American League Playoffs in 2001.

The wiry outfielder finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 1996 after hitting .277 and collecting a .369 on-base percentage for Montreal with 20 doubles, five triples, seven home runs, and 56 runs batted in. Santangelo collected 87 doubles, 14 triples, 21 home runs, 162 RBI, and 37 stolen bases in 665 career MLB games. A switch-hitter, Santangelo slugged home runs from both sides of the plate in the same game on June 7th, 1997 against the Chicago Cubs when playing for the Expos.

Prior to his television work with the Washington Nationals, Santangelo broadcasted San Francisco Giants games on CSN Bay Area-TV and the Giants Radio Network in addition to hosting radio talk shows on San Francisco's KNBR-680 AM and Sacramento's KHTK-1140 AM.

Additional confirmed banquet guests include Washington Nationals Director of Player Development, Mark Scialabba, and Assistant Director of Minor League Operations, Ryan Thomas, Potomac Nationals Field Manager, Tripp Keister, and Carolina League President, John Hopkins.

Santangelo, Giolito, Scialabba, Keister, Potomac Nationals Chairman/CEO, Art Silber, and P-Nats Vice President/General Manager, Josh Olerud will address the banquet crowd made up of P-Nats fans, sponsors, booster club members, and friends of the team in the Old Hickory Golf Course clubhouse banquet room.

Potomac Nationals Play-by-play Broadcaster, Bryan Holland will be the event's emcee for the evening.

"The addition of F.P. and Lucas to our hot stove banquet event will make the night very memorable, and I am thrilled they will be there with us to kick off another exciting season of Potomac Nationals Baseball," said Olerud.

The banquet will run from 5:30pm to approximately 8:00pm and is set to include an open cocktail hour, a silent sports memorabilia auction to benefit S.P.A.R.K. (Supporting Partnership and Resources for Kids), a plated dinner, and a full program.

The banquet itinerary will feature speaking segments, a review of the Nationals' 2014 Mills Cup Championship season, a "State of the P-Nats" address, an interactive portion between Santangelo and Giolito, recognition of the 2014 Potomac Nationals Player of the Year, infielder, Tony Renda (accepted by Giolito), announcement of the 2014 Prince William County Softball and Baseball Players of the Year plus the P-Nats Employee of the Year, and plenty of P-Nats Baseball hot stove news, notes, and musings.

Old Hickory Golf Club is located at: 11921 Chanceford Drive, Woodbridge, VA, 22192.

Tickets are just $45 for adults and $20 for children (aged 12 and under) and reservations must be placed in advance of the event. No payment for banquet tickets will be accepted at the door.

To RSVP for the 2015 Potomac Nationals Hot Stove Banquet & Silent Auction, call P-Nats Business Manager, Shawna Hooke at 703-590-2311 ext. 212. The RSVP deadline to attend the event is Tuesday, January 20th at 12:00pm EST.

Please note due to the high level of fan interest in attending the 2015 P-Nats Hot Stove event, limited tickets are available.

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