King, Burgess made good first impressions

Introductions aren’t really necessary now. Third baseman Stephen King and right fielder Michael Burgess took care of that on the field Monday night.
If the 5,223 fans who packed the bleachers at Pfitzner Stadium weren’t familiar with the Washington Na-tionals’ prospects prior to their arrival in Woodbridge, then they surely are now.
And if first impressions mean anything at all, it’s awfully nice to have both of them in Potomac Nationals uniforms — especially with the Carolina League playoffs just a few weeks away.
“It’s great to come out here. It’s a totally different atmosphere obviously,” King said. “I just hope I can help out.”
In the span of three innings during the P-Nats’ 6-1 victory over the Frederick Keys, King helped in a big way. He was involved in a rundown between home and third, a fielder’s choice play at the plate and a three-run rally.
With a putout, an assist and an RBI double, the 20-year-old former second baseman thrust himself right into the second-half pennant race.
Burgess did, too, by revealing the type of power that made him a South Atlantic League All-Star and a Home Run Derby champion. His fifth-inning solo home run to straight away center field sailed into the trees behind the stadium’s fence and made the 19-year-old an instant fan favorite.
“I was just trying to hit the ball hard and not miss my pitch,” Burgess said. “I came in to do my job.”
On a day when the Nationals traded baseball gypsy Brian Finegan to the Phillies and placed pitcher Alex Morales on the temporarily inactive list, their advanced Class A affiliate took another significant step toward becoming the first team in franchise history to win the first and second half pennants.
The arrival of Burgess and King won’t hinder that effort.
“It’s an honor to be here. It’s been a good year and I’m happy to be up here with a great ball club,” said Bur-gess, who led the Hagerstown Suns in hits (100), doubles (26), home runs (18), RBI (60), and walks (46) prior to joining the P-Nats.
The 49th overall pick in the 2007 draft out of Hillsborough (FL) High School – the same program that also produced Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield and Elijah Dukes – he is playing just his second season of profes-sional ball and is already rated among Washington’s top 5 prospects.
King is pretty highly regarded as well. Selected in the third round of the 2006 draft out of Winter Haven (FL) High, he was batting .284 at Hagerstown prior to his promotion and, despite switching positions twice in the past year, is considered one of Washington’s top infield prospects.
“Earlier I went from short to second and just recently in spring I went from second to third. At first it’s a lit-tle different but really, honestly, after a week or so I felt comfortable,” King said. “It’s come along very well. I’m happy with the way I’m playing over there.”
There is a comfort level at just about every position these days in Potomac, which is one win shy of winning 70 games for the first time in 10 seasons.
Starting pitcher Luis Atilano, another prospect on the rise, allowed one run in five innings to earn his fifth victory, reliever Clint Everts did not yield a hit and struck out six in three innings and the offense helped extend the P-Nats’ winning streak to three games behind a run-scoring double from Darryl Lawhorn, a pair of stolen bases from Boomer Whiting and RBI singles by Michael Martinez and Francisco Plasencia.
“We have a great bunch of guys and it’s like having a whole new life right now,” King said. “It’s very excit-ing.”