Brian Goodwin stole the spotlight at Saturday night’s AFL Rising Stars game as the Senators’ centerfielder went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Goodwin led off the game by depositing a 93 mph fastball onto the rightfield berm for a solo home run and later laced a double into the right-centerfield gap.

Goodwin put the proper perspective on the day to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, “This was more fun than I thought it would be. I met some new guys, we played the game we love and we came out with a win. What else are you playing for?”

Anthony Rendon also got into the game and went 0-for-1 as he flew out to leftfield in his lone at-bat while he played a flawless third base for four innings.

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As the minor league free agent period begins, the Nationals have re-signed Chris Rahl and Jimmy Van Ostrand for the 2013 season. In Rahl’s case, I’m a little surprised since he’s been passed over for promotion to Triple-A by the organization the last two years despite posting better numbers. For VanOstrand, 2012 was a turnaround season as he used the independent Atlantic League to springboard back to organized ball and a starring role in the World Baseball Classic qualfiying for Canada. Both players are professionals and great guys so it’s great to see them rewarded.

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Former Senators’ outfielder Justin Maxwell was named the Houston Astros’ top defensive player for 2012 by Wilson Sporting Goods. This was the first season that the sporting goods company selected top defensive players on each team through a statistical analysis and input from MLB Network analysts.

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Nationals’ special adviser Pat Corrales is leaving his post to become a special assistant to GM Ned Colletti with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Besides his other duties with the Nationals, Corrales also served as interim manager of the Senators this past season while Matt LeCroy was off on paternity leave for a week. The 71-year old native Californian is a no-nonsense baseball guy through and through and his knowledge and class will be surely missed. Best wishes to Corrales on his new position.