BY JIM McCONNELL

For a guy who once figured his arm was his ticket to the major leagues, Josh Whitesell has been remarkably consistent with the bat as a professional.

Drafted by the Montreal Expos out of Loyola Marymount University in the sixth round in 2003, the 25-year-old lefty-swinging pitcher-turned-first baseman has shown enough pop to potentially hold down a corner infield position in the big leagues.

Whitesell improved on his power numbers in each of his three full pro seasons--from 16 homers with Savannah in 2004 to 18 in '05 with Potomac, and 19 last year in his first season with Double-A Harrisburg. He also drove in 176 runs over that span.

Whitesell, a strapping 6-foot-3, 220-pounder, rarely gets cheated at the plate. But like many power hitters, he has the nagging habit of swinging hard and coming up empty.

Whitesell struck out 91 times in just 113 games in '04. He whiffed 125 times in each of the last two seasons.

And while he knows he has to cut down on those numbers before he'll ever get a legitimate shot at playing in Washington, Whitesell is understandably hesitant to shorten his swing if it will cost him in the power department.

After all, it's hard to argue with his production. Despite spending 10 days on the disabled list with a sore hip, Whitesell leads Harrisburg's regulars in almost every offensive category--including doubles (13), homers (10), runs scored (42), RBIs (41) and batting average (.281). He ranks fifth in the Eastern League in on-base percentage (.409).

He's also worked hard to improve his glove, to the point that he's no longer automatically lifted for a defensive replacement in late-game situations.

Whitesell was one of four Senators selected to represent the Southern Division in next week's Eastern League All-Star Game. He and coveted pitching prospect Collin Balester were voted in by the fans. Dan Kolb was added to the team through voting by media and the league's managers and fellow reliever Brett Campbell was a late addition to the Southern squad yesterday.

It remains to be seen what the Nationals organization thinks about Whitesell's big league potential, however. The Nationals already have a power-hitting lefty first baseman--Larry Broadway--at Triple-A Columbus. But Broadway is 27 years old and he's batting only .197 with six homers this season.

If, as expected, Washington trades veteran first baseman Dmitri Young to a playoff contender, Whitesell should be in line for a promotion later this summer. If Nick Johnson doesn't make it back from his broken leg this season, Whitesell might just end up in D.C. when the major league rosters expand.