Unfortunately, he’s an American returning back to affiliated baseball for the first time in three years. Sorry.
Jon Morosi of FOXSports.com has reported that LHP Brandon Mann has signed a minor-league deal with the Washington Nationals. The deal also includes an invite to spring training.
The 28-year-old southpaw has spent the past two seasons in Japan with the Yokohama BayStars, going 1-1 with a 1.16 ERA in 12 relief appearances in 2011, but just 2-8 with a 5.32 ERA (though a decent 1.357 WHIP) in 15 starts in 2012. He was originally drafted by Tampa Bay in the 27th Rd. of the 2002 draft as a HS pick from Des Moines, WA.
Mann reached as high as AA in 2009 when he went 7-9 with a 4.44 ERA in 27 appearances (21 starts) with Montgomery. As a MLFA, he hooked on with the L.A. Dodgers in 2010 but was dropped down to High-A and released after 37 games in relief, going 3-0 but posting a 4.12 ERA and a 1.833 WHIP. He was picked up by the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs later that season and made five starts for a 1-2 record and a 5.14 ERA, 1.643 WHIP.
An organizational filler guy. Let’s hope he finds something that thus far has eluded him.
+1/2St.
Think that he will be a reliever or starter in our system? Seems like there is a need for additional depth in both at the top end of our system.
Seems to be more suited to relief than starting, but as you wrote, the upper levels (AA-AAA) are in need of restocking. Also, as others have noted, a significant number of these FAs will never make it past ST (Waldis Joaquin, we hardly knew ye).
Here’s his comeback on the road again….