Monday’s News & Notes

38 Commments

1. Robles appears to be shut down, and so we can see a good week and a half of Agustin and Florentino. Now we develop the early line on who will be in the Hagerstown outfield in 2016.

   Also recently quietly promoted and stepping up offensively yesterday was the glove first David Masters at Potomac. First shoe to drop on the 2016 middle infield picture.

   Jeff, I’ve got:

   Hagerstown

   Wiseman
   Robles
   Agustin
   Gutierrez
   Franco
   Lora
   Schrock
   Dulin
   Eusebio
   Tillero

   Potomac

   Stevenson
   Mesa
   Page
   Carey
   Ward
   Abreu
   Mejia
   Masters
   OMD
   Read

   Harrisburg

   Bautista
   Keller
   Vettleson
   Martinez
   DeBruin
   Norfork
   TBA at SS (another shot for Perez or masters, because of his advanced defense)
   Kieboom
   Bostick

   with Goodwin getting the Jason-Martinson-now-or-never push to Syracuse. By looking at the above, I think we can see where the acquisitions will come within the system.

   One of the things we do not speak about here is the abominable defense that the nats have had in the minor leagues. That is not in keeping with what Rizzo aspires. And so I think better defense will reflect in acquisitions and promotions.

   1. Augustin in August. Song with David Crosby voice
      And pat methany guitar ??
      GG. Your soliloqueys would be better in a wing shop
      With large beer or iced teas

   2. Slap me , GG. Brass must love Estarlin to
      Push his athletic skills to cozy City Isle
      Good news yesterday. NYM Boah got hit for four runs .
      Can this squad make a july ish run with reinforcements
      Like Campana helping out Mr Taylor ?
      Yes masters glove with Stephen Perez is worth
      gate admission .
      GG I am disappointed in your lack of pip for
      Randy Encarnacion?? You and others don’t have
      My code for having righty and lefty balance on roster
      Or spring rosters are just the first version of a long summer
      Of numerous revisions. Like the fast and furious movie
      Vehicle. ?? Lol

      1. I refuse to give up, because even as the Nats are Matt Williams punchless, boring team, they are chasing the Mets. And the Mets, well, they **ck because they are the Mets. I don’t hate them, they just **ck and it’s their historical destiny, just as it is the destiny of anything related to the Expos to torture us who root for them.

         By the way, Greg Colbrunn coulda been a contender. 😉

         1. Contender with that back seat marlon Brando accent .
            The story I heard about Colbrunn was that his throwing
            Elbow was injured in an over excessive catching
            Training session .
            Nats should not give up on their Louisvilleslugger
            Gardner. Many a future headline. The gardner did it !
            Lol!

   3. Gil Grissom. You are saying Jeff Gardner gets
      Pink slip in April 16?

      1. We don’t utter such things here, as you know.

         I would say that Randy E goes back to Auburn, and only because of the bonus he has received. By this time next year there will be younger prospects in short season and other draftees. With three outfielders up from GCL this year, and others waiting their turn, there is only so much that 6″3 will get you. Aaron Judge he is not.

   4. Ahem. Warmup lineups in auburn has Robles
      Leading off

   5. Can we flash forward to Meiija and Abreau
      Playing in harrisburg ???
      Meiija with 9 triples in his short A minus
      Is beyond !
      What will they do in the Burg? Wow

2. fore, I agree with most of your well thought out roster.

   Goodwin will probably get picked in the Rule V and I don’t think he should be added to the 40 man.
   If he’s sent back Syracuse would be his last shot.

   The 2 hitters I’m most excited about for 2016 are Drew Ward & Victor Robles. Remember, Michael Taylor spent 2 full years at A+ before his stardom. Ward will be all of 21 next year.
   The only question on Robles is how long he stays at Hagerstown.

   The Nats desperately need one of their catchers to break out; there’s 4 to look at but the need is serious.
   Severino is ready for the show defensively already but the bat lags behind.

   Schrock is 10 for 13 the last 3 games OBP-wise, too bad the season’s almost over for him.

   1. Goodwin is currently on the 40-man but might not be after tomorrow, if they need 40-space. My DFA candidates list would be Erik Davis, Taylor Hill, and then Goodwin.

      1. Agree.

         1. It occurs to me that they could put Span on the 60-day DL if he’s truly not coming back this year, even for the playoffs. They need a 40-man spot for Reed Johnson, who has been on the 60-day and should be ready to play. Many think they would need a second 40-man spot for a third catcher, likely Severino unless they make a late, late waiver deal. (Paging Kurt Suzuki . . . not really.)

            1. Didn’t Reed get reinjured and is now out for the season?

   2. I love Severino and Read who has great energy

      1. For the first time in awhile : pounding PotomAc – 2016?

   3. I would AFL Schrock .

      1. I would AFL Bautista. If Kieboom is healthy, he’s another one.

         1. Agree. Schrock plays like a kid the cards would push

3. I think a repeat is good for a few folks, and with Ward at A+ I was absolutely thinking of Taylor’s breakout.

   I’m ambivalent about Read, who tailed off this year, and Kieboom is coming off an injury, but Kieboom can handle AA (I think, based off his plate selectivity, defense, and AFL last year – and age). Severino to AAA is a question mark but it’s not the most aggressive promotion ever, and he has the personality to be pushed. Reetz is a curious case for which there were very high hopes this year and was young and obviously under-performed offensively.

   I don’t think anyone will pick Goodwin, but based on the Rule V results this year with outfielders, stranger things have happened.

   There is also the possibility that Wooten gets bumped to AA because of his position versatility.

4. Quick thoughts, in looking at the big club and upcoming openings. RZim (if healthy) will be at 1B for the foreseeable future, as will Rendon (if healthy) at 3B. That leaves the middle infield slots coming open sooner or later for Turner, Difo, and whoever else wants to get into the competition (Schrock and the Dominicans, probably not Bostick as a regular). (And yes, Espinosa will still be a part of the picture.)

   The Nats WILL need a starting catcher by 2017, as it’s very doubtful they would pay Ramos what he can probably get. They have to figure out in 2016 whether Severino or some of the others have what it takes.

   A OF slot will be open by 2018 when the Werth contract is up, although as we’ve seen, there seems to be a likelihood of semi-regular playing time over the next two years as well. I’m sure they have hopes of moving Stevenson, Wiseman, and Robles along at a good pace next year. They will want two power bats in the OF, though, although the could be more open to a Stevenson-type hitter if Taylor can get into the 25-30 HR range.

   1. If they can get Ramos for Matt Capps, they can get plenty of blocked catcher for Drew Storen.

      1. True. I have said many times as an expo fan for decades.
         Stanford alums have brought jinx to expis and Nats.
         Stan Spencer , Lorias big righty bonus baby. Brad fulmer ( Stanford recruit),
         Greg Colbrunn, Stanford recruit .

   2. I don’t think they have the luxury of figuring out Severino. That ship has sailed. It’s a question of whether they can hype him enough as a flashy player with great energy to flip him for assets they need, like a bigger deal bringiung in high ceiling left handed starting pitching or power depth. And how will Kieboom’s injury affect him, although he may have a higher ceiling as a two way player? No, I think the answer is coming from outside the organization.

      1. I think it’s too early to write off Severino, and it’d be selling low to trade him, especially since he’s the closest of the catching prospects to the majors. He played most of this season as a 21 year old in double-A and held his own, making both the midseason and postseason all-star teams, and he was listed as best defensive catcher by other Eastern League teams’ coaches on Baseball America’s best tools list. If he starts next season as a 22 year old at double-A, he’s still on the fast track.

         If you look at his monthly splits from this season, you’ll see that he had 3 good months and 2 really bad ones, so he needs to work on his consistency.

         AVG/OPS
         April – .321/.851
         May – .159/.390
         June – .290/.720
         July – .278/.723
         August – .210/.481

         1. Good intel, Melissa

         2. That is precisely why I would sell. I do not think he is bad, and I do think he will make the major leagues. I do not, however, think he will make the Nats forget Ramos and I do not think he has a higher ceiling than the much older Kieboom (unless his injury affects his hitting).

            Hey, I loved Souza (as you know in particular). And I was reluctant to have traded him, even for the yield. But I realize now that not only did the Nats do extremely well in what they got, but that Souza coming off his 2015 would not have yielded Ross and Turner at this point. The Nats are good at selling high.

            An able comparison is catcher Derek Norris. He was part of the Gio trade. And the best player they traded in the deal. He was an all-star. But he would not be starting for the Nats now. The Nats do not need a player to replace Ramos. They need a player to replace Ramos who makes us forget Ramos. That’s a big difference.

            1. Agree GG

            2. It’s extremely foolish to start talking about giving up on any player who’s 22 and at AA. It borders on gibberish. If he’s 25, then maybe we can have a conversation.

               Derek Norris has been far better than Ramos for 2 years now. Is he Buster Posey? No, but few are.

            3. Ah, jibberish.

               Give up? No one says give up. See above comment on Souza. That’s not giving up, that’s getting value when others say that giving up would be jibberish. Sell high.

            4. Derek Norris is essentially a carbon copy of Wilson Ramos. Since 2013, Ramos has hit .258. Norris has hit .254. Ramos has slugged .409, Norris- .406.

               However, there’s one glaring difference. Norris walks and Ramos doesn’t. Despite identical stats, Norris walks nearly 10% of the time, and so his OBP is .330 while Ramos’ is a pretty terrible .291. That equates to Norris getting on base about 50 times more than Ramos.

               Over these past 3 seasons, that means Norris (6.8 WAR) has been almost twice as valuable as Ramos (3.9 WAR).

               If we had Norris instead of Ramos, I’m not sure I’d ever think of Ramos again.

               However, we did get Cole back for Norris, so it looks to still work out for the Nats, but in a pure Ramos vs Norris comparison, Norris is clearly the superior catcher.

         3. Severinoplay reflects the sens roller down season ??

            1. As Nats GM quipped on draft day when DiNatale drafted. Could
               He be tried behind the plate ??

         4. I’ll split the baby on this one and acknowledge points by both Melissa and fore. Severino still hasn’t shown that he’s anywhere near being a MLB-ready hitter . . . but he’s still very young. And I’m thinking he’ll be in the big leagues tomorrow. The positive on his hitting is that he doesn’t strike out that much. I’ve always got more hope for a guy who is making contact than for one who isn’t.

            The other thing in Severino’s favor is that there just aren’t much in the way of hitting catchers in baseball. There are currently just eight 2.0+ fWAR catchers in the big leagues for 2015. If his defense truly is stellar, he will be forgiven somewhat at the plate. Maybe there’s another Ramos out there lurking to be traded for, but it would more likely be another Lobaton or Suzuki. So I’m not holding my breath on a trade or FA signing.

         5. The numbers I see are few Xtra base hits,not just few home runs, and few walks. Harrisburg pitchers are underperforming. He is no Sandy Leon. Maybe he is headed that way, but if the alternative to Ramos is Lobaton, sign Ramos.

5. Just wanted to say that I enjoy the baseball knowledge on this site more than any other. Thought I’d toss that out.

   1. +1. A great daily read for Luke’s work and for the comments.

6. Ty Jeeves. Knowledge brought by pain. Many road miles in cars
   And many tears of falling short in the standings !

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