Thursday’s News & Notes

23 Commments

1. If Werth has to go on the disabled list, might Brian Goodwin have finally earned a short trip to the Major Leagues? He is on the 40-man roster, after all.

2. Some interesting developments in the minors. Namely, players such as Goodwin and Jeffrey Rodriquez, players who had big upsides at one time and are showing promise again.
   Robles for real–sure looks like it. Gotta like Stevenson’s consistency. And Schock? How about Glover and Rivera?
   Overall however, not a lot to get excited about on the starting pitcher front. Should be an interesting year in the minors, as opposed to 2015.

3. I’ll bring forward the Fedde concerns expressed yesterday, which I’ve shared for a long time, and which he reinforced yesterday . . . although he did strike out nine. I hope he proves me wrong, but I’m just not that excited about him, not nearly as much as most of the prospect lists seem to be. He was very shaky after promotion to Hagerstown last year, and I thought it might be wise to start him off there again this year. Instead, he’s taking some lumps at Potomac. We’ll see. His K numbers are encouraging that his arm strength is recovering.

   Speaking of (perpetually) taking lumps at Potomac, Luke didn’t include it in the summary, but Johansen gave up four runs and seven hits in 2.2 innings. Again, I pull for all of our guys to make it, but how many chances does this fella get?

   I’m very glad to see some life from Wiseman, who is still only hitting .191. Robles sure is living up the to hype, though, as is that Trea kid. With Espinosa hitting .171, May 29 can’t get here fast enough.

   1. My comments posted early this morning (on yesterday’s thread) on Fedde:

      I’d love to be, but remain to be, convinced about Fedde. Some of his peripherals look fine, but I’ve yet to see any first hand scouting reports on him from 2016. I can handle control / command issues at this point, but more worrying is the fastball velocity – if he was 94-98 pre TJ surgery, he seems to be (and I’m guessing) 90-92 now. Then you have a comment, from him, after last night’s start (via Byron Kerr):

      “Just the command, sharpness on some of the pitches,” Fedde told reporters. “I really feel like I’m getting my velo back. The way everything is pretty much finishing, a little bite to end of all my pitches, which is nice.”

      So – if he “feels like he’s getting his velo back” – what’s he reaching? Is he back in the mid 90’s? If he’s in the mid 90’s, then it’s legitimate plus ML. If he’s only low 90’s, then depending on the movement and command, it could limit him.

      1. I don’t know velo numbers, but I remember seeing a report from the end of last season at Hagerstown that basically said that Fedde looked like a soft tosser compared to Glover and Lee, both of whom are also TJ guys, I believe.

         Again, if he’s getting it back, more power to him. And as I’ve noted many times, the step up to the Carolina League isn’t easy. Just ask Giolito or Lopez . . . or Johansen or Mooneyham.

      2. I’m not sure Fedde *ever* threw “94-98.” He was always listed as a low 90s guy who depended on sink and movement.

4. ‘Orange’ is hitting a robust 1.237 OPS at 23 years ols, how much longer will the f.o. wait?

   21 year old Drew Ward is at a healthy .894 OPS. He’s not hitting very many hr’s yet but otherwise is having a terrific April.

   It’s amazing that Robles is not even 19 yet.

5. Orange would be eligible for the Rule V draft this off-season. While it would be hard to stash a player that really only plays 1st base on a MLB roster for a year, if he continue to rake, the Nats will need to promote him to determine whether he is worth putting on the 40 man this October. The Nats don’t have many 1st base prospects in their system or great left-handed bats. So, he could be a highly valued player in the organization despite playing High Class A in his 6th season a pro ball player.

   1. I was thinking the same thing. At 23, let see if he can handle the next level. A late bloomer, but the Rule V looms large.

   2. Well . . . while I’m pleased with what Orange is doing, as I’m sure the Nats are as well, let’s remember that the bar for bat-first immobile guys in the majors is very, very high. Skole has never even had the proverbial cup of coffee. Clint Robinson and Tyler Moore (back-to-back 31 HR years) had phenomenal minor-league careers but have only been on the fringes of the majors. These types of players show up the Rule 5 list every year (including Skole, who potentially have more value since he can sort of play 3B), but they rarely get taken. The A’s did have some success with Canha last season, but he’s an exception. If Orange or someone else does get taken, more power to them. That’s what Rule 5 is for, to give guys buried in systems a chance.

      All of that said, I do hope that Orange will be getting the call to Harrisburg. Stevenson may be as well, with an OF moving up to Syracuse. Luke makes it sound like Stevenson has been having some adventures on defense, though.

      1. What separates Orange from Moore especially is plate discipline. He’s never had the huge K numbers Moore and Skole have had, and this year so far his BB rate is way up. That said, I want to see him perform well at Harrisburg before I’m ready to say he’s got potential to be more than a AAAA player.

6. Any reports anywhere about Trea’s defense? Would be nice to know if the off-season and spring training work has transferred into the regular season via improvements.

   1. He has two errors thus far, but I haven’t seen any reports about how he seems to be doing defensively in general.

7. After extolling the virtues of Raphael Martin in my post yesterday, i guess i must have jinxed him – yikes was that ever a bad outing last night. Question – is Michael Brady injured? Was looking forward to see what he can do. Although he is too old to be a prospect, i was kind of intrigued by the fact that he took up pitching late and seemed to perhaps be a late bloomer. W

8. Kevin Keyes, Issac Ballou, and Abel De Los Santos promoted to Syracuse. I wonder if “Orange” will go to Harrisburg. Actually I can not wait until he is “Syracuse Orange”.

   1. Any other corresponding moves (in Syracuse / Potomac)?

      1. Nate Freiman, the “bounty” for the T-Mo trade, was released, and Campana and Taylor Jordan went on the DL.

      2. Tony Campana and Taylor Jordan to the DL, and Freiman released (as KW posted). Andrew Robinson was promoted to Harrisburg yesterday.

      3. Sorry, I just saw that Robinson was promoted and Robert fish released, so there should still be three AA spots and one A+ spot open if I am correct.

         1. So Orange, Stevenson, and Glover to Harrisburg? (Just guessing.) That would be a quick promotion for all, as none had been above Hagerstown until this year, and Stevenson and Glover were both draftees who started at Auburn last year.

9. Wow, it didn’t take the Nats long to determine that Freiman had no future with the Nats.

   I thought Tyler Moore had cleared waivers before the Nats traded him. While there is no doubt that it was time for Moore to play for someone else, he clearly had more value than Freiman.

   1. Moore was a salary dump. Saved a million bucks and opened up a 40 man spot and cash for Heisey. They may have to do a few more of those to make room for Giolito and potentially Sizemore/Ryan. I’m still betting that eventually Espinosa is one of those guys and maybe Taylor Jordan as well (anyone know what is wrong with him?).

      1. What is the fascination with Ryan? He’s old, his once excellent defense has been declining, and could never really hit. He’s currently batting a smooth .077 with a .354 OPS in AAA.

         I’d much rather have Espi, thanks b

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