I can’t remember such little fanfare for the release of usually routine information related to a baseball club. Enter the 2016 Washington Nationals AFL contingent, which is as follows:
- Ryan Brinley, RHP
- Nick Lee, LHP
- Austin Voth, RHP
- Osvaldo Abreu, SS
- Drew Ward, 3B
- Andrew Stevenson, OF
This seems to be one of the youngest group to be sent – if memory serves, my late father always said it was the second thing to go – with the trio of Abreu, Stevenson, and Ward (22, 22, 21) along with 23-y.o. Ryan Brinley. But, the practice of using the Arizona Fall League to guage a Rule 5 eligible pitcher (Voth) and a 40-man guy on the cusp (Lee) has returned.
This year, the Nationals will be filling out the roster of the Glendale Desert Dogs. Play begins in the six-team AFL on Tuesday, Oct. 11 and runs through Nov. 17 with a one-game championship on Saturday, November 19th.
Feel free to discuss in the comments.