Here we go again on my own, traveling down the only road I’ve ever known with the seventh edition of this site’s watchlist. There’s a certain degree of fear this time around because, CBA uncertainty aside, it feels like this might get blown up in less than a month.
Why? Because even Stevie Wonder can see that the big club’s window may be closing soon, and there are immediate needs at multiple positions. Free agency may solve some of the problems, but a trade or two seems possible, if not imminent.
That means some of these guys might not be here by the time this is finalized. It’s happened before.
Truth be told, I think they should listen to any and all offers for anybody listed below. The December 2011 trade accelerated the timeline from pretender to contender; we certainly don’t want to hear the jokes about no DUIs at Rizzo’s sports bar (because you’re done after just one round).
Now for a quick explanation on what the watchlist is (and isn’t):
Six years ago, I decided to list the players that had shown some promise by position; guys who were worth watching. I don’t give a rat’s @ss about what round a player was drafted in or how much of a bonus he got.
Those two things are decided by the market and the draft rules, neither of which are fair. But I understand that they influence decisions due to the factors of “sunk cost” and reputation (of the drafter, not the draftee).
Now for the “isn’ts”…
• It’s not a depth chart. It’s ordered by the highest level played to date. The guys at the top of the column are not necessarily better than the guys at the bottom.
• It’s (mostly) based on 2016 usage. The Nats have a history of rotating MIs between 2B and SS, trying to develop utility players, and being weak at the corners of the IF and OF.
• It’s preliminary. I can’t spend the time that I used to on this site, so I’m depending on my readers to call me out in the comments. That doesn’t mean that I’ll respond to every suggestion or crticism, but I will listen.
Now, the first thing you’ll probably notice is that I’ve collapsed two categories and expanded another. This is for aesthetics: Washington has a shipload of right-handed pitching prospects, and thimbleful of middle infielders worth listing.
Take a look a look, tell me what you think, and let’s get the 2016-17 offseason started.
| C | 1B | 2B/SS | 3B | OF | RHRP |
| Severino | Skole | Abreu | Ward | Goodwin | Glover |
| Read | Marmolejos | Sagdal | Gutierrez | Bautista | Brinley |
| Barrera | Simonetti | C. Kieboom | Davidson | Stevenson | Mendez |
| Harris | Bogetto | Keller | M. Sanchez | ||
| Robles | Pantoja | ||||
| Agustin | Peterson | ||||
| Wiseman | Fuentes | ||||
| Johnson | F. Peguero | ||||
| Soto | |||||
| Florentino | |||||
| RHSPs | LHPs | DSL Bats | DSL Arms | Notable Arms |
Notable Bats |
| R. Lopez | Crownover | Cabello | Sisneros | Mapes | Ballou |
| Giolito | Borne | Falcon | Guillen | J. Rodriguez | S. Kieboom |
| Voth | Guilbeau | Mesa | Chu | Baez | Banks |
| Simms |
Watson | Morales | Duran | Rivera | Corredor |
| Valdez | McDonald | Pascal | J. Peguero | Rishwain | Franco |
| Avila | Braymer | ||||
| A. Lee | |||||
| Dunning | |||||
| W. Davis | |||||
| Sharp | |||||
| C. Peña |