For better or worse, this is a category that is open to misinterpretation. Sometimes it skews old, sometimes it skews towards notoriety, sometimes it’s just askew. It’s not a full-fledged category per se, but then again, it’s a bit more than an honorable mention at the end of a season review.
Without further ado…
Jimmy Cordero
I’ll cut to the chase… this guy is supposed to be able to throw high-90s, and touch 100. Whether that’s over the plate is another story. He’s averaged 4+ walks for his career and this is his third organization. He’s also never thrown 70 innings in a season.
Tyler Mapes
Mapes had a breakout season in 2015, going 7-3 with a 2.23 ERA in 30 appearances at two levels. Last summer, he logged 155IP in 25 starts with a line of 3.19/4.22/1.46. Good but not great numbers and a K rate that’s just too low to ignore (4.5) and not anomaly (5.5 career).
Andrew Lee
Lee seemed to be on track for two-level season before he suddenly dropped off the map. So no one should be surprised to learn that he went under the knife for the second time for a TJ surgery.
Mariano Rivera III
Given the Nats’ fetish for so-called legacy picks, it’s probably safe to say Rivera will get more chances than he deserves (see: McCatty, Shane). He did finish the 2016 season with fairly decent run (2.43/3.86/1.05) over 17 appearances, but was absolutely horrid in May and June (8.34/4.88/1.99).
Jesus Luzardo
[Insert obligatory comparison to Erick Fedde and Lucas Giolito here]. Luzardo, who underwent UCL replacement in March of 2016, was nevertheless drafted in the 3rd Rd. and given a $1.4M signing bonus. Prior to his elbow blowing out, he was considered a 1st-Rd. pick and had committed to the University of Miami, but opted to go pro instead of pretending he wasn’t.