This time around the notable bats is not laden with players who are on the verge of aging out. Instead, it’s very young and tilted towards the IFAs.
Nick Banks
Banks posted a line of .277/.310/.320 as 21-y.o. in the NYPL. Not bad, but not what you’d expect from a 4th Rd. pick. Some folks will point to “getting the aluminum out of his swing,” others to a cyst-removal surgery in 2015, so the hope is that he’ll rebound this year.
Aldrem Corredor
You can argue that Corredor was given short shrift here. Perhaps part of the problem is that he’s a ‘tweener, having played both LF and 1B almost equally. Where the Nats place him ’17 may answer that question.
Anderson Franco
According to Teddy Cahill of Baseball America, back injuries limited Franco to just 24 games in the GCL after playing 57 games in each the previous two seasons, which certainly explains the drop in SLG% from .412 to .349; a career-low figure for him. He’ll turn 20 this August, so one has to wonder if the time has come to challenge him with Low-A or be conservative with the $900K signee in ’13 and have him wait for the NYPL to start up.
Luis Garcia
Speaking of high-ticket IFAs, Garcia was signed for $1.5M – $100K more than 16-y.o. Esmailyn Gonzalez 20-y.o. Carlos Alvarez in 2006 and the #7 preseason pick by MLB.com. He’s one of two high-priced SS’s the Nats signed last July.
Yasel Antuna
Antuna is the other, and he commanded even more than Garcia—$3.9M—despite being “only” the #14 IFA. Now the which begs the ($5.4M?) question: Will one of them be moved to 2B, or will they be assigned to different levels? History (a.k.a. Franco) says they’ll be ticketed for the DSL.