They only got two hits. Neither was a home run. You tend to lose those games when that happens, no matter how well your pitcher pitched.
Back to our weekly minors update…
ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE
With the addition of Victor Robles to Washington’s NLDS roster, his replacement on the Mesa Solar Sox roster has not yet been named. Should Rizzo’s sports bar continue its anti-DUI practice–you’re done after one round–it’s still possible that he could play in the opening game on Tuesday.
BA TOP 20 PROSPECT LISTS
As usual, the Nats had no top 20 prospects in the New York Penn League Top 20. There was just one question in the NYPL Top 20 chat:
Sammy (DC): Where would you have placed Seth Romero on this list? Any word on whether or not his makeup had improved?
J.J. Cooper: The reviews were less complimentary than expected. The stuff was solid as he showed three average or better pitches, but the slider wasn’t as devastating as evaluators expected. Fellow 2017 Nats draftee Nick Raquet looks just as good or better with a plus fastball, some funk to his delivery and a quality breaking ball. Romero may have been rusty after a long layoff, but next season is a big one for him as he needs to show consistency both on the mound and being a professional off of it.
TRANSACTION STUFF
Just two re-signings: RHPs Wirkin Estevez and Greg Ross.
THE AUBURN DOUBLEDAYS
It’s been five straight seasons without a winner at Falcon Park (the home team, natch), which may lead some folks to wonder about the water in the region. Alas, it would appear to be more attributable to either drafting lower or better prospects skipping past the level.
Unlike a year ago, hitting was not the problem. The Doubledays were fourth in runs scored (4.33 R/G), which you’d expect from the oldest team in the league. Almost 60% of the PAs were made players older than 21 and almost 16% by players 23 or older excluding rehabs.
It was the pitching: 13th in the 14-team NYPL at 4.89 R/G (Lg. Avg. 4.05), surpassed only by the team they tied for last place in the Pinckney Division, Batavia, at 4.93. The relief pitching in particular was bad, with several relievers sporting ERAs of 5.00 or higher and FIPs above 4.00 (i.e. nearly a run higher than lg. avg).
As I typically do with cellar-dwelling teams, I’m combining the list into one. Like the GCL and DSL, I’m excluding age-inappropriate players. But this year, I’m not ranking them because it’ll just create pointless arguments in the comments. The sample sizes here are so small and there are some rather noticeable red flags in the stats, as “meaningless” as they may be.
| Wil Crowe, RHSP | 0-0, 0SV, 7GS, 2.61/4.45/1.02, 3HR in 20⅔ IP |
| Kameron Esthay, OF | .273/.320/.411, 5HR, 30RBI in 52G |
| Gabe Klobosits, RHRP | 0-0, 5SV, 15G, 1.66/2.74/1.15, promoted twice in 1st yr. |
| Nick Raquet, LHSP | 3-2, 0SV, 11GS 2.45/3.55/1.23; 3.9 K/9 |
| Seth Romero, LHSP | 0-1, 0SV, 6GS 5.40/1.13/1.25; 14.4 K/9 |
| Chance Shepard, 1B/DH | .249/.372/.459, 7HR in 54G |
| Jackson Tetrault, RHSP | 2-2, 0SV, 11G, 6GS, 2.58/3.15/1.25, 38⅓ IP |
For those wondering about Oliver Ortiz and Andres Martinez, who are age-appropriate and had decent production: both were repeating the level and/or had been dropped down from Hagerstown. Full stats for the team can be found here.