The notable category is now entering its sixth iteration (out of eight). Is it full-fledged category? Probably not. But take it at face value: These are guys worth mentioning but aren’t worthy of full consideration for their position.
It should also be noted that just one (1) position player listed in this category has become a 25-man National for an extended period of time. That would be Brian Goodwin, who as we all know, took a very long time to establish himself relative to what was expected as a 1st Rd. pick.
Without further ado…
Rafael Bautista
At some point, you have to cut bait and state the obvious: Bautista is the next Eury Perez, a speedy guy who’ll give you decent defense and practically no power while coming off the bench. Bautista’s problem is that the Nats already have a guy like that (Andrew Stevenson) who could very well be here next year.
Osvaldo Abreu
Perhaps he’ll rebound in 2018, but the drop in walks taken last summer vs. 2016 (55 vs. 27) is a telling sign that he can’t handle advanced pitching, and the 29 errors – remember minor-league scorekeeping is uneven, at best – it’s too many for player with 500+ games of pro experience.
Austin Davidson
Davidson nearly made the Watchlist; that’s how shallow the position of 2B is. But he’s about to turn 25 and has as many AA games under his belt as most people reading this page.
Edwin Lora
Lora came on strong early in Potomac, posting a 1.002 OPS in April with 2HR and 8 RBI in 20G. After that, the Carolina League had its way with him as he hit just one more HR and 19 more RBI. Defensively, he’s just not at the level of previous SS’s I’ve seen at Potomac.
Telmito Agustin
Agustin was overmatched at Potomac and returnd to Hagerstown, where he posted (as you’d expect) better numbers than in 2016. This could simply be that he was he was rushed as he only played 72G in Low-A in 2016.
Oliver Ortiz
It’s a very similar story with Ortiz, except he did not play full-season ball in 2016. Overmatched in Low-A (.587 OPS), he returned for second summer at Auburn and rebounded for a strong season (.817) while being precisely the lg. avg. age.
Tres Barrera
Barrera split time with Reetz at Hagerstown and showed some decent power, but was old for the level. I’ve heard mixed reports on his defense.
Israel Pineda
Pineda put up good numbers – .288/.323/.441, .986 FLD% – but in an extremely small sample size of 17 games in the GCL. That’s just too small to merit a Watchlist inclusion, but he’s certainly one to follow in 2018.