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Cole Freeman DOB: 9/27/94 Ht. 5’9″ Wt. 175 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats |
This is how shallow 2B is for the Nationals: A 2017 draft pick who has yet to have a professional at-bat is atop this category. It’s fairly obvious that Freeman was injured following LSU’s run through the College World Series, but what that injury was is not clear. Scouts describe him as a contact hitter with a swing as short as he is and no power, but has 70-grade speed. At 23, he’ll be expected to rise rapidly, but will probably begin 2018 in Hagerstown. |
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Jake Noll DOB: 3/8/94 Ht. 6’2″ Wt. 195 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats |
Noll didn’t start 2017 at Potomac as speculated in this space a year ago and returned to Hagerstown, where his most noticeable improvement was in the power department: 17HR, which was sixth-best in the organization. Noll, however, did poorly in his brief stint for the P-Nats (.190/.250/.310 in 17G). He’ll likely return to Potomac to start 2018 but will be 24 years old, which is typically 18-24 months over than the league average for the Carolina League. |
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Jose Sanchez DOB: 7/23/00 Ht. 5’11” Wt. 155 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats |
One of three ballyhooed 16-y.o. IFAs from 2016-17, Sanchez was challenged with the GCL instead of the DSL. The glove is ahead of the bat, which is evidenced why his nearly equal allotment between 2B, SS, and 3B. At the plate, he only hit .209 but took 14 walks and struck out just 26 times in 48 games. Perhaps a bit unusual for a middle infielder: scouts say he only has average speed. |