But there are plenty of other places to discuss that, though with the local NFL team not 0-3 or 1-2 there won’t be as many…
KIEBOOM, GARCIA #2 and #3 on BA CAROLINA LEAGUE TOP 20
As predicted, BA took the lazy way out and named Carter Kieboom to a second Top 20 list and Luis Garcia to his first of what will undoubtedly be two lists. Unlike last year, nary a word was spoken about either Nats prospect in the Fantasy Owner Q&A Top 20 Chat for the league.
MLB PIPELINE PUFF PIECE
If you’re interested in the company line on Kyle Johnston, Nick Raquet, and Jackson Tetreault, MLB Pipeline has you covered. About all we can glean from this article is the semi-confirmation that Mason Denaburg did not have surgery.
TRANSACTION UPDATE
• C’s Jeyner Baez, Joey Harris
• OF Nick Choruby
• IF Paul Panaccione (retired)
• RHPs Carlos Pena, David Smith
• LHP Yonathan Ramirez
THE 2018 GCL NATIONALS
After a two-year run of contending in the GCL East, the G-Nats returned to the cellar in 2018 for their sixth losing season in the 2010s. The reason why is pretty simple: They were dead last in the GCL in pitching at 5.68 R/G despite facing just one (1) of the league’s top offenses (the G-Cards, who were the league’s best at 6.2 R/G).
Another “despite” – the G-Nats were the second-oldest team in the league, which wasn’t a factor of rehabs: almost 28% (579 of 2099) of the PA’s were taken by players 21-23 years old. Almost 45% (210 of 472⅔) of the IP were thrown by pitchers 20 or younger, which on its face may explain why the pitching was so poor, but last year’s cohort of 20-or-younger threw more innings (287⅓) and a higher percentage (60.8%).
With the obligatory reminder about small sample sizes and the high “unlikelihood” of these prospects to make it to High-A…
| TOP 5 BATS | TOP 5 ARMS |
| 1. Blake Chisholm, 1B .312 GPA, .427 OBP |
1. Alfonso Hernandez, RHRP 2.14/2.71/1.10, 0HR in 33⅔ IP |
| 2. Onix Vega, C .258 GPA, .991 FA |
2. Ryan Williamson, LHSP 2.53/3.28/1.03, 1.69 BB/9 |
| 3. Wilmer Perez, C .255 GPA, 17% CS |
3. Joan Adon, RHRP 2.29/3.61/1.68, 13.27 K/9IP |
| 4. Eric Senior, LF .235 GPA |
4. Leif Strom, RHSP 4.83/3.95/1.51, 2.2 BB/9IP |
| 5. Leandro Emiliani, 1B/RF .231 GPA, 3HR |
5. Niomar Gomez, RHSP 8.24/3.82/1.13, 2.27 BB/9 |
Picking the pitchers was especially tough. As aforementioned, this group was the worst in the league. Just two pitchers started more than five games, which almost qualified them in and of itself, but both of them (Strom and Gomez) had quite a gap between their ERAs and FIPs while well below the league averages for walks issued. Another pitcher was in his very first season at the age of 23 after missing two seasons. But Ryan Williamson is lefthanded and the organization is hurting for southpaws who can throw strikes.
It’s only marginally better for the batters, where Nos. 4 and 5 were below the league-average .240 GPA and one of them (Senior) was repeating the level. If you’re interested to see the entire team’s stats, you can find them here.