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Tuesday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Pitching Probables
Rochester OFF DAY OFF DAY N/A
DSL Nationals Won, 5-3 @ DSL Mets1, 10:30 a.m.

Rochester Red Wings (47-69, T5th, 23½ GB, Northeast Div. AAA East)
The Rochester Red Wings finished the regular season in a tie for 5th place in the AAA East Northeast Division with the Syracuse Mets. This week, they’re on the road in Worcester to play the (ugh) WooSox as part of the does-this-make-any-sense-beyond-five-more-home-games-for-everybody “Final Stretch.”

DSL Nationals 5 DSL Mets1 3
• Cedeno 5IP, 3H, 3R, 2ER, BB, 6K, HR, HBP
• Agostini (W, 4-2) 2IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 4K, WP
• J. Fernandez 3-3, 2R, SB
• S. Castro 3-3, R, 2B, CS, 2RBI
• E. Ramirez 1-2, 2R, HR, RBI

The D-Mets1 got three in the 1st but were shut down the rest of the way, as the D-Nats offense dug itself out (how novel) for a 5-3 win, the fourth straight for Washington’s foreign-rookie affiliate. 19-y.o. Jose Cedeno let in all three D-Mets1 runs on a three-run HR and three hits total over five innings. He walked one and struck out six. 17-y.o. Gabriel Agostini finished the game with two scoreless frames, giving up two hits and a walk, and fanning four. 17-y.o. Jenier Fernandez and 18-y.o. Sebastian Castro both went 3-for-3 and combined for three runs scored, including the go-ahead and insurance runs ahead of 17-y.o. Armando Cruz’s double in the 6th.

#     #     #

ODDS AND ENDS
We’re in a weird place as the season winds down, extended at AAA for some reason and going into October because they started so late in the D.R.

Instrux? Who knows.

The AFL? Bits and pieces, but nothing official. I’m not sure it’s really news that MLB is requiring vaccinations for players after requiring the same from coaches, managers, trainers, etc. for the postseason. That probably won’t affect too many candidates, but might exclude some scouts and other front-office personnel.

Finally, it may shock you to learn that Washington was NOT the worst organization by winning percentage among the full-season teams (St. Louis), nor were the Harrisburg Senators—yeah, I missed that the Fredericksburg Nationals passed them this past weekend—the worst full-season team (Palm Beach Cardinals, 37-80, though dishonorable a mention goes to the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers for a -275 run differential).

23 Commments

  1. I saw an article about the Phillies having an instructional league. It is hard to imagine the Nats not doing on if they are allowed.

    1. Fedetal Baseball article on Darren Baker says instructs are starting Wednesday. So no DSL guys. Hopefully, Vaquero and Gutierrez.

      1. Tank you Halo N Nats
        Moon quite full still.
        Well the Nats might be benefiting from the Orioles chorus line of excess lefty auditions since Josh Rogers fell off the Camden Yards neighborhood .
        .
        This morning this Keurig coffee is pure mud .. lol..

    1. The only thing with him is that he 19. I get more excited about the younger players showing signs than him dominating.

  3. I find the disparity between farm teams this year to be fascinating. Early into the season, I went back and looked at the past 3 or 4 seasons and the worst team in full season ball at any level had something like a .375 winning percentage. This year there were 12(!) teams that would have been the worst team in the recent past, and some (Palm Beach, Visalia, Kannapolis, and don’t forget Fredericksburg’s -239 run differential) were miles worse.

    If anything, the minor league contraction should have brought parity to teams. Fewer opportunities for players should have increased the quality of teams, and yet it clearly didn’t.

    I’m also a bit surprised to see the Cardinals were the performing farm system, when they have, by most metrics, a pretty average system. It makes sense that the Nationals or White Sox (and their awful Kannapolis team) rank at the bottom, because they have (or had before the trade deadline) the worst farm systems in the league, but it’s interesting to see the Cardinals out-fail the Nationals. I wonder what the story is there.

  4. If you’re a contending team then these extra games are a very good thing. Keeps possible replacements fresh and ready if needed.
    At least this year there’s no relevance to the Nats AAA prospects but at least we get to have more baseball and that’s a good thing.

  5. Hoping the Nats reshuffle the deck next year with their minor league coaching staff. I miss having a coach like Matt LeCroy who cares about his players. Didn’t see any of that with Tripp Keister. Heck, he couldn’t even come out and stand with his players during the National Anthem at our home games. I understand he was at High A for several years so maybe he needs some mentoring to be a AA manager. Hoping the Nats can figure that out before next season.
    When you get to AA, everyone’s expectations are higher!

  6. Keister was well thought of at Potomac; can’t speak to his experience at Harrisburg, other than to say that he wasn’t dealt a good hand talent-wise. None of these managers were. I give particular props to Mario Lisson for holding things together at Fredericksburg after such an awful start. Other than de la Rosa, who wasn’t there the whole season and got off to a bad start when he arrived, and the soon-promoted Mitchell Parker, it’s hard to point to too many players at F-burg who were thought of as top-30 in the system.

    I think AA took a hit when the supposed young guns Antuna, Pineda, and Adon weren’t ready to start there, and then only Adon did enough to ever advance. Mendoza struggled at H-burg and had to be sent down. Cate really struggled. Several of the pitchers who did well quickly got promoted.

    Frederickburg next year should be stacked with guys from the last couple of drafts. Harrisburg may still be difficult viewing, though, unless there are some miraculous mid-career turnarounds among hitters. It’s possible that they may have a rotation of Henry, Rutledge, Adon, and Cate, though, and probably Tetreault.

    2. KW much of the farm fabric took a hit with a summer of inactivity .
      The ebb and flow of the farm may be interesting to see with the brass reaction this winter and next spring in pre camp

  8. Organizational reorganization starting. Nats have let go Gary Thurman (outfield/base-running coordinator), Tommy Shields (Wilmington manager), Brian Rupp (Harrisburg hitting coach), and Pat Rice (Fredericksburg pitching coach). Good luck to these guys. It’s a hard transition for everyone.

    1. Thank you.

      I would love to see the draft and development improve. DiPuglia has the IFA thing working. If the Nats could get both going that would be huge. Having the constant flow of cheap productive players, trade chips, and injury replacements is huge. The more rookie contracts mixed in, the more money for the Sotos and Bells, ect.

  9. Maybe it’s time the Nats bring in some new coaches to their player development staff. Some of those let go have just been around way too long.

    1. Agreed. Player development really seems to to have lagged. Of course there is a good bit of chicken and egg to that equation: did the development guys not develop them well enough, or did the scouting guys overestimate the players they drafted/signed?

  10. Mister Rogers neighborhood in miami
    Liston went through 3 waves this year concluding with the 21 draft group

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