Nats Restock with Four in the Rule 5 Draft
The good news is that Nats did not lose anyone in the MiLB phase of the Rule 5 Draft. The bad news is that nobody wanted anybody from the Washington farm system in the Rule 5 Draft.
Instead, the Nationals selected four players in the five rounds held yesterday:
- 2B Andrew Young (ARI)
- RHP Curtis Taylor (TOR)
- RHP Matt Brill (ARI)
- RHP Dakody Clemmer (CLE)
Make no mistake: These are in lieu of free-agent signings, an attempt to add just a little bit of depth for a system that is sorely lacking.
Young, 27, is the oldest of the quartet and split time between the Diamondbacks and their AAA affiliate in Reno. He posted a low-average, high-power line of .209/.298/.484 in 58G for Arizona and AAA West-inflated line of .304/.388/.598 in 48G for the Aces.
Taylor, 26, went back and forth between AA New Hampshire and AAA Buffalo (so take your pick as to when he was scouted) with a composite of 34⅔ innings between the two levels and an ERA of 5.71 with 41K and 17BB.
Baseball America did write up the 3rd and 4th round guys. Brill, 27, is also a Diamondbacks pick (huh) and features a three-pitch mix (FB/CH/CV) in which his high-90s heater is the weakest of the bunch, according to BA. Like Taylor, he had LaLoosh-like ratios in walks (20 in 27IP) and strikeouts (37), but all of it was at AA Amarillo.
Finally, Clemmer, 25, arguably put up the best number of the bunch (and has a name just begging for a role as an extra on “Yellowstone”) – a 3-2 won-loss record at AA Akron and a pitching triple of 3.48/4.19/1.29 with 62K and 33BB in 50⅓ IP. He’s a sidearmer who primarily works with a FB/SL combo but will miss (see: 5.9 BB/9IP) but does generate a fair amount of grounders.
You couldn’t make this stuff up if you tried! Nationals draft 3 Diamondbacks (Taylor was also drafted by Arizona and traded to the Rays then Blue Jays) in the R5 draft! The infatuation lives on despite Rizzo having left the org 15(!!) years ago.
However, each of these players appears vastly superior to the incumbents.
Young seems to be a replacement for Ali Castillo’s abysmal .211/.254/.255 production, and serious competition for Cole Freeman, Jake Noll and Jake Alu in AAA, and Cesar Hernandez in DC.
Taylor had a poor 2021, but is probably an upgrade on Goody, Pena and McFarland, who threw 60 odd games for Rochester. And if he’s not, he’s at least quite a bit younger than them!
Same exact story for Brill and Clemmer, but at AA.
Glad to see Rizzo beginning to take the farm serious again after a decade of neglect. Hope it continues.
Rizzo can take the farm serious again with a talent in the FD seat as Elementary Watson
Also, for any former-Nats prospects watchers, Elvis Alvarado was taken by the Tigers in the first round. Alvarado was packaged with Fletcher and Guilbeau for Elias and Strickland, in what was the dumbest trade, both at the time and in retrospect. At the time, because neither Elias nor Strickland were obviously better than Fletcher and Guilbeau at that moment. In retrospect, because all 5 of the players switching hands have gone on to play miserably. You all know how Elias threw 3 innings before getting injured. Strickland generally showing himself to be a horrible pitcher (5.14 ERA) as well as a horrible human being. But more surprisingly, Fletcher turned into a pumpkin, with a career 12.38 ERA in two short seasons, while Guilbeau got waived the next season. Alvarado has also been really bad, posting a 8.60 ERA this past season, with as many walks as strikeouts.
Guess that’s the definition of a lose-lose trade!
Go figure ! Fletcher turns into a pumpkin while Seth Romero is …. fill in the blank as 2022 plays out …welcome to the new job , Mr Watson …
Somebody binges Paramount network s Yellowstone , Luke ?
The dogs watch , too?
A sideline question : KJ Harrison with a good spring camp bumps up to ROCH or repeats City Isle ??
Speaking of Yellowstone and Kevin Costner , I guess Costner must be grinning at Tommy Wilson CSF Titan alum like Kevin going to Orioles . Now Luke we will have to squeeze in Back to the Future with Biff ( played by Daddy Wilson ) amidst Yellowstone binging
No, much more of a “Longmire” fan–even though they completely changed Henry Standing Best and dropped the deadpan humor–but “Yellowstone” is the current (saddle) soap opera du jour…
The Costner film Gladstone truly got Kevin in the mood for Yellowstone ..
Cole Freeman seems destined to repeat AA?? Or play OF in ROCH ?
Young makes one think of Jamey Carroll as a utility depth piece but Jamey was Jamey.
Where is Jamey now ??
Gordon in LAD when Watson was
Poor ROCH fans might have to see outfield of Banks , Fox , Gordon , Casey , Freeman ( ??) Canning???
I also was on the Fletcher bandwagon. Couldn’t generate much enthusiasm for Guilbeau.
Every year, the Nats have traded for relievers. We’d go bonkers trying to remember all the trades. Every year, the Nats draft tons of pitching. Yet every year, they trade for relievers. There’s a decade-long disconnect here. Of course since they try to insist that every decent arm is a starter, long after it’s obvious that most aren’t, maybe it’s no wonder that they can’t/don’t actually develop relievers. There was only one home-grown reliever on the championship playoff roster — Suero, a Latin signee. Strasburg was the only home-grown starter who actually played. (I think Voth was on the roster for one of the playoff rounds, but he didn’t pitch. Fedde was healthy but intentionally left off.)
The key word in all of this is depth. The Nats needed it and MLB obliged.
If Andrew Young had a OPS of .782 this year for Arizona, that’s a whole lot better than the Nats received from 3rd base in 2021.
Dakody Clemmer has to make it, right? Can’t keep such a good name down.
I have former Syracuse OL/DL on Line 1… Says his name is Chuck Bull. Never made it to the NFL or CFL
I’m glad the Nats realize that they need to re-stock. What’s head-banging (in addition to the ongoing DBack obsession) is that three of the four are pitchers. This organization has prioritized the drafting of pitching, for years and years, and yet still needs to pick up so many pitching retreads? Seems like there’s a problem here. Also, they probably don’t even have enough AAA and AA position players to field teams right now. But they only drafted one. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a 43.3% K rate before (Young’s 2021 number in the majors), but it’s pretty staggering.
Even with that, he would have been more productive than Kieboom.
KW Watson probably will sign some AAA 1 b / 3b type or another Mike Ford type
Love Yellowstone. Close to my all time favourite, Friday Night Lights. A baseball series I was really into before it was unceremoniously cancelled was ‘Pitch’, a show about a lady pitcher for the Padres.
Jakson Reetz signed with the Brewer organization. Farewell to a former 3d round pick who had been with the Nats for seven years. He actually had a cup of coffee with the Nats, and got a hit in one of his two ABs, so he’ll always be a major-leaguer.
Yes, a fond farewell to Reetz. It’s almost straight out of Bull Durham that he had 2 AB’s in the show after all these years.
Something to regale his grandchildren with down the road.
I saw that stat, and it made me wonder how many guys have appeared in MLB games over the years but never got a hit, the Moonlight Grahams of the world.
Reetz was one of many cautionary tales of how long it takes high school draftees to develop, if they do develop. There seems to be a particular stalling out at the A/A+ level, not just with him, but with Souza, Taylor, Ward, and others. Reetz spent 2.5 seasons at Potomac, might as well have bought a house in Woodbridge. Taylor spent two full seasons at Potomac. Souza bounced between Hagerstown and Potomac, spent parts of FOUR seasons in Hags.
Sure would be cool if the M&M guys made Harrisburg next spring : Meregildo and Martina .
Maybe Mendoza and Baker join in by July ..
Dee S – Gordon related to Flash Gordon ?
Franco not a surprise signing for the 4 A – ER filling of Nats depth chart .
We truly saw plenty of Caeser H and Franco with Philly rivalry .
Not for the OF depth additions .. lol