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.