LHPs

		Francisco Perez Born: 7/20/97 Ht. 6’2″ Wt. 215 Bats: L Throws: L Career Stats	Perez was quietly picked up on waivers in early November from the Indians, who apparently deemed the 24-y.o. southpaw not worthy of a 40-man spot. Perez posted a line of 1.87/2.37/1.08 across AA and AAA with 82 strikeouts in 53IP in the minors but gave up three runs in 6⅔ innings in four MLB appearances. 2021 was, however, his first above High-A in six seasons.
		Matt Cronin Born: 9/20/97 Ht. 6’2″ Wt. 195 Bats: L Throws: L Career Stats	Cronin was out six weeks in July/August but did return to Harrisburg for two September outings. As predicted, he pitched two levels in 2021, dominating A+ hitters but struggling against AA hitters. Scouts point to a tendency to lose command against RHBs, with more BBs and XBHs surrendered. Likes to use his mid-70s, 1-7 break CV against LHBs, but the three-batter rule lowers his MLB ceiling.
		Alex Troop Born: 7/23/96 Ht. 6’5″ Wt. 210 Bats: L Throws: L Career Stats	After Cavalli and Cronin were promoted, Troop was inserted into the Blue Rocks rotation and hung out to dry for eight starts – arguably four starts too many after became painfully obvious he’s best suited to relief (0.92 WHIP vs. 1.58; 2.08 ERA vs. 5.45). He finished up ’21 with four scoreless September outings for Harrisburg.
		Evan Lee Born: 6/18/97 Ht. 6’1″ Wt. 200 Bats: L Throws: L Career Stats	Lee was the dark horse of Nats’ 2021 AFL contingent in October, but he passed the test and got the 40-man spot in November. The 15th Rd. pick of ’18 features the classic arsenal (FB/SL/CV/CH) but scouts feel he’ll eventually become a FB/CV reliever due to fringe command. FB sits in the low 90s while the CV ranges from 78-81.
		Mitchell Parker Born: 9/27/99 Ht. 6’4″ Wt. 225 Bats: L Throws: L Career Stats	Parker was the final pick for the Nats in the pandemic-shortened 2020 draft. However, that was the third time he had been drafted (2018, Cubs; 2019, Rays) before turning 21. Like Lee, Parker has gotten a ton of K’s (144 in 101⅔ IP, 2nd to Cavalli) but was a bit more HR-prone (1.1 vs. 0.7). Parker mostly uses a low-90s FB and a mid-70s CV while trying to develop a splitter or a changeup as a third pitch.
		Alfonso Hernández Born: 8/3/99 Ht. 5’11” Wt. 198 Bats: L Throws: L Career Stats	Hernández was bright spot early on for the FredNats and moved up to Wilmington after just eight appearances (5GS). At High-A, he was bitten hard by the HR bug and ended up allowing 17 in 102⅓ IP after going four short seasons with zero. His walk rate, while higher than in his SS days, remains under 3.0 and his K rate has gone to double digits (10.5). Alas, there are no scouting reports to pass along.
		Gilberto Chu Born: 11/19/97 Ht. 5’11” Wt. 195 Bats: L Throws: L Career Stats	Perhaps 2022 will be the season that Chu either ages out or makes it to the upper minors, after languishing in SS-A for four years. He finally made it to High-A and returned to starting for the first time in five seasons, albeit for just four starts (though one was a combined no-hitter). Like Hernández, scouts have not written about Chu despite putting up decent numbers.
		Dustin Saenz Born: 6/2/99 Ht. 5’11” Wt. 190 Bats: L Throws: L Career Stats	In limited innings (13⅓), Saenz demonstrated a lot of what he did at Texas A&M: an ability to rack up K’s (16) but an inability to miss bats (16H). Still, he’s lefthanded and breaks 90 mph, compensating for the mediocre velocity with above-average control. His best secondary pitch is the slider, which the Nats love the way a fat kid loves cake, so his future seems to be as a two-pitch reliever.
		José Ferrer Born: 3/3/00 Ht. 5’11” Wt. 180 Bats: L Throws: L Career Stats	Ferrer repeated the level despite (or maybe because of) the layoff and improved his peripherals significantly, lowering his BB/9IP from 5.4 to 2.3 while improving his K/9IP to 11.9 from 10.0 in a career-high 35⅔ innings. The logical inference is that he’s improved his velocity or his command, which might get him to Low-A in 2022.
		Michael Kirian Born: 2/1/99 Ht. 6’6″ Wt. 260 Bats: R Throws: L Career Stats	The Nats’ 6th Rd. pick out of Louisville split time between the FCL and Low-A, with seven total appearances and one start (FCL) for a total of 12⅔ IP. Kirian doesn’t throw quite as hard as you might expect from someone his size (90-92) and scouts have doubts about his slurve as an out pitch. While he’s thrown a CH in the past, Kirian projects as a reliever in the long term.
		Andrew Alvarez Born: 6/13/99 Ht. 6’3″ Wt. 215 Bats: L Throws: L Career Stats	SSDLHP: Alvarez put in two outings at WPB in late August and three in Fredericksburg in September for a whopping total of 9IP. The 12th Rd. pick from Cal Poly started as a senior and thus has a more rounded repertoire of the FB/CV/CH. He doesn’t throw hard or miss bats but does get grounders, so with a good IF behind him he can be effective.
		Franklin Marquez Born: 12/6/02 Ht. 6′ Wt. 165 Bats: L Throws: L Career Stats	The Nats skipped the 2019 IFA past the DSL despite his age and the 18-y.o. held his own in the FCL, posting a 4.02/5.49/1.21 line in 10 appearances (15⅔ IP). Three HRs allowed offset strong peripherals of 2.3 BB/9IP and 10.3 K/9IP. In the New World Order, it’s uncertain whether he’ll move up or repeat.