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Yasel Antuna Born: 10/26/99 Ht. 6′ Wt. 195 Bats: S Throws: L Career Stats |
The Goodyear Blimp of 2021, Antuna started 2021 with a 4-for-67 run before getting his feet beneath him (on offense) and finishing .227/.307/.385 with 12HR in a career-high 106G. Antuna committed 36E, which seems like a lot, but is mostly a factor of playing more (he had 29E in 76G in ’18). The word is he’ll be moved to the OF in ’22 and start in Harrisburg. | |
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Justin Connell Born: 3/11/99 Ht. 6’1″ Wt. 185 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats |
As a HS pick (’17), Connell was about a year younger than the Lg. Avg. in the (ugh) High-A East. His OPS improved nearly 100 points from 2019 despite fewer doubles and fewer walks but offset by more HRs (3 vs. 6) and a jump in BA from .249 to .293. Defensively, he played more in RF than in previous seasons, which scouts predicted in 2019. | |
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Ricardo Méndez Born: 1/24/00 Ht. 5’10” Wt. 185 Bats: L Throws: L Career Stats |
Méndez had breakthrough season in ’21, starting at Low-A and moving up to High-A with no dropoff (.780 vs. .792 OPS) Originally thought to be a speedy flycatcher when he was signed as an IFA out of Venezuela in ’16, Méndez has developed doubles power (27 in 85G) while swiping just 11 bases in 17 tries. Defensively, he’s shown enough promise to spend time in both RF and CF. | |
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Jeremy De La Rosa Born: 1/16/02 Ht. 5’11” Wt. 160 Bats: L Throws: L Career Stats |
The Nationals challenged De La Rosa with Low-A despite a subpar GCL season in ’19 and spent most of ’21 on the interstate before a surge in September (.851 OPS in 14G). De La Rosa stuck out a ton (122 in 87G), though scouts do believe that will improve. There’s till lots of praise for a compact swing with above-average bat speed, but an average arm, glove, and baserunner. | |
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Andry Arias Born: 6/19/00 Ht. 6’3″ Wt. 180 Bats: L Throws: L Career Stats |
Thanks to the pandemic (and the elimination of the NYPL), Arias repeated the level in 2021 and posted a career-best .783 OPS in 42G – impressive, when you consider the influx of draftees in August. Arias also led the F-Nats in HRs and was second in RBIs. A former 1B, the Nats are still trying to figure out if he fits best in LF or RF. | |
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T.J. White Born: 7/23/03 Ht. 6’2″ Wt. 210 Bats: S Throws: R Career Stats |
White was nearly as impressive as Brady House, with a .283/.356/.547 line while matching House in HRs (4) and RBI (12) over 15G. The 5th Rd. pick had been headed to Indiana but a $400K bonus talked him out of it. 70-grade power is his calling card and the requisite K’s but even his HS coach calls his defense “a work in progress,” which along with below-average footspeed, could mean a shift to 1B eventually. | |
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Daylen Lile Born: 11/30/02 Ht. 6′ Wt. 195 Bats: L Throws: R Career Stats |
Despite doubts from scouts about his bat, the Nats went overslot in the 2nd Rd. to sign the KY native away from Louisville (also his hometown). The concern is that there’s not much more power to come, compounded by an arm/glove that fits best in LF. The hope is that Lile will hit for average with “doubles power” and be able to handle CF. |