NationalsProspects.com

Transaction Update

I had been hoping that when Baseball America got around to updating its transaction page, which, unlike MiLB’s is still functioning, there’d be something that wasn’t reported elsewhere.

Alas, this was not the case as it usually is. So, for those of you who regularly check the Big Nats’ transaction page, this is old news:

SIGNED
●   C Taylor Gushue
●   RHP Ronald Herrera
●   RHP Logan Verrett

Gushue returns to the organization after spending 2021 with the Cubs (and making his MLB debut). He first arrived in the system in 2016 in a late September trade with Texas for journeyman Chris Bostick.

Herrera spent 2021 in the Frontier League and has pitched in his native Venezuela’s winter league the past two seasons. You’ll be shocked to learn his previous organization was Oakland.
Narrator: There were not at all shocked to learn this.

Verrett has had cups of coffee with both the Mets—who drafted him in 2011—and the Orioles and pitched one season (2018) in South Korea. He pitched for Seattle’s AAA entry for all of 2021, making 19 starts. So it looks like Logan’s run will continue well past turning 30.

23 Commments

  1. Not shocking that Verrett pitched @ Baylor Bears in probably the Jimmy Gonzo scouting region for the Nats patrol pattern of Texas schools ..

    1. Pitching program in spring
      Bullpen outings
      Starters bumped down to AA from AAA excess?
      Where does Evan Lee factor in early season ? High A again?

    2. Happy Birthday Erik Fedde
      Now he would be a nice surprise to morph into the 5 th starter workhorse !!

  2. Gushue’s high point was 2019 when he hit .875 OPS for Fresno in the PCL/Beer league.
    After not playing in 2020 he came back to earth with a .673 OPS at Iowa last year.
    Still, good depth.

  3. Gushue’s Cub stat line: four plate appearances, three K’s, no hits. But he became the 22,446th player in major-league history. (Editor’s note: how B-R determines who they call “major league” from parts of the 19th century, I have no idea.)

    I guess Gushue and Barrera will be the AAA catching combo, with Pineda and Millas at AA. According to FanGraphs, Gushue still has three minor-league options left, as the Nats never had him on the 40-man.

    1. Seeing the information about the number of MLB players according to Baseball Reference, I thought I have mentioned that there have been 399 players who have appeared in a game for the Washington Nationals. So probably whenever the Nats open a season, we’ll see the 400th Washington National.

      1. Interesting! I don’t foresee one of our minor-leaguers who hasn’t seen MLB action with the Nats before blowing them away and making the squad, so it’s probably going to be one of the free agent signees to make the first appearance. I guess Cesar Hernandez would be a good bet.

          1. Destiny rides again lile the ole movie title – Martinez reunites with Edwards, JR
            Another ole car to kick the tires on for the bullpen …

  4. Luke, here’s a question I meant to ask under the Watchlist posts: in doing the research and player write-ups, what surprised you? Do you find any particular players you thought you might have been underestimating/overestimating? I’m sure there were a few who at least made you say “hmm.”

  5. FanGraphs posted their Top 100(ish) prospects list (https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2022-top-100-prospects/), and there were some surprises. Namely, Cole Henry ranks 82nd ahead of Brady House at 98 (Cavalli is at 74, and Ruiz unranked due to ineligibility).

    There’s a discernible shift in FG’s prospect ratings this year. Young, high-risk players have been systematically devalued. House is the youngest player on the entire list, and there’s only 12 players under the age of 20 out of 114, so House’s low rating here is actually something like the opposite of a “backhanded compliment”. A sort of insultingly low ranking, but when viewed in the larger picture actually quite impressive.

    Same for Henry and Cavalli. Despite TINSTAAPP being around for well over a decade, it’s finally dawned on the writers at FanGraphs, who’ve also systematically devalued pitchers, after being burned in the recent past naming a bunch of arms to their top 10 only for them to soon after blow out their arm and never return to their previous level. There’s only 3 arms in the top 20. So while Cavalli at 74 feels low, he’s the #21 pitcher, and Henry is #23.

    1. For whatever it’s worth, they said Ruiz would have fallen somewhere between 16 and 32 if he were eligible.

  6. Yes, thanks for the heads up on the FanGraphs rankings. I agree with a fair amount of their changes, particularly with moving younger prospects down the board. That’s a huge flaw with several of the gurus. Keith Law comes to mind as someone who always has good insights but who so over-ranks the youngsters that some credibility is lost.

    That said, there has always been a significant flaw in the FG rating of FV (future value). As they do with player skills, they should give two ratings — current and future. I’m fine with House having a current value of 50, but his true (potential) “future value” is probably 70. (I’d say more like 60 for Cavalli and maybe 55 for Henry.)

    It’s kind of a double-edged sword for Henry, as he’s rated higher here than on most boards, but this is also the first place I recall seeing him mentioned as a potential reliever. Of course one should insert the caveat that the Nats NEVER convert their starter prospects to relievers, up until perhaps they’ve exhausted all of their options.

    1. KW :set aside all the graph charts lists favorite top ten to twenty .
      This may echo what Mr Watson might say in the list of hopefuls to rise up from oblivion or inactivity .
      Who could be ten guys who will surprise our socks off this next summer . ??

      1. Does it count as a “surprise” if Denaburg is actually healthy and pitches well? I’m also eager to see what Aldo Ramirez can do when healthy. He had excellent numbers with the Bosox before his injury. Several of the prospect gurus keep mentioning Jake Irvin, also coming off major injury. He just turned 25, so the clock is ticking pretty fast for him. I also still have some interest in Tyler Dyson . . . if he can stay healthy. (I sense a trend.) And we never really found out what we have in Holden Powell . . . because he needs to stay healthy.

        Among the hitters, several of us here keep mentioning T. J. White. As a 5th-rounder, he would still count as a “surprise” if he really breaks out. I’m also intrigued by the big Aggie, Will Frizzell, the 8th-round pick. He had a monster senior season after an otherwise mediocre college career, and he hit well at the complex after the draft. He would be my pick to be “the next Jake Alu,” only with more power.

        I could add that I will be “surprised” if Antuna actually turns into the player who he’s been hyped (and paid) to be. He’ll face much better pitching at AA, though.

          1. Pal Joey @ AAA a surprise ?
            Andrew Pratt did hit 7 taters @ Wil in less than 140 ABs. Will that translate to AA someday ?

        2. KW, Aldo Ramirez was considered the best ‘arm’ in the Boston system. Trading for someone with arm issues is dicey but let this year play out for him.

  7. With the non-40 man roster players starting to report, when do the non-MLB pre-season games start?

    1. I’ve been seeing mid-March as a start date. What remains to be seen is if they’ll use the minor-leaguers in lieu of MLBers and use the same schedule. Given MLB’s track record, they will eschew the goodwill that might generate with the local economies and cancel those games too so they can “blame” the MLBPA for their actions.

Comments are closed.