Four Nats Make the BA Top 100

29 Commments

1. Those three guys have the potential to give the Nats the best OF for the next decade. But more likely, Hassell’s bat remains broken, the delicate balance of Wood’s swing falls apart and begins looking like Green’s did, and none of these guys ever make the majors.

   But I’d even consider it a success if two make the majors, with one being an above average regular.

   1. Interesting how the Nats changed from Potomac to Fred with the flag logo because there is a traveling team organization called Pro Field using a eerily similar P with flag
      I met in my travels a guy associated with Pro Field and he mentioned that ex Nat Andrew Young’s Dad is involved with Pro field

      1. sounds like a six degrees of separation tale, like your moniker.

         inside a month to pitchers and catchers hitting the field. woohoo!

         1. Listen to the Doctor ( Doobie Bros )
            I’m sure there are a few more minor league “ suitcase Joes “ to be added to AA/ A plus level rosters by elementary Watson

   2. Sounds good to me. Now, what about Gore, Abrams, Dollander, Vaquera, House, Cruz, Savana?

      1. All we need to keep doing “ What about Bob” ( Bill Murray ) is say the name into the universe enough
         Or to shift the Hendrix song title
         And the wind cries Dollander …surely the Pirates might go budget car rental fee on the first amateur pick ???

2. I’m (pleasantly) surprised to see Wood ranked the #11 player in all the minors. I’m high on him, but he hasn’t played above the A level. He does have the look of someone who could develop prodigious power. One would hope that they can convince him that he can generate that power without over-swinging.

   Hassell has said that his existing hand injury was already sapping him of power. He thinks that he will be able to show more power this season, although as we know from Trea and Werth, recovery from that injury can be slow.

   Green remains very boom or bust, as does House. I was skeptical of Green in particular, although there’s no denying his tool set. Personally, I would have gone the surer route of a college hitter, probably Brooks Lee, who got a cup of coffee at AA before the summer was done.

   With so much OF talent stockpiled, one also would think that a future trade or two may feature some guys from that stock. I could 10 legit OF prospects in the system now.

   1. Some scouts never learn their lessons from dating women and the art of attraction perception hence deception
      Lol

3. The removal of the hamate bone is almost always a good thing. It certainly explains issues Hasell was having after the trade.

   A good comp would be Ian Desmond. He was a little farther along when he had his hamate removed and he then exploded on to the scene.

   I also would have preferred Brooks Lee but will watch Green with great intent as his ceiling is extremely high with a whiff rate that needs to be overcome.

4. Green will be an absolute superstar if he can hit. I always wondered what Bo Jackson could have done if he focused on baseball. Green may show us.

   Or he may be Bubba Starling or even less. We shall see.

   As I said in the other post, Susana is my guy. He could be historic. I said the same about Eric Lindros and was wrong.

   1. I get excited when a player as the tools to be the Luke Erickson of baseball. It is so hard to put that on a player, but Green and Susana have those super rare, historic physical gifts to get it done.

      1. Wait. What?

         1. Yeak you are right. They would have to have 90+ grades across the board. What was I thinking

            1. Ha! 🙂

            2. Academically, maybe. But even in my 20’s the only thing I might be able to do as well as these guys physically is run. In a straight line. On pavement or a track.

               Totally agree with you on Susana — reminds me of Joan Baez in that he produces velocity with such little effort. Contrast that to Cole Kimball, who looked like he was giving birth with each pitch.

   2. Eric Lindros helped build the Avalanche for success in Denver
      The trade that kept on giving
      Funny how spurts is now effected by that silly -rigged – pong ball which made some rich on the ten o’clock news lotto game between weather and spurts
      Will the Blackhawks get the top seat for the generational skater in June NHL draft
      Will Toews play in Avs uniform by my birthday ?
      Will MacKenzie speak more truth on the mound in DC then Al ever did ??

5. I enjoy your work and wanted to say so in a creative way ✌

6. It will be interesting to see how many guys are in the top 100 next year. Susana, House, Vaquero, and the #2 pick come to mind as additions. Cavalli and possibly Hassell as subtractions.

   1. Yeah, Cavalli will exit prospect status in April or May if he’s healthy.

      Hassell might be a September callup. That realistically means the Nats could have 6-7-8 players in yhe Top 100.

      Don’t sleep on T.J. White!

      1. TJ White and some of the 22 draft picks came to mind.
         Jorgelys Mota came on strong late. It is tough to crack the top 100 out of rookie ball if you are not a big name. He or Vaquero making Fredericksburg could lead to a top 100.

      2. White is the sleeper in the barn haystack

7. It’s a very good thing that the Nats now have a number of higher-ceiling guys in the organization. They certainly need them. Time will tell whether they can develop them. Time also will tell whether they’re honest in their evaluation of them. That’s a big part of why they’re in the deep hole they are now: they were totally wrong about the ceilings of several key guys like Robles, Kieboom, Fedde, and Romero.

   There have been times where they have made the right call. Alex Meyer was quite highly rated, but three steady years from Denard Span was better that what little Meyer actually became. They were honest about Wil Crowe’s ceiling and got Josh Bell for him.

   So who do they truly believe in now? I scratch my head when people (including BA) talk about Vaquero as being on the cusp of the top 100 because a) he wasn’t deemed to be good enough to start stateside, and b) he didn’t particularly do much in the Dominican. (But c) he is still very young.) Green has very high reputation/value now, but that will crater quickly if he continues to struggle to make contact. On the flip side, if he hits 35 homers across two levels, he’ll be one of the hottest prospects in baseball.

   In other words, the better the prospect, the bigger the gamble. The Nats are heavily stocked in outfielders, though, so they could afford to part with a few. I think they’ve got to roll with (keep) Susana and hope he makes it because they have very few truly high-ceiling pitching prospects.

   1. I always revert back to the Uncle Lou Pinella line about young players : keep an eye on their doubles and triples numbers
      Plus as Whitey Herzog always said especially in St Louis : speed never sleeps !

      1. Doubles are a good indication of a sold all-around hitter. Triples largely are a fluke. Plus in minor-league stats, you never really know how good the outfield defense was that allowed those “triples.”

         1. SOLID all-around hitter.

8. Higher-ceiling OF prospects: Wood, Hassell, Green, Vaquero, de la Rosa, White, Lile, Quintana, Cox, and McKenzie. That’s 10 guys with a decent chance to make it. The odds are that only three or four actually will make it, though. Choose wisely my friends.

   Also, with this stock, I really scratch my head when people trumpet Dylan Crews as the potential pick for the Nats this summer. At what point does picking for need trump “best player available?”

   1. Life is a 5D chess game or checkers game what ever game suits Your fancy

      1. played at the same time people are shouting your next move at you from all angles!

9. Pingback: Five Nats Make Keith Law’s Top 100 Prospects List

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