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Shifting Gears

Longtime readers know Lulu in the driver’s seat means that’s the end of spring training coverage. It’s time to shift away from covering the results of a handful of “our guys” for a handful of at-bats or innings and wait for the minors to start up.

Unlike years past, when I’d pull the plug around the first day of Spring (i.e., today), there’d be 2-3 weeks until minor-league Opening Day. Instead, Rochester is scheduled to host Lehigh Valley on the Friday after next, with temperatures in the mid-40s.

The rest of the full-season minors begin with a more normal timeframe of the first Thursday (Harrisburg, Wilmington) or Friday (Fredericksburg) of April. The Senators and Blue Rocks start on the road while The FredNats open at home.

Usually, this is where I’d comment on the prospects of the prospects making the big club. I don’t know about you, but I can’t get all that excited about whether or not Jeter Downs can beat out Michael Chavis for a bench spot or if Thad Ward will stick in the bullpen.

The cold, hard reality is that whatever chance the Big Nats had for something interesting went down when Cade Cavalli became the latest in a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong line of Nats prospects to require a UCL replacement.

And besides, we’re not here for the Washington present but for its future. We’ve all known since “The Trade” that the real interest and excitement for 2023 would be in Fredericksburg and Wilmington, where a sizable portion of the current watchlist will play to start the season.

Otherwise, we’re back to the offseason mode of waiting for roster moves, Godot, and for the minors to start back up.

18 Commments

  1. Agee that the player progression (or lack thereof) will be of equal interest to the Nats’ accomplishments (or lack thereof). If enough of the young guys pan out, the Nats could be a very interesting team in 2025 -26.

  2. I’ll go a step farther and look forward to watching AAA for the first time I can remember.

    Irvin made some real strides last year and with the reins taken off his sinker he may bring some potential, whether that be starting or relieving. Alu gets to show that last year was no fluke. Kieboom hopefully gets healthy early enough to have a meaningful year. Is Stone Garrett this years Joey? Abbott and Romero starting every week does more for me that watching 27-28 yr olds.

    and don’t get me started on AA, you probably know where I’d go with that.

  3. What a weird spring. The only pitcher in the system thought to be on the cusp of making it with the big club was Cavalli. The spring would show whether he was ready. [Sigh.] Two young hitters are thought to be on the horizon for sometime in 2023: Alu and Hassell. To my knowledge, Hassell didn’t appear in a big-league game at all, and Alu only got some token looks. What gives? Yes, I understand that it’s probably better for Alu that he start the season in Rochester so he can play every day, but what would it have hurt to give him more reps with the big club? Their focus on Downs and Chavis has been mind-boggling.

    Meanwhile, they’ve had so many guys from the lower minors playing with the big club. I’m sure that’s fun for those guys, but me thinks they would have been better serviced working on fundamentals in minor-league camp.

    1. What, you’re not impressed with Downs’s .456 OPS this spring.

      It looks like the Rule 5 guy is going to stick.

      1. Just reporting in from WPB.
        I haven’t seen Hassell all week in the minor league camp. Not sure where they’re hiding him. Kieboom has been hitting and fielding but not throwing so I would assume he’ll be left in extended ST to start the season. Saw Green, Wood, De La Rosa in camp. Seems like they are mixing alot of players between the levels for games. Rumor has it that Jake Alu has a minor knee injury. Yadiel is still hanging in there playing with the AAA players.

        1. That’s been my concern about Hassell — that he might be completely MIA. The talk all winter was that he would be ready for the spring. At the same time, there’s no rush. It’s not like they would be hoping to call him up late in the season to help with a run for the pennant.

          1. Just spotted Hassell at the minor league game. He is not in uniform. Just standing at the fence observing. I guess he isn’t ready.

        2. That begs the question; what is the timeliness for recovery from hamate bone surgery?
          Maybe he has a new different injury.

          Thanks SM.

    2. All three of those guys got hurt. Hassell shut down with a wrist injury that is totally not related to his hamate surgery — not a chance, not at all — and Alu with some undisclosed injury the Nats haven’t said much about, and then obviously Cavalli and his well-documented bout with the flamethrower flu.

      At least Lipscomb, Baker, and Green have all shown really well. Wood not so much…and he hasn’t gotten a chance in some time, maybe because he looked so badly overmatched when he did or maybe because he’s also banged up, who knows.

        1. Only took 2.5 weeks to come to light!

          Which makes me think it’s more serious than “minor”, if it’s already prevented him from playing since March 4th.

  4. Some guesses on OF assignments:

    AAA: Garrett, Yadiel Hernandez, Blake Rutherford, Justin Connell

    AA: Hassell, de la Rosa, Antuna (Connell)

    A+: Wood, McKenzie, Young, White (move to 1B?)

    A: Green, Cox, Lile, Quintana

    FCL: Vaquero

    1. Looks about right. Wilmington is going to be very interesting. I’d hope Young is utilized (minimally) as a the utility outfielder, with White getting in as many reps as possible in at LF. Wood in CF and McKenzie in RF.
      But what do we do with Ricardo Mendez? He had a bad 2022, but a good 2021. At 23 years old, it wouldn’t hurt to give him an undeserved promotion to Harrisburg.

      Also Cody Wilson somehow still in the org (and is getting ABs in ST). Where he’ll fit in is beyond me.

      And Trey Harris should also be in the mix at AA or AAA.

  5. Let’s see what the lefty out of Ozu does in first minors play
    I’m awaiting the next draft haul this summer then see…

  6. Rutledge pitched in today’s AA game. He went 4 innings, no runs, a couple hits, 3 K’s and 1 BB.

    1. Thank you for the reports. Have you seen Vaquero or Susana? I do not think they have been on the MLB roster for any games.

      1. Hi John,
        Haven’t seen either of them pitching. If you’re a pitcher and not pitching, you aren’t in unform so that makes it harder to pick them out with no name on their back.

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