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Wednesday’s News & Notes; Day 3 Draft Results/Discussion

Team Yesterday Today Pitching Probables
DSL Nationals Lost, 4-3 OFF DAY

DSL Giants Black 4 DSL Nationals 3
• R. Ramirez 2⅓ IP, 4H, 2R, 1ER, 1BB, 3K
• R. Cuevas 3⅔ IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 4K, 1-0 IR-S
• C. Martina (BS, 1; L, 0-2) 2IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 2K, HBP
• Acevedo 2-4, RBI, SB(14), CS(4)
• Cabrera 2-3, BB, 2B, RBI

SSDD… The DSL Nationals fell behind 2-0, took a 3-2 lead, then gave up a run in the 8th to tie, then another in the 9th to lose, 4-3. Reilin Ramirez made his first start and gave up those aforementioned two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out three. Clarence Martina wore the blown-save-loss with the final two runs allowed over the two innings on three hits, one walk, and a Robles. He struck out two. The D-Nats collected eight hits, with Andy Acevedo singling twice and Manuel Cabrera hitting the only extra-base hit (a double) while adding a safety.



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NATS STOCK UP ON PITCHERS IN DAY 3

Eight of the final day’s picks were pitchers, and six were four-year college guys. But Washington threw us a little bit of curveball by selecting only two seniors. (*gasp*)

Round Player Position Dimensions School
11 Gavin Adams RHP 6’3″, 175 Indian River St. (JuCo)
12 Travis Sthele RHP 6′, 198 Univ. of Texas (Jr.)
13 Liam Sullivan LHP 6’6″, 255 Univ. of Georgia (Jr.)
14 Elijah Nunez OF 5’10”, 180 TCU (Jr.)
15 Mikey Tepper RHP 6’1″, 225 Liberty Univ. (Jr.)
16 Austin Amaral RHP 6′, 200 Stetson (Jr.)
17 Merrick Baldo RHP 6’1″, 200 Loyola Marymount CA (Sr.)
18 Nate Rombach C 6’4″, 222 Dallas Baptist (Sr.)
19 James Ellwanger RHP 6’5″, 195 Magnolia West HS (TX)
20 Isaac Ayon RHP 6′, 200 Univ. of Oregon (Jr.)

Whether there’s any hidden gems here is a guess on my part. Otherwise, the name that jumps out is Ellwanger, who was ranked 107 by MLB Pipeline with the following scouting report:

Ellwanger found success on the showcase circuit last summer without lighting up radar guns, operating around 90 mph while topping out at 93. His velocity stayed the same early in his senior year after he spent the winter playing basketball, then suddenly shot into the mid-90s a month into the season. He dominated in the Texas 5-A playoffs, capping his high school career with a 17-strikeout one-hitter in the semifinals as Magnolia West won its first-ever state title. On his best days this spring, Ellwanger has maintained a 93-97 mph fastball for seven innings, and his heater comes with riding action up in the strike zone. He also has worked at 89-93 mph and peaked at 95 at times, but he should have more velocity and hold it more consistently once his lean 6-foot-5 frame fills out. He can flash a plus low-80s slider with depth and also employs an average curveball in the upper 70s. Ellwanger occasionally throws a mid-80s changeup with splitter action, though he struggles to land it for strikes. He’s very athletic but needs to smooth out his delivery and learn to locate his pitches rather than just bullying hitters with them. He often has to dial back on his velocity to find the strike zone. A Dallas Baptist recruit, he turns 19 two months before the 2023 Draft and would be eligible again as a sophomore in 2025.

I’ll leave it to you guys to have at it in the comments.

17 Commments

  1. Amaral and Ayon should join Luckham huff and Cornelio on the conveyor belt of NCAA arms to seed affiliate arms as the blue chippers mature or avoid the “ Lara effect “
    Ayon is a Fresno kid who didn’t go to Fresno State Bulldogs doghouse in his own back yard but scooted up to Oregon .
    And the kid didn’t have TJ injury but an elbow .
    I repeat Liam Sullivan not the old time Hollywood actor .hopefully a Dawg whose career is dogged with arm injuries .

  2. Ellwanger is just smart insurance in case they can’t sign Sykora. They’re going to sign 1 of these guys.

    1. That was my thought as well, but it contradicts the idea that the Nats would have used the day between draft day 1 and 2 to strike a deal with Sykora.

  4. it’s going to be a busy couple of weeks getting this guys signed and in the system. throw in the deadline trades and come August we’ll get to settle in and watch the remainder of the year play out in MiLB. 2019 seems like a long time ago but 2025 is right around the corner.

    1. Yes Fred MD : the deadline deals might bring another Seth Shuman type or other org starter froth pieces .

      1. I’d love to pry an arm or two from the Marlins. send’em JC and agree to take back Segura, throw in another bat like Lane, Joey or Riley. of course I have no idea what I’m talking about but why let that stop me.

      2. Candelario should fetch a real prospect. Not necessarily a top 100 guy, but something close to that.

        1. Trevor Williams and JC to Astros for prospects ?? Try that one , Fred MD!

  5. Since they had the first pick of the second day, they darn well better have a deal in place with Sykora. I would be really shocked, in a not good way, if he doesn’t sign. Liam Sullivan is just as big as Sykora, so they’re going to be a pair.

    Considering that they’re likely to have to go over slot for the top three picks, Ellwanger seems like a flyer. There’s some logic to it, though. For draft-and-follow kids who don’t sign, if the Nats redraft him when he’s eligible (in two years) in rounds 11 through 20, they can pay him $225K without it counting against their pool vs. $150K for others drafted in those rounds. Redrafts can be paid more. If they somehow manage to sign him this year, it would be a real coup.

    The stats of nearly all the pitchers the Nats drafted starting in round 8 are not good. It’s a lot of high-K guys with 5+ ERAs. Amaral was the one who had better numbers, albeit at a smaller school. Stetson has produced deGrom and Kluber, though.

    1. Hadn’t realized that about redrafted players. Interesting! That explains it a lot better than a Zykora contingency plan.

      I do wonder why the Nats are so enamored with high K guys. We’ve shown no ability whatsoever to develop this kind of player. That’s the Brewers or Rays bread and butter.

      We’ve had some really encouraging recent success with later-round guys with less-than-electric arms, who’ve thrived off weak contact and decent swing and miss ability, rather than high 90s heat and control issues.

    2. Of course they’re highK/high ERA/BB types. If they had low ERAs or BBs, they’d go much higher in the draft.

      At these stages of the draft, you’re looking for a particular trait or two these guys have – in this case, throw hard, miss bats – and hope you can correct/develop/live with the things that caused them to be available when you picked them.

      Hard-throwing pitchers with accuracy generally don’t fall to the 18th round.

  6. The Nats don’t exactly have stars to trade at the deadline, so I’m not expecting much in return. You never know, though. They got Lane Thomas in return for the corpse of Jon Lester after all.

    1. MLB Trade Rumors ranked Jeimer Candelario as the #2 likely available trade piece for the approaching deadline. Realize that he’s only a rental, but JC ranks first among NL 3B in WAR. Excellent defender, switch hitter with some pop; think the Nats will be able to leverage him into a decent prospect or two.

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