RHPs

		Jackson Rutledge Born: 4/1/99 Ht. 6’8″ Wt. 251 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats	Some @sshole attributed Rutledge’s 2022 to his being old for the level vs. a righting of the ship, enough to drop him from the 2023 Watchlist. Well, Rutledge proved him wrong as he turned in 12 strong starts at AA, then 11 serviceable ones at AAA before finishing the season in DC for two bad starts and two good ones. The #5 starter’s job would appear to be his to lose in 2024.
		Jack Sinclair Born: 5/3/99 Ht. 6’4″ Wt. 170 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats	The Nats’ 16th Rd. pick made it to AAA, though he spent most of ’23 at AA. His three-level season earned him a trip to the AFL where he put up serviceable numbers in a SSS. As you might imagine for an old-for-the-level player without a prospect pedigree, scouting reports are scarce. Odds are he’ll start 2024 in upstate New York.
		Tyler Schoff Born: 12/6/98 Ht. 6’4″ Wt. 220 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats	Schoff was an NDFA who signed in August 2021 out of a small private college in Rhode Island (Bryant). Despite his size, Schoff’s best pitch is his 12-6 curve, a pitch that has fallen out of favor and, as such, has helped him average 11 K’s per 9IP over three seasons. A return to AAA seems most likely, as he’ll wait for his turn to replace an ineffective or hurt reliever.
		Brad Lord Born: 2/14/00 Ht. 6’3″ Wt. 210 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats	Lord was drafted in the 18th Rd. of the 2022 Draft out of USF but did not pitch in the FCL, presumably because he did not sign until August. Lord began 2023 in Low-A and in the bullpen for eight of his first ten appearancee before sticking in the rotation. He got the bump to Wilmington in mid-July and posted a line of 3.56/3.52/1.26 over nine starts.
		Rodney Theophile Born: 9/16/99 Ht. 6’5″ Wt. 230 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats	Injuries (presumably) limited Theophile to ten appearances (nine starts), none of which came after July 7 (hmmm). Upon closer inspection, his ERA improving from a 5.03 to 3.48 at High-A is misleading as his FIP actually rose from 5.00 to 5.55. Unless he developed Nats elbow, a third season at Wilmington for the 24-y.o. Nicaraguan IFA seems likely.
		Andry Lara Born: 1/06/03 Ht. 6’4″ Wt. 180 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats	Andry Lara fell out of the BA Top 30 despite his incumbency, his age (21), his durability (23 starts, 98⅓ IP), and the dearth of SP candidates in the system. A strong finish – 2.67/3.62/0.93 with one HR allowed over his last six starts (27IP) – would seem to indicate that he was on the upswing. One troubling stat: 6.0K per 9IP, which is unusually low for a hard-thrower.
		Marquis Grissom Jr. Born: 07/19/01 Ht. 6’2″ Wt. 202 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats	The Nats love their legacies, which explains his being drafted at all but not in the 13th Rd. out 20. After a brief tour of the FCL and Low-A in ’22, Grissom played all of 2023 in Fredericksburg, closing out 23 games and earning 11 saves with 2.18/3.29/1.11 line. His best pitch is an above-average, mid-80s slider that gets the grounders that the Nats love.
		Jose Atencio Born: 9/18/01 Ht. 5’11” Wt. 165 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats	Atencio split time between the ‘pen and the rotation, showing promise in the latter (2.70 FIP) and hit harder in the former (3.73). The 22-y.o. Venezuelan made his last appearance in July before goin on the I.L. but does not appear to have had surgery. A third tour of Low-A would not be a surprise
		Jarlin Susana Born: 3/23/04 Ht. 6’6″ Wt. 235 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats	After a memorable 2022 debut with the Nats, 2023 felt like a step backward with Susana’s K rate dropping to less than a whiff per IP, his walk rate rising from 4.35 per 9IP to 5.71, and one (1) five-inning start out of 17 (63 IP). With his FB dropping 3-4 mph and his CH increasing 2-3 mph, the guess here is he’ll stay a starter until he can reverse those two trends while improving his command and control.
		Luke Young Born: 10/31/01 Ht. 6’3″ Wt. 170 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats	Drafted in the 11th Rd. in 2022 out of Midland (TX) Junior College, Young debuted in Low-A in 2023. He began the season in the ‘pen but joined the rotation in June and went 3-3 with a 4.24 ERA, averaging 10.5 K/9IP and serviceable 3.68 BB/9IP, though he gave up 12HR (15 overall). Curiously, most of those came on the road, which is odd given that [no free advertsing] stadium is consider a hitter’s park.
		Born: 9/9/02 Ht. 6’1″ Wt. 155 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats	A 2023 DSL Guy, Leon struggled in the FCL (5.58/4.44/1.50) but led the FCL team in starts, which earned him a one-start cameo for the FredNats. His peripherals were strong, with 10.27 K/9IP and 2.64 BB/9IP. Like most “shorties” without a big bonus, scouting reports range between nil and none.
		Moises Diaz Born: 4/27/01 Ht. 6′ Wt. 195 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats	Diaz was cut loose from the Cubs during the pandemic and picked up by the Nats in 2021, then did not pitch in 2022 (Nats elbow?). Despite the layoff and 17 innings in the DSL, he was sent to Florida where he posted a line of 2.89/3.95/1.13 over 11 appearances before heading north to Fredericksburg to do pretty much the same (2.78/5.78/1.32) albeit with worse K and BB rates.
		Cristian Jimenez Born: 5/16/04 Ht. 6’2″ Wt. 180 Bats: R Throws: R Career Stats	Jimenez makes the list as one of the Top 5 from the FCL Nats, which was a very low bar to clear as his subpar line of 5.12/5.14/1.34, 9.3 K/9IP, 2.8 BB/9IP in 19⅓ IP. 2023 was his first with the Nationals after two years in the DSL with the Twins.