Good, Bad, Interesting – Vol. 3
Our weekly look at the leaders, trailers, and outliers in the Washington Nationals minor leagues.
SYRACUSE CHIEFS 9-17, 6th place I.L. North, 8½ games behind
| Good | Chris Marrero .337/.385/.614, 6HR, 20RBI |
| Bad | Yunesky Maya 0-3, 7.45 ERA, 1.62WHIP .310 OBA |
| Interesting | Danny Rosenbaum 1.14ERA, 5K, 45GO in 23⅔ IP |
HARRISBURG SENATORS 13-14, T2nd place E.L. West, 2 games behind
| Good | Nathan Karns 2-0, 1.13ERA, 0.88 WHIP in last four starts |
| Bad | Brian Goodwin 36K in 27G |
| Interesting | Justin Bloxom .325/.341/.500 in last 10G |
POTOMAC NATIONALS 13-14, T2nd place C.L. North, 2 games behind
| Good | Michael Taylor .270/.341/.486, 2HR, 5SB, 8RBI in last 10G |
| Bad | Christian Meza 2.28WHIP, 9.31ERA in six appearances |
| Interesting | Blake Schwartz 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 11K in 11IP over first two High-A starts |
HAGERSTOWN SUNS 15-11, T1st place Sally North, 2½ games ahead
| Good | Pedro Encarnacion 1.93 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .207 OBA |
| Bad | Hunter Bailey .528 OPS |
| Interesting | Wes Schill 18BB in 18G, team-best .455 OBP |
You gotta like Potomac’s pitching. What is the word on Cutter Dykstra, Luke? Is he a good defensive player? Does he have a future in the Big Leagues?
His best defensive position is third base – not quite the arm for SS, not quite the footwork for 2B. Like any almost-24-year-old in High-A, the odds are against him going much further but he’s finally developed an eye for the strike zone, which was sorely missing in 2011.
Any thoughts as to any possibility of an OF being called up to DC? With some minor nagging injuries to both Werth and Harper, and Bernadina’s low production, I’m wondering if he’s going to find himself the odd man out? I believe he’s out of options but Rizzo seems adept at roster juggling.
With Goodwin struggling a bit at AA, Eury Perez would be the only realistic option for an OF call up. I doubt it would happen before the ASB though; Bernadina has barely played a week’s worth of games.
Perez would be the likely pick I suppose. But I’m intrigued with Kobernus and Owings as well. If Goodwin wasn’t struggling, he’d also be a potential. Maybe in Sept.
Owings is a terrible outfielder who seems destined to be a DH somewhere. He actually could be an improvement over the current pitching staff if he returned to the mound.