Nationals Unveil “Accelerated Camp” Roster
For the minors fans, the news is sparse this time of year, but thanks to MASN’s Byron Kerr, we can at least discuss the annual list of minor-leaguers who’ve been asked to come to camp early, a.k.a. “accelerated camp.”
This is the analog to the Fall Instrux, as prospects are given extra time for instruction and rehabbing players can be monitored. And, of course, it’s a chance for the coaches to make sure everyone’s moving in the right direction.
As much as you might want to draw inferences from who’s been selected and who hasn’t, you really can’t, beyond what’s usually true: almost all of these guys are on the latest watchlist…
| PITCHERS | CATCHERS | INFIELDERS | OUTFIELDERS |
| Dakota Bacus | Cole Leonida | Osvaldo Abreu | Isaac Ballou |
| Joan Baez | Raudy Read | Chris Bostick | Rafael Bautista |
| James Bourque | Jakson Reetz | Austin Davidson | D.K. Carey |
| Abel de los Santos | Jorge Tillero | Anderson Franco | Jeff Gardner |
| Robbie Dickey | Cody Gunter | Derrick Robinson | |
| Ian Dickson | Kelvin Gutierrez | Victor Robles | |
| Paolo Espino | Mario Lisson | Drew Vettleson | |
| Erick Fedde | Edwin Lora | ||
| Lucas Giolito | Jose Marmolejos-Diaz | ||
| Jake Johansen | David Masters | ||
| Nick Lee | Stephen Perez | ||
| Reynaldo Lopez | Shawn Pleffner | ||
| Anderson Martinez | Tony Renda | ||
| Ronald Pena | Drew Ward | ||
| Nick Pivetta | |||
| Brian Rauh | |||
| Luis Reyes | |||
| Jefry Rodriguez | |||
| Joe Ross | |||
| Hector Silvestre | |||
| John Simms | |||
| Matthew Spann | |||
| Wander Suero | |||
| Kylin Turnbull | |||
| Austin Voth | |||
| Austen Williams |
Unlike past years, there aren’t really any unfamiliar names for regulars of this site. Maybe Mario Lisson or Derrick Robinson if you missed when the Nats signed them in December and January respectively.
The presence of some veteran names removes some doubt as to who will be back in 2015, though looking over previous rosters you can always spot one or two names that haven’t been seen much since.
Until the next time — or the games begin…
Think your forgot Joe Ross.
The scary part of the pitchers list is when you divide them in to Left & Right-handers. You can barely see the Left-handers, the number is so small.
Where do you see catcher Craig Manuel starting the season?
Backing up Kieboom at Potomac.
Almost forgot. Great photo!
Spike Lives!
I think Joe Ross is in major league camp …
No, James is right and so is Mark L — when I was going back and forth between LHPs and RHPs, I skipped him. Any other system, a 26-y.o.LHP with one (1) appearance at the AA level or a 24-y.o.LHP with a career WHIP of 1.518 would be roster-fillers; for the Nats, they’re Top 30 guys because there are just so few LHPs.
Most of the usual suspects seem to have been rounded up. I’m a little disappointed that John Wooten didn’t make the cut with the “in crowd” after a pretty solid (although slightly “old”) season at Hagerstown and Potomac.
One who I wonder whether will still be around is Brandon Miller, who showed a lot of pop (and K’s) in 2013 but really regressed last season and will turn 26 this year. With so few solid bats in the lower minors, I used to have real hopes for him.
Luke, you are not going through a twilight zone sensing a lack of response from me.
Here is my take. this list for me is who brass whats to expedite for spring roster assignments.
hagerstown OF gardner, carey and robles.
IF Gunther, masters, abreau, lora Marmelade/Diaz.
nick lee has some time tocatch up on.
franco is a big kid to get a pass to advanced camp .
2015 will be a season for more Larin kids to appear big on orgs radar.
my pick for bust out season. jeff gardner not just because he has a great name/ jeff.
lol.
he should hit potomac first out of suns kids…
luke. since auburn starts up in June,. maybe franco and gutierrez show up for a cup of hagerstown suns suds.
there are numerous LHPs I expect to progress in GCL and DSL plus remember there are two lefties on DSL DL list
60 day.
baseball is a long season with varied segments.
Gutierez could truly snag a Hagerstown ticket to lend time @ 2b with Davidson pending how the law firm
masters and middleton wash out in camp.
yes, KW, there are some guys who need camp to see if they maintain their 14 level. Miller time and Estarlin
matched with Wooten and Lisson @ AA. Cutter should make the Cuse squad what with the need need for a couple RH
bats to join all the LH FA bats. maybe Cutter and Hague go north to NY. YES, ALL ON THE HEELS of who goes to DC
on matty9 bench. the fight between Carp, Stewart and the Hawaiian whose name if tough to spell from distant memory.
ODUBER should make Sens outfield since there are two lefty bats in a possible outfield on paper in Feb.
MILLER makes sense in a speedy outfield in Potomac> Cat Ballou, Raffie B, W, Rodrieguez and Millertime!.
Yes, Cody Dent could be a utility holdover with or without McQ unless Cody makes the grade for Sens bench.
Yes, yes, many options for brass to sort through in camp.
its time for the Nats to put out their new tee shirt//// |Hum, baby!!! taken straight from the SF Giant days of Roger Craig
when Matty9 was hammering NL pitching along with Wil the thrill Clark. yes, back when the 1989 Upper Deck MLB set
was still worth $100 not $60 of today!!
There is plenty to read into this. First of all, if Robles is in the camp as well as Franco, from the standpoint of the Nats, those two are the most accelerated bats from the DSM Nats. Whether they break with Hagerstown may be debatable, because they still have the cultural transition and not merely the skill challenge. But at such tender ages, it helps to see how easy it is for them to be away from home. It will be a (smaller) cultural step for them to go the GCL as teenagers younger than graduating HS seniors.
Hopefully Wooten is not injured. He is certainly not out of favor in the organization. But the rest of the story is sometimes surprising. Bryan Lippincott retired after showing hitting skills at Auburn, suggesting he might blossom. And then he decided on a career more befitting what he actually went to school for.
For all the dearth of lefties, there is no sign of Jake Walsh, David Napoli, and Bryan Harper. So the list and the presence of Turnbull speaks well of him. Perhaps Brett Mooneyham and Blake Schwartz, after last years’ flameouts, are going to be released altogether and that may be the fate of Miller as well (hopefully not).
Manny Rodriguez showed up big late last year and he is not there. Same with Gil Mendez. And Benincasa is officially no longer the fair-haired boy – went to the AFL, but not here.
With that point made, there is no Derek Self or Neil Holland, yet both merited the AFL and Self merited being selected for same.
Turner to Padres ML camp, though — I’ll bet that was part of the negotiation against filing a grievance.
DSL/GCLers in 2014 Accelerated Camp — Raudy Read, Jefry Rodriguez, Wander Suero, Osvaldo Abreu.
Assigned to full-season Roster: Suero
DSL/GCLers in 2013 Accelearated Camp — Deion Williams, Pedro Severino, Read
Assigned to full-season roster: Severino
Again, this is an analog to fall instrux – it’s just the guys they want to spend more time with for whatever reason — age, position change, health, etc.
Gil Grissom. Yes cultural adjustments for kids are tough. But look how special
Severino was and is to play Hagerstown in cold april !!
Luke. There might be an interesting list as you suggest in those released .
Not to mention a list entitled. Repeat or bump up one level : dent , EstArlin,
Oduber , Wooten, carlos Lopez…