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Sammy Solis DOB: 8/10/88 Ht. 6’5″ Wt. 230 Bats: R Career Stats |
Solis successfully returned from TJ surgery, had a strong AFL season (his third), and got added to the Nats’ 40-man roster. Still, he’s 25 and not pitched at AA yet. Solis features a low-90s FB with a CH and CV as his secondary pitches, with the CH con- sidered the better of the two, though he’s shown a knack for altering the plane of the CV. Should start the season at Harrisburg. |
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Matt Purke DOB: 7/17/90 Ht. 6’4″ Wt. 205 Bats: L Career Stats |
Like Solis, Purke has been dogged by injuries throughout his pro career. His next April start will be his first as he was held back in XST in both 2012 and 2013. The low-to-mid 90s heat came as advertised last summer in Woodbridge, but the command varied from start to start. While he’s faced AA competition in the AFL, he’s only pitched 61 innings above Low-A, so it’s not a given he’ll begin with the Senators in April 2014. |
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Felipe Rivero DOB: 7/5/91 Ht. 6’0″ Wt. 170 Bats: L Career Stats |
Picked up in the trade of Nathan Karns, Rivero could be viewed as a hedge against some of the older LHPs listed above and below. Tampa Bay protected him last November as a five-year IFA, which could be problem- atic. Rivero features a 91-94 mph FB but has a history of losing speed during starts, which could force a shift to the bullpen, though the CW is he’ll continue to start, most likely at AA Harrisburg. |
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Brett Mooneyham DOB: 1/24/90 Ht. 6’5″ Wt. 235 Bats: L Career Stats |
Erratic control continues to dog Mooneyham who was able to get away with it at Low-A but was pounded in three High-A starts while walking 13 in 11 innings. His velocity has also diminished from the high-90s to the low-90s. The secondary pitches (SH, SL, SLV) are also inconsistent. His size and dexterity have bought him time but he’ll begin 2014 as a 24-y.o. in his just his second year of full-season ball. |
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Nick Lee DOB: 1/13/91 Ht. 5’11” Wt. 185 Bats: L Career Stats |
Lee has improved his velocity, bumping it into the 90s, and refined his command while developing a curve to create the classic repetoire (FB/ CH/CV/SL), though scouts believe the slider will likely be scrapped, probably when he’s moved to the bullpen as that’s where they believe his future lies. The smart money is that he’ll spend another season as a starter in Potomac before that move is made. |
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R.C. Orlan DOB: 9/28/90 Ht. 6′ Wt. 185 Bats: L Career Stats |
Orlan came down with Nats elbow late in his junior season for UNC, but got drafted anyway in 2012, true to Washington’s form for taking risks on hurt players. He was the leading Auburn pitcher for GS and IP and posted respectable marks of 3.65/3.38/1.34. Prior to surgery, he worked in the upper 80s with the FB, mid-80s with the CT, and worked with a CH and CV. |
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David Napoli DOB: 10/3/90 Ht. 5’10” Wt. 180 Bats: R Career Stats |
Taken in the 8th Rd. out of Tulane, Napoli was the sole Doubleday named to the NYPL All-Star team. He led the Auburn relievers with a 1.14 ERA and was second in FIP at 2.48. Napoli’s heat ranges from 90-94, but his best tool is an 11-5 hammer that he can throw for either a called strike or as a chase pitch. He does, however, have a history of forearm troubles as well as a tendency to give up walks (4.7/9IP in college, 3.8 for Auburn). |
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Hector Silvestre DOB: 12/14/92 Ht. 6’3″ Wt. 180 Bats: L Career Stats |
Silvestre is a three-time watchlister, but 2013 was his first season in the GCL. Like his starboard-side counterparts, the 20-y.o. southpaw dominated with a 7-0, 1.82/2.45/0.83 mark and led the team in innings pitched. He was even called upon to make a spot start for Potomac shortly before the Carolina Lg.’s All-Star break. |
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Travis Ott DOB: 6/29/95 Ht. 6’4″ Wt. 170 Bats: L Career Stats |
No, that’s not a typo (DOB: 1995), and no, he’s not a JuCo player. Ott is one of two (2) high school picks the Nats signed in 2013. The 25th Rd. pick dominated in his senior season at Shippensburg, toss- ing a perfect game and a no-hitter while fanning nearly two per inn- ing. Ott posted a 4.03/3.54/1.24 mark in 10 appearances, with nearly half his earned runs coming in one horrific outing (1.2-3-6-6-3-2-1) on July 19. |
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Jake Walsh DOB: 1/1/91 Ht. 6’3″ Wt. 195 Bats: L Career Stats |
It’s a small sample size (17 appearances, 20⅓ IP) but combined with a bump up to Hagerstown and the usual bias that southpaws enjoy, Walsh’s numbers (1.40/2.37/0.78) were impressive. As with many of the short-season guys, his 2014 destination is very tough to project. |
Solis is a known quantity, so nothing much to add there. The other big stories here are Purke, who is about to be out of options and Ott.
What do you do with Purke after this year, when you can’t really send him down without waivers. He sure doesn’t look ready for the show in 2015, and some lousy team will definitey take him off the waiver wire.
The Ott story is fascinating. The Nats could only offer him $100,000 because of the new rules and he was only 17 when drafted. Check out his height & weight; how does he get wet in the shower? We’ll see how far along the F.O. thinks he is when we find out if starts in the GCL or Auburn. Or if he starts in Florida, how long before he heads north.
“How does he get wet in the shower?” – us ectomorphs prefer the term wirrrrrrry.
Ectomorphs(???), he says puzzled while running to get the unabridged dictionary!
Somatotypes — ectomorphs are long, lean and not prone to gaining weight; mesomorphs are muscular and broad-shouldered and can lose or gain weight easily; endomorphs are similar to mesomorphs, but have difficulty losing fat and tend to be more well-rounded. Originally, this was proposed in conjunction with personality types in the mid-20th century. The pscyhology part of the theory has generally been debunked, but nutritionists, exercise scientists, and physiologists continue to use the categories to this day.