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A.J. Cole DOB: 1/5/92 Ht. 6’5″ Wt. 200 Bats: R Career Stats |
Drafted in 2010, traded in 2011, reacquired in 2013… and (A) still not in the majors (B) still just 24 years old. Whether you lean towards A or B, which says more about you than him, the scouts still believe the kid’s got the Mott’s. He works with a FB/SL/CH/CV arsenal and a max velo of ~96. His two breaking pitches remain borderline average, which is a bit of a curse: He could be a big-club reliever now or sent back to AAA to (A) wait for an injury (B) further develop. |
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Lucas Giolito DOB: 07/14/94 Ht. 6’6″ Wt. 255 Bats: R Career Stats |
It would be an understatement to say that big things are expected from the Nationals No. 1 prospect since 2012. Giolito enters 2016 with purportedly no restraints after two-plus seasons of limited IP. Having seen him pitch in person at both A+ and AA in 2015, all that I can say is: The big kid is as advertised: high-90s heat, a ~1985 Gooden curve, a changeup to keep LHBs honest. He’ll probably begin 2016 in AAA, but like Harper in 2012, he might not stay long. |
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Austin Voth DOB: 6/26/92 Ht. 6’1″ Wt. 190 Bats: R Career Stats |
Voth led both the Eastern League and the Nats minors with 148 K’s and was second in the organization in IP at 157⅓. While he can dial it up to 95, he mostly works with low-90s heat and relies on his plus control to make his secondary pitches more effective. Scouts say he’ll succeed so long as he stays in command, meaning he has a small margin for error because he lacks a true out pitch. Still, they like his feel for pitching and put his ceiling as a No. 4 starter. |
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John Simms DOB: 1/17/92 Ht. 6’3″ Wt. 205 Bats: R Career Stats |
An offseason injury delayed the start of 2015 for Simms, for which the Nats dropped him back to High-A. He was roughed up early, but found his stride by mid-May. He returned to AA in late July and notched quality starts in six of eight starts. That earned him a trip to the AFL where he pitched well. Simms might just be the RH analog to former Nat Danny Rosenbaum, i.e. he doesn’t have a plus pitch but knows how to get guys out with guile and gumption. |
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Abel De Los Santos DOB: 11/21/92 Ht. 6’2″ Wt. 180 Bats: R Career Stats |
Like a Kennedy at an open bar, De Los Santos got hammered in the AFL this past fall, which may lead some to wonder why he made this list. That selection, coupled with the callup in July, is why. A former starter, De Los Santos is most likely going to remain a reliever now that he’s shown he can hit the mid-90s. The hope is that his AFL performance is a factor of fatigue, though he pitched only slightly more innings in 2015 vs. 2014. |
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Tyler Mapes DOB: 7/18/91 Ht. 6’2″ Wt. 205 Bats: R Career Stats |
This could very well be a one-and-done watchlist appearance for the 30th Rd. pick in 2014. Or he could very well be a late bloomer. Mapes split time between the bullpen (22G) and starting (8G). What’s unusual is that he was much more effective as the latter than the former, with a line of 1.29/2.88/1.22 over 42IP and 5-1 W-L mark for those that believe that matters. He turns 25 in July, so an assignment to AA seems likely… if the Nats believe in him. |
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Reynaldo Lopez DOB: 1/4/94 Ht. 6’0″ Wt. 185 Bats: R Career Stats |
A look at the stats of 2014 vs. 2015 might make one wonder what the hype is all about. For the velo whores: Yeah, Lopez can hit 98 right from the gate and touch 100. Unlike a Cole Kimball or a Hector Nelo, that’s 98 over the plate. Having watched him several times in Woodbridge, the feeling here is that Lopez was tasked with improving his offspeed stuff without regard to results. When the CV and CH came around, the production followed. Likely to start 2015 in AA. |
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Austen Williams DOB: 12/19/92 Ht. 6’3″ Wt. 220 Bats: R Career Stats |
In 2015, Williams roughly split time between Hagerstown (13GS) and Potomac (11GS) and led the Nats’ age-appropriate pitchers in wins, ERA, and WHIP. The Bob Boone Award winner features a low-90s FB, a low-80s CV, and a fringy CH. Scouts are wary of his mechanics, which they believe will hinder his command. Statistically, this seems to show with his increase in walk rate and decrease in K rate from Low- to High-A. Best bet: return to Potomac to begin ’16 then bump up. |
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Phillips Valdez DOB: 11/16/91 Ht. 6’2″ Wt. 160 Bats: R Career Stats |
Valdez is an interesting case of a reclamation project that actually worked. Signed in 2012 after pitching 2009 and 2010 in the DSL for the Indians, the 24-y.o. worked his way up to Hagerstown by 2014. He dominated Low-A until May, but got hit hard in High-A in June. While he had adjusted to the league, a glut in starters forced him to the bullpen in late July. It’s difficult to project 2016, but if he’s used as a starter, Potomac; if he sticks as a reliever, perhaps Harrisburg. |
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Andrew Lee DOB: 12/2/93 Ht. 6’5″ Wt. 225 Bats: L Career Stats |
A two-way player for University of Tennessee, Lee (or the Nationals) volunteered to be just a pitcher as a professional (though he batted .306/.388/.590 last year). The 11th Rd. pick pitched at three levels in 2015, making a single GCL appearance, five in Auburn, and ten in Hagerstown, the last five as a starter. Lee features a low-90s FB and an above-average CV and both could improve with full-time focus. A 2016 Sleeper Pick by John Sickels with a C+ grade in his debut. |
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Erick Fedde DOB: 2/25/93 Ht. 6’4″ Wt. 180 Bats: R Career Stats |
Giolito, redux? Well, maybe not but the Nats and their fans sure like the parallels of a high-upside RHP for whom they hope UCL replace- ment is a bump in the road to DC. Fedde split time between SS-A and and Low-A in 2015 and turned in 64 innings in 14 starts, with mixed success. Fedde features a low-90s, sinking fastball that he locates well, a low-80s slider that’s improving, and a changeup that’s in progress. Either Hagerstown or Potomac to begin the 2016 season is possible. |
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Koda Glover DOB: 4/13/93 Ht. 6’5″ Wt. 225 Bats: R Career Stats |
If you believe in “looking like a closer,” Glover fits the bill. But he also has the size and the high-90s/high-80s fastball/slider combo that’s in demand for the so-called role. More importantly, he throws strikes and gets strikeouts without a lot of walks (38 and 2 respectively in 30IP last summer). Scouts love how he attacks opposing batters and his demeanor on the mound. Given his age, his usage, and his results thus far, it seems likely that he’ll be in Woodbridge in April 2016. |
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Mariano Rivera III DOB: 10/4/93 Ht. 5’11” Wt. 155 Bats: R Career Stats |
Son of the legendary Yankee pitcher, Rivera3 was hit hard as a starter for Auburn (1.098 OPS vs.) then moved to the bullpen, where he was much better (.652). Sorry, kids, the younger Rivera does not throw the signature cutter — he’s a FB/CV pitcher with a splitter used as a CH and some reports say a slider. He can hit the mid-90’s with the heat. A 2016 start in the Suns bullpen is probably the best bet. |
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Tommy Peterson DOB: 10/11/93 Ht. 6’1″ Wt. 205 Bats: R Career Stats |
Peterson has already come down with Nationals elbow (2013), so it would appear they’re looking to fast-track him as (yet another) hard- throwing RHRP as he made stops in the GCL, Auburn, and Hagers- town in 2015. He put up a pitcher’s line of 2.66/2.83/1.23 for the Doubledays, pitching 20⅓ of his 27⅓ IP in 2015. The 12th Rd. pick out would seem to be a candidate to return to the Suns to begin ’16. |
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Matthew DeRosier DOB: 7/13/94 Ht. 6’2″ Wt. 200 Bats: R Career Stats |
DeRosier was the statistically best pitcher on the 2015 G-Nats, which means we’re scouting by boxscore. However, the 21-y.o. has had difficulty breaking through when he’s gotten the bump to Auburn (6.75 ERA in 30⅔ IP between 2014 and 2015). Thus, it’s hard to not see him in upstate New York for a third straight summer. |
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Maximo Valerio DOB: 7/22/95 Ht. 6’2″ Wt. 175 Bats: R Career Stats |
Valerio makes his third watchlist (2013, 2014) after splitting time between the GCL and the NYPL in 2015. The 20-y.o. also made three starts (after making none in 2014) which leads to the inference that he may return to starting, which he did exclusively in the DSL. Hagerstown in 2016 is possible but so is a return to Aubrn. |