Washington Nationals 2015 Player Review: Sammy Solis

We continue our player review series at District on Deck by looking back at the season of one of the Nats’ rookies out of the bullpen, Sammy Solis. Before the 2015 season began, Solis had only gone as far as double-A Harrisburg in the Nats system (one game). However, due to injuries, the Washington Nationals had to rely on him in some big situations at times. The 27-year-old left-hander appeared in 18 Major League games this season and went 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA.

After making three appearances with the Senators in April, the Nats called up Solis to the big leagues on April 29. He made his Major League debut on April 30 against the Mets and gave up no runs on one hit and struck out one batter over two innings of work. During the month of May, Solis had a couple bad outings, including giving up four runs in two innings against the Diamondbacks on May 12.

More from District on Deck

• Washington Nationals Tuesday Q&A
• 3 Free Agents the Nationals Should Gamble On
• A Washington Nationals Christmas Wishlist
• Washington Nationals: Is Seth Lugo Still an Option?
• Robots in Baseball? The Possibility of an Automated Ball/Strike System in the MLB

At the end of the month, the Nats’ second round pick in the 2010 draft went on the disabled list because of shoulder soreness. He would end up going back to Harrisburg in June. While he did save two games in three chances, he had a 9.72 ERA in seven June appearances.

In July, Solis played one game in Harrisburg before being called back up to the Nats. In five July appearances for the Nats, he gave up three earned runs and he was then sent back to Syracuse when the trade happened for Jonathan Papelbon. But, during the month of August, the left-hander had a 2.03 ERA in nine games, converted both of his save chances, and held opposing hitters to a .178 batting average.

More from Nationals News

• Washington Nationals Tuesday Q&A
• A Washington Nationals Christmas Wishlist
• Robots in Baseball? The Possibility of an Automated Ball/Strike System in the MLB
• Washington Nationals Re-Sign RHP Erasmo Ramirez
• Washington Nationals Sign RHP Trevor Williams

When Solis came back to the Nationals in September, he ended his 2015 season on a great note. Over the last 8.1 innings of his season, he did not give up an earned run, struck out eight batters, and did not walk anyone. His best appearance came on September 3 against the Braves when he threw two hitless innings of relief and struck out four in a 15-1 Nats win.

Solis’ fastball averaged out at 93 miles per hour this season (according to Fangraphs) and he also threw a curveball and changeup. However, he used his fastball over 72 percent of the time.

All in all, Solis had a good first season in the big leagues. He was able to gain some valuable experience and he got better as the season went on. He doesn’t strike out many batters, but he does a good job of pitching to contact and he doesn’t give up many home runs (two). Keep an eye on Solis when Spring Training comes around in February.