District on Deck » Jeff Kobernus

Espinosa Has Fractured Wrist; Kobernus Called Up

Andrew Flax — Sun, 26 May 2013 02:17:19 +0000

Danny Espinosa conspiracy theorists: You were right. I’m sorry I doubted you.

May 22, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; Washington Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa (8) breaks his bat on a pitch by San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40, not pictured) during the second inning at AT

Espinosa has indeed been playing injured, having dealt with a fractured wrist since he was hit by a pitch on April 14th. He has bone chips in his arm and will miss a few days, though he is not expected to go on the disabled list. He is hitting .163/.196/.291 this season, and fans have long been searching for a reason behind his struggles. Perhaps this news will put their souls at rest.

In a corresponding move, the Nationals have called up 2B Jeff Kobernus from AAA Syracuse and designated pitcher Yunesky Maya for assignment. Kobernus is now on the Nationals 40-man roster, and Maya is removed from it. Kobernus is hitting .333/.378/.420 at AAA with 21 stolen bases, and will back up Steve Lombardozzi for as long as Espinosa is out. Maya must now go through waivers before he can return to the minors, but with his career MLB ERA north of 5.50, it seems unlikely that that will happen.

Jeff Kobernus: The Potential Wild Card For The Nationals

Jared Book — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:07:59 +0000

I was in Cuba and oblivious to the outside world on March 23, the date when the Detroit Tigers returned Rule 5 pick up Jeff Kobernus to the Washington Nationals organization. The move didn’t have the flair of J.C. Romero or of an Opening Day roster announcement so I didn’t hear about it. In fact I didn’t know it happened until I was flipping through the Game Notes of the Syracuse Chiefs this weekend and saw his name there.

February 25, 2013; Clearwater, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers second baseman Jeff Kobernus (46) hits a single in the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Bright House Networks Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Kobernus was a second round pick in 2009, and is seen as a potential utility infielder and wasn’t going to stick in Detroit, who actually traded a player to Boston for the right to see him up close. Not surprisingly, the Nationals took him back instead of trying to complete a trade. Kobernus doesn’t have the hype of an Anthony Rendon or Matt Skole but with his start so far in Syracuse, may be a better prospect than people give him credit for.

Through four games, Kobernus is 8/14 with one home run and five RBI. Not only that, but he also has drawn four walks for a pretty insane line of .571/.632/.786. Yes, it’s only four games, but last year was .282/.325/.333 in 82 games at AA Harrisburg so he isn’t completely useless with the bat. He was a piece that Washington probably wasn’t going to miss had he stuck with the Tigers but having him the organization is something that has the potential to be interesting.

The Nationals already have a utility infielder in Steve Lombardozzi who was extremely useful when the team had injuries to Jayson Werth and Ian Desmond. Having Kobernus, whose bat can still develop is a wild card the same way that having Corey Brown and Eury Perez is. You can never have too many players. The fact that Washington had so many players taken away in the Rule 5 draft is a testament to that. Kobernus may only be a bench player in the future, but his start in AAA should be raising some eyebrows.

I didn’t like the fact that Detroit had taken Kobernus, but the fact he is back in the fold and off to a strong start is nice to see. He may not have been heard of before (and maybe even after) he was taken away from the Nationals but it’s someone worth keeping an eye on.

Nationals Lose Four In Rule 5 Draft

Jared Book — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:19:00 +0000

The Washington Nationals weren’t expected to pick up any players in the Rule 5 draft today, and lost some more organizational depth when four players were picked up by other teams; two in the Major League portion and two in the AAA portion.

The Nationals lack of minor league pitching took another hit, with three pitchers being chosen by other teams in Thursday’s Rule 5 draft. [Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports]

In the Major League portion, the team lost left-handed pitcher Daniel Rosenbaum who spent last year in AA-Harrisburg. He was 8-10 with a 3.94 ERA. His FIP was slightly lower at 3.41. Rosenbaum was a 22nd round pick out of Xavier University in 2009 and 2012 was his first full season in AA. He is 25 years old and because he throws strikes and has a low ceiling, wouldn’t be rushed by getting to the Major Leagues. He doesn’t have star stuff but with a team that has struggled with pitching depth like Colorado has, he may have a chance to stick.

The Nationals also lost infielder Jeff Kobernus to the Boston Red Sox who consequently dealt him to the Detroit Tigers. Kobernus was a 2nd round pick in 2009 and spent last year in AA as well. Kobernus hit .282/.325/.333 with one home run and 19 RBI. He played in 82 games last year and it was his first action in AA. Like Rosenbaum, because he has a low ceiling and can get on base he can sneak on to a major league roster but don’t expect either of them to make a huge impact at the Major League level.

Both Rosenbaum and Kobernus will have to spend the entire season on the Major League roster or be offered back to the Nationals. Washington had lost Brad Meyers to the Yankees last year but he was returned back to the team following the season.

In the minor league portion, the Nationals lost pitcher Jack McGeary who was a 6th round pick in 2009 and has struggled with injuries since turning professional. In 6 minor league seasons, he has a 8-18 record and a 4.97 ERA between rookie leagues and A-ball. Last year he was limited to under 10 innings and had a 6.75 ERA. He was picked up by Boston.

The Dodgers picked up another pitcher in Hector Nelo. Nelo spent some time in AA last year and has a 1-6 record despite a 2.73 ERA. Nelo was a 15th round pick by the Texas Rangers and joined the Nationals organization in 2011.

The major thing that happened today was that the Nationals lost three more minor league pitchers and the depth that I thought was needed is even more apparent now as the Nationals may not even have enough pitchers to fill all of their minor league teams.

The Nationals left the Winter Meetings but I would expect a bucket load of Spring Training invites to be handed out in the next few months leading up to pitchers and catchers reporting.