Washington Nationals Minor Leagues: Players Of The Week (4/27-5/3)
Mar 27, 2015; Melbourne, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong (16) turns a double play over Washington Nationals Tony Gwynn Jr at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports
We are back with another edition of Minor League Monday, the third installment of this series for the 2015 season. Each Monday, we take you around the Washington Nationals farm system giving you the top players at each affiliate for that week’s action.
Two key prospects were promoted in the farm system to double-A Harrisburg. Those players were pitcher Brian Rauh, who won Pitcher Of The Week in the Carolina League last week and shortstop Wilmer Difo. Anthony Rendon did resume his rehab with the Senators on Friday, playing five innings and going 0-for-2 with a walk. However, Rendon has been out the last couple of days due to a side issue.
More from Nationals Prospects
- Washington Nationals Minor League Spotlight: Robert Hassell III
- Washington Nationals Tuesday Q&A
- Washington Nationals find Success in First Draft Lottery
- Washington Nationals: Non-Tendering Erick Fedde Highlights Nats’ Draft Misses
- CJ Abrams: Franchise Shortstop
This week also featured two players that made their major league debuts. On Tuesday, A.J. Cole got the start in place of the injured Max Scherzer. Cole didn’t throw many offspeed pitches and gave up nine runs (four earned runs) in two innings of work. However, Washington was able to bail him out by coming from behind to beat Atlanta, 13-12.
On the positive side, Sammy Solis came in out of the bullpen against the Mets on Thursday for his major league debut. Solis was called up along with outfielder Michael Taylor. In that game, he went two innings, gave up no runs on one hit, and had one strikeout. During the outing, he struck out Curtis Granderson with a 96 mile per hour fastball.
As for Trea Turner, he rebounded after a rough week last week to put up good numbers. In four games, Turner went 6-for-16 with a home run (two-run shot hit on Saturday night), five RBI’s, and five runs scored for the San Antonio Missions (double-A) in the Texas League. Plus, Major League baseball put in a new rule this past week that allows teams to trade drafted players six months after the draft, preventing other players from being in limbo like Turner is right now.
So, without further adieu, here are the hitters and pitchers of the week across all four minor league affiliates:
Next: Triple-A
Syracuse Chiefs (10-14)
Hitter Of The Week: SS Jason Martinson (.275, 4 HR, 10 RBI’s)
This week, the Chiefs offense put up 24 runs over the course of six games, but they had a tough time scoring runs at the beginning of the week before sweeping the Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians). As usual, Martinson continues to be one of the Chiefs best offensive hitters at the plate.
This week, he collected six hits, including two home runs. He leads the team in homers and is tied for second in the International League behind Chris Colabello and Matt Davidson. Plus, the 26-year old shortstop still leads the team in hits with 22, four ahead of fellow shortstop Emmanuel Burriss.
Honorable Mention: OF Tony Gwynn Jr. (.192, 1 HR, 5 RBI’s)
Yes, the 32-year old outfielder does not have the average that you would like to see early on. However, Gwynn was one of the key offensive players during the team’s sweep of Columbus. In three games, he went 6-for-12 with a home run and four RBI’s. His breakout game of the week came on Saturday when he hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning to give the Chiefs the lead.
After Nick Swisher tied the game in the top of the ninth with a home run, Gwynn Jr. would produce a walk-off single in the bottom half of the inning to get Syracuse the win. With Michael Taylor now with the Nationals again , this will give Gwynn Jr. the opportunity to get more playing time and further his development. Despite the low batting average, he is tied with Ian Stewart (who homered this week) for third on the team in hits (17).
Pitcher Of The Week: SP Richard Bleier (1-1, 2.45 ERA)
You have to give Bleier, the sixth round pick of the Texas Rangers in the 2008 MLB Draft, a lot of credit. He received the start in place of A.J. Cole last Tuesday due to Cole being called up to the big leagues. On three days rest, he went six innings against a very good lineup in Pawtucket, gave up one run on six hits, struck out three, and walked none in a win.
This season, Bleier has appeared in five games (three starts) and has not given up more than two earned runs in any outing and has walked just one batter. Last season, the left-hander was with the Blue Jays organization, mainly pitching in double-A. He went 6-5 in 34 games (five starts) with a 3.93 ERA. As for Cole, he will be back on the mound tonight when the Chiefs begin a series against the Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles).
Honorable Mention: RP Rich Hill (2-1, 0.82)
Hill is the honorable mention for the second time in three weeks, but for good reason. The more Hill continues to produce, the more likely Washington could call him up should an injury occur to one of the lefties. Hill threw 4.1 innings in three appearances this week out of the bullpen and did not give up a single earned run. He struck out nine batters and walked two.
This season, Hill has 19 strikeouts in 11 appearances out of the ‘pen. Those 19 K’s are three more than any other Chief (Scott McGregor has 16). While Hill is a veteran trying to make one more good impression, this is a player that the team can rely on in the early stages to get the tough lefties out in some big spots.
Next: Double-A
Hitter Of The Week: 3B Rick Hague (.317, 0 HR, 7 RBI’s)
While Rick Hague has yet to hit a home run in 21 games this season, he has shown the ability to rack up the extra base. Eight of his 19 hits this season have been doubles. This week, the Nationals third round pick in the 2010 MLB Draft out of Rice University had six hits and drove in three runs. He will enter Monday night’s action on a four game hitting streak.
Hague is second on the team in batting average and third in slugging percentage. This is his third season playing for the Senators. Last season, he hit .231 in 101 games with four home runs and 27 RBI’s. Is the third season going to be the charm for Hague? We will find out.
Honorable Mention: C Pedro Severino (.305, 2 HR, 12 RBI’s)
This week, Severino is back in this weekly piece because of the great game he had on Monday night against the New Britain Rock Cats. The 21-year old catcher went 3-for-4, hit two home runs, and drove in three runs in the team’s 13-6 loss. In that series against New Britain (Colorado Rockies), Severino had back-to-back three hit games. He was on his own four game hit streak before going 0-for-3 against the Bowie Bay Sox on Sunday.
According to Baseball Reference, Severino is off to a great start in the field as well. He has thrown out 69% of baserunners who were trying to steal on him. Plus, he has yet to commit an error or allow a passed ball. There is a reason why Severino is one of the top catchers in the Nats organization and he started to show off some of the power this past week.
Pitcher Of The Week: SP Austin Voth (2-1, 3.77)
Last week, the ace of the Harrisburg Senators was not in this article because of the rough outing he had against Reading. In that outing on April 24, he gave up seven runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings. On Wednesday, Voth was able to bounce back and in a big way. In six innings against New Hampshire, he gave up no earned runs (two runs) on five hits, struck out six and walked two.
He would get the no decision in that game as Harrisburg would rally from 2-0 down in the bottom of the ninth to win on a walk-off walk by Brian Goodwin. Voth has been the innings eater for the Senators rotation. His 28.2 innings is tied for second in the Eastern League. When you have a pitcher that has given up a little over two earned runs per start, you will usually be in every ball game.
Honorable Mention: SP Tim Alderson (1-0, 2.19)
Alderson makes the list for the second week in a row after the good start he had on Tuesday against New Britain. In that outing, the 26-year-old went seven innings for the second consecutive start, gave up one run on six hits, walked one, and struck out four. He was in line for his second win of the season until the Rock Cats scored three runs against the Senators bullpen in the top of the ninth.
What was impressive about Alderson’s outing was that he threw 102 pitches (63 for strikes). He is top 15 in the Eastern League in ERA and he has given up only one earned run in his last 14 innings of work. It will be interesting to see if the Rock Cats make any adjustments as Harrisburg heads there for a three game series to begin the week. However, the Senators bullpen has been the weakness for the team as the Sens gave up a walk-off grand slam in their 11-9 loss to Bowie on Sunday afternoon.
Next: High-A
Hitter Of The Week: OF Isaac Ballou (.293, 2 HR, 11 RBI’s)
With Wilmer Difo now up at double-A Harrisburg, more eyes will be on Potomac’s 25-year old left fielder. Ballou, who is tied with Difo for the most hits at Potomac, is only three hits shy of the league lead. This week, he had 10 hits, including three straight games of two or more hits to begin the week. He had four RBI’s this week, to put his total at 11, which is fourth on the team.
When you rack up the hits like Ballou does, you are going to have a good on-base percentage. His .378 on-base percentage is second on the team, only behind Spencer Kieboom in terms of players still on the roster. Plus, his defense has stood out in terms of the ability not to make many mistakes. He is one of two players (James Yezzo being the other) that have played in 15 or more games, but have yet to make an error.
Honorable Mention: 1B John Wooten (.225, 1 HR, 6 RBI’s)
While the first baseman’s average is lower than what you would like to be, Wooten had one of the best games of the week of any Potomac player. Last Thursday, against the Winston-Salem Dash, he went 4-for-5 with a double in the team’s 5-4 win. Wooten has 16 hits on the season, which is fourth on the team behind Ballou, Ward, and second baseman Christopher Bostick.
Wooten, who was selected by the Athletics in the 37th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, played the majority of his games (72) at Hagerstown last season, where he hit .309 with eight home runs and had 54 RBI’s. After the game on Thursday, the 24-year-old raised his batting average from .208 to .259.
Pitcher Of The Week: RP Dakota Bacus (0-0, 3.21)
The 24-year old reliever has mainly been the closer for Potomac this season as he has recorded two saves in as many chances. However, on Thursday, Bacus got the start against Winston-Salem and kept the opponent off the scoreboard. In four innings, he gave up no runs on five hits, struck out five, and did not walk a batter.
Bacus has made three starts and saved the other appearances he was in. However, when you look at his numbers so far, opponents are hitting .200 against him as a reliever compared to .262 as a starter. Plus, four of his five walks came as a starter. Bacus did not get the win Thursday, but give credit to him and the six strikeouts by Jake Johansen in relief (who did get the win).
Honorable Mention: RP David Napoli (1-0, 4.50)
This week, we are giving a lot of mention to the relievers in the Potomac bullpen. The 24-year old lefty was the 8th round pick of the Nats in the 2013 MLB Draft. This week, he made two appearances out of the bullpen. In 4.1 innings, he gave no runs on two hits, walked one, and struck out three. After giving up four runs in his first game of the season, he has not given up a run in his last four outings.
Last season, Napoli went 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA in 18 appearances with the Hagerstown Suns. He struck out 31 batters in 32 innings of work and held opponents to a .171 batting average. By the way, in three years in the Nationals system, Napoli has yet to lose a game.
Next: Low-A
Hitter Of The Week: 2B Austin Davidson (.164, 2 HR, 8 RBI’s)
The 22-year old second baseman only has 11 hits on the season thru 21 games and only had one game where he had a hit in four spots last week. However, he made sure that game would count. On April 28, against the West Virginia Power, as part of a doubleheader, Davidson went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three of the team’s six RBI’s that day.
Despite Davidson’s struggles at the plate, one of the things he has done well to start the season is his ability to draw the base on balls. He has eight walks this season, which is second on the team behind outfielder Dale Carey. Plus, his eight RBI’s is fourth on the team. Last season, with the Auburn Doubledays (New York-Penn League), he hit .248 with two home runs and 22 RBI’s.
Honorable Mention: 1B Jose Marmolejos-Diaz (.240, 3 HR, 11 RBI’s)
Marmolejos-Diaz makes this article for the second time this season as he has been one of the best offensive players at Hagerstown so far. This week, he had six hits, which all came in two games. Like Wooten in Potomac, Diaz went 4-for-5 on Sunday against the Greenville Drive (Boston Red Sox). In addition to the six hits, the first baseman drove in three runs over the course of this week.
The left-handed first baseman leads the team in home runs, slugging percentage, and .OPS thru his first 21 games of the season. His 18 hits are second on the team behind Grant DeBruin (22).
Pitcher Of The Week: SP Connor Bach (0-0, 4.50)
While Bach did not get the win on April 28 and has yet to record a win this season, the 22-year old lefty put up his best outing of the season on April 28 against West Virginia. In four innings of work, he gave up two runs on two hits, walked three batters, and struck out eight in a no-decision. The Suns would go on to win that game, the same one in which Davidson had four hits.
The 21st round pick in last year’s draft has averaged four strikeouts per outing. He gets the start this afternoon against the Salem Red Sox, but one of the things you have to keep an eye on with Bach is the walks. He has eight walks in 18 innings, which is tied for the most on the team. He showed the strikeout capabilities in his last start. Now, it is time to see if he can control those pitches.
Honorable Mention: SP Phillips Valdez (2-1, 1.29)
Valdez continues to make the headlines on this Hagerstown pitching staff. The Suns only won two games this past week, but one of those was in Valdez’s start. That game occurred on May 1 against the Greenville Drive. In six innings, Valdez held the Drive offense to two hits and struck out four batters without walking anyone.
The 23-year old righty has not walked a batter or given up a run in his last three starts. He is second on the team in innings (21) behind Austen Williams (3-1, 1.71). He is fourth on the team in strikeouts (15) and his WHIP is very low. His 0.86 WHIP is second on the team and fourth in the entire South Atlantic League.