Washington Nationals Minor Leagues: Players Of The Week (6/1-6/7)

It’s Monday, which means it is time for another edition of Minor League Monday. This is where we look back at the best performances by hitters and pitchers in the Washington Nationals farm system over the past week. Tonight, there will be two new players that will be members of the Nats farm system. In tonight’s MLB Draft, which you can watch on MLB Network, the Nationals have two picks in the top 70 (pick 58 and pick 69).

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• Washington Nationals find Success in First Draft Lottery
• Washington Nationals: Non-Tendering Erick Fedde Highlights Nats’ Draft Misses
• CJ Abrams: Franchise Shortstop

While those two players that the Nats pick might take a while to get to the big leagues, one double-A prospect made his Major League Debut this week. Joe Ross, a 22-year-old right-hander, made his debut Saturday afternoon when he got the start against the Cubs. Even though he took the loss, he pitched well. In five innings, he gave up three runs on six hits, struck out four, and did not walk a batter. It remains to be seen if Ross will stay in the rotation, but you have to think he made a good first impression.

Two Nationals pitchers made their first rehab starts on Sunday as they look to make their return to the big league club. At triple-A Syracuse, Doug Fister went 3.2 innings pitched, gave up two runs on seven hits, struck out six, and walked none. In double-A, it was Sammy Solis who got the start for Harrisburg, but he gave up three runs in the first inning.

Finally, this week will likely be the final week that Trea Turner is a member of the San Diego Padres. The Pads top pick from a year ago is expected to join the Nationals organization this Sunday. This past week, Turner was 7-for-28 with three RBI’s. He is hitting .322 on the season with five home runs and 30 RBI’s for double-A San Antonio.

Before the draft takes place tonight, let’s look at who were some of the best players in the Nats farm system this week:

Next: Triple-A

Syracuse Chiefs (18-39)

Hitter Of The Week: RF Darin Mastroianni (.252, 0 HR, 8 RBI’s)

Mastroianni was one of the more recent acquisitions by the Washington Nationals. Last month, the Nats acquired the 29-year-old outfielder in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies. This past week, Mastroianni was able to find his way on base as the Chiefs leadoff hitter. He went 9-for-28 with four runs batted in.

On Saturday against Pawtucket, when the Chiefs finally snapped their 12-game losing streak, he went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, three runs scored, and a RBI. Mastroianni is also the team’s best baserunner in terms of stolen bases. He has ten stolen bases in 12 attempts this season, which is the most on the team (one ahead of Emmanuel Burris).

Honorable Mention: CF Tony Gwynn Jr. (.249, 1 HR, 18 RBI’s)

Right now, the Chiefs’ 32-year-old center fielder seems to be locked in at the plate. He recorded at least one hit in six of the seven games Syracuse played this week. Gwynn Jr. went 10-for-27 at the plate this week with four RBI’s.

His best game of the week came on June 5 against Scranton Wilkes-Barre (New York Yankees). In that game, he went 3-for-4 with a triple. In seven games this month, Gwynn Jr. is hitting .423 with no home runs and five RBI’s. While his average stands at below .250, Gwynn Jr. could be a player that gets on a hot streak for an extended period of time.

Pitcher Of The Week: SP P.J. Walters (1-0, 5.14 ERA)

Whenever you are the pitcher that is on the mound when a team stops a 12-game losing streak, you deserve to be the pitcher of the week. That is the case for 30-year-old right-hander P.J. Walters. Walters, who was acquired by the Nationals from the Dodgers last Monday, made his Syracuse debut Saturday against Pawtucket (Boston Red Sox). In that start, he went seven innings, gave up three runs on four hits, struck out ten, and walked one in the win.

While Walters has given up four runs or more in three of his last four starts, the Chiefs need him in the rotation for depth because most of their key pitchers are with the Nationals. The problem Walters had on last Saturday was he gave up three home runs and he has given up six home runs in his last four starts. Last season, the right-hander went 7-9 with a 4.82 ERA in 27 combined minor league starts.

Honorable Mention: SP Paolo Espino (1-0, 1.74)

Since coming from double-A to triple-A, Paolo Espino has been one of the more solid pitchers in the rotation. In his last start against Scranton Wilkes-Barre on Friday, Espino went seven innings, gave up two runs on six hits, struck out five, and did not walk anyone.

While the right-hander got the no-decision in a Syracuse loss in extra innings, Espino has given length to the rotation and not giving up many runs. He has gone six innings or more in a start in three of his last four outings. Plus, he has not given up more than three runs in any start. Finally, his control of his pitches has been very good. He has not walked one batter in three of his last four starts.

Next: Double-A

Harrisburg Senators (22-33)

 Hitter Of The Week: 3B Matt Skole (.191, 8 HR, 24 RBI’s)

The Senators had a tough time scoring this runs this past week, but third baseman Matt Skole found a way to drive in runs. In four games this week, the 25-year-old only had three hits, but one of them went over the fence. On June 4, against the Akron Rubberducks (Cleveland Indians), Skole hit a solo shot in the second inning for his eighth of the season.

That home run was the first for Skole since he hit two home runs against Binghamton (New York Mets) on May 19. Skole is hoping that the month of June goes better for him than what happened in May, when he hit a mere .187. Of course, on a team that doesn’t have much power hitting (24 home runs), Skole’s power is essential.

Honorable Mention: C Pedro Severino (.243, 2 HR, 17 RBI’s)

The 21-year-old catcher has recorded at least one hit in each of his last four games. Yesterday, Severino went 2-for-4 against the Trenton Thunder with a pair of RBI’s. Out of his five hits this week, two of them went for extra bases.

After hitting .321 in the month of April, Severino had a rough May as he hit a mere .159 in 20 games. His on-base percentage is only at .295, but he is still one of the top young catchers in the Nationals organization. Even though he has struggled at the plate, his defense has been good. He has only allowed two passed balls and has thrown out 41% of runners trying to steal, according to Baseball Reference.

Pitcher Of The Week: SP Richard Bleier (3-1, 3.46)

Normally, minor league doubleheaders have each team play two seven-inning games. On June 3, against Akron, Richard Bleier went one inning above that. Bleier got the no-decision in Harrisburg’s 2-1 nine-inning win, but he was excellent. In eight innings, he gave up no runs on seven hits, struck out one, and walked one on 99 pitches (65 strikes).

Since coming to Harrisburg, Bleier has been one of the best pitchers in this rotation. He had a rough game against the Richmond Flying Squirrels on May 27, but aside from that, he has two eight-inning, no run performances in his last three starts. If you span out his performances from Syracuse as well, the left-hander has given up two runs or fewer in eight of his last ten starts.

Honorable Mention: SP Matthew Spann (2-5, 3.38)

Spann has gone back-and-forth between Potomac, Harrisburg, and Syracuse this season, but he has had good starts at all three levels. That didn’t change when he made his start Saturday against Trenton. In that game, the 24-year-old left-hander gave up no earned runs (one unearned run) on five hits, struck out six and walked two on 100 pitches (63 strikes).

Even though it has been on different levels, Spann has given whichever he has pitched for length in ball games. He has gone six innings or more in seven of his last eight starts and has given up two earned runs or fewer in five of his last six. His six strikeouts on June 6 tied a season-high. Spann got the start because Joe Ross was making his debut for the Nationals.

Next: High-A

Potomac Nationals (25-31)

Hitter Of The Week: 1B John Wooten (.249, 1 HR, 17 RBI’s)

This past week, first baseman John Wooten was tearing it up with all the hits he had for the Nationals’ high-A club. Wooten was 12-for-23 at the plate with seven doubles and five RBI’s. He had multi-hit games in five of his six starts this week, including two three-hit games.

His best game of the past week came on June 1 against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs). In a 4-3, 11-inning win, Wooten was 3-for-5 with a couple of doubles and two RBI’s. This week was need for Wooten after a month of May in which he hit .177 in 27 games. Keep in mind that he had six RBI’s in each of the first two months. He had five last week.

Honorable Mention: 3B Drew Ward (.254, 3 HR, 23 RBI’s)

Like Wooten, Ward had a three-hit performance as well back on June 1 against the Pelicans. In six games last week, the 20-year-old third baseman went 10-for-25 with a home run and a RBI. That home run was a solo shot against the Salem Red Sox (Boston Red Sox) on June 5.

Ward, who is valued as one of the best third baseman in the organization, had a difficult month of May. He hit .193 with two home runs and eight RBI’s. Even with those struggles, he leads the team in RBI’s and is third in on-base percentage (.343). This is a good sign to see Ward bounce back to start his month of June after a difficult May.

Pitcher Of The Week: SP Reynaldo Lopez (3-2, 3.69)

This past week, 21-year-old Reynaldo Lopez had a good bounce back start against Salem on June 5. After giving up five runs in back-to-back outings, Lopez gave up only two runs on three hits in seven innings of work against the high-A Red Sox. He struck out four and walked two in the victory.

In that outing, Lopez did an excellent job in terms of drawing ten groundball outs from opposing hitters out of the 26 batters he faced. In six starts this season, Lopez has 25 strikeouts and nine walks and has gone six innings or more in three of his last six starts.

Honorable Mention: SP Lucas Giolito (1-4, 4.59)

Even though Giolito had a rocky start yesterday against Salem, the reason Giolito makes the slideshow this week is because of his outing on June 1 against Myrtle Beach. After giving up six runs (three earned) in five innings against them on May 25, he was able to make adjustments and give up only two hits in five innings while striking out nine hitters.

Despite the 20-year-old’s bad record in terms of wins and losses, Giolito has made a good impression with his strikeout stuff. He has 46 strikeouts in six games, including eight in the loss on Sunday. That total is two behind Nick Pivetta for the team lead. Pivetta has 48 strikeouts in 11 outings.

Next: Low-A