Washington Nationals Minor League Players Of The Week: (7/13-7/19)

Feb 24, 2014; Viera, FL, USA; Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo watches the spring training action at space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

It’s Monday, which means it is time for another edition of Minor League Monday. This is where we take a look back at some of the players in the Washington Nationals farm system that had great performances at the plate and on the mound this week. The big story in the Nats farm system this week was the appearance of most of the Major Leaguers, who were on rehab assignments.

Anthony Rendon went 2-for-2 on Saturday for Potomac in his lone game. Jayson Werth went 2-for-7 in three games with Potomac this weekend. Werth will begin a rehab stint for triple-A Syracuse tonight, when they take on Toronto’s triple-A affiliate in Buffalo. Rendon, on the other hand, will stay in Potomac as the Nationals are on the road against Frederick (O’s high-A affiliate). Finally, yesterday marked the first game for Ryan Zimmerman at double-A Harrisburg. He went 1-for-2 against Baltimore’s double-A affiliate in Bowie.

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While there were some rehab assignments this week, there were some call-ups as well. For short-season Auburn, center fielder Victor Robles made his New York-Penn league debut yesterday. The 18-year-old was hitting .370 with a .484 on-base percentage in the Gulf Coast. He went 3-for-5 with a triple and two RBI’s in a loss to West Virginia.

There will be one Nationals’ prospect that will be joining the big league club tonight. According to Ben Nicholson of SportsNet.CA, reliever Abel De Los Santos has been called up by the Nats. With De Los Santos coming up, Blake Treinen was sent down to triple-A Syracuse. The 22-year-old has not given up a run in his last nine appearances. The Nats got De Los Santos along with second baseman Christopher Bostick from the Rangers this winter when they sent Ross Detwiler to Texas.

Here are the hitters and pitchers of the week at the Nats’ five major affiliates. Stats are as of Sunday, July 19:

Next: Triple-A

(Photo Credit: MILB.com)

Syracuse Chiefs (38-58)

Hitter Of The Week: 3B Chris Nelson (.284, 2 HR, 12 RBI’s)

For the first time this season, Chris Nelson works his way into the top hitters of the week. He is a 29-year-old that has bounced around numerous teams, but he had a good series this past weekend against the Gwinnett Braves. He went 6-for-11 at the plate with a home run and four RBI’s.

Nelson’s home run was a two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth inning yesterday that gave the Chiefs a 4-3 lead. Syracuse would win that game 5-3 thanks to three RBI’s from Nelson. He is hitting .327 in 16 games this month with two home runs and ten RBI’s.

Honorable Mention: SS Josh Johnson (.231, 1 HR, 14 RBI’s)

Johnson has had a rough season numbers wise for Syracuse, but he did go 3-for-7 at the plate with three RBI’s against Gwinnett. Johnson’s big moment this past week occurred on Saturday. The Chiefs were down 5-0 in that game after the first inning, but Johnson capped the comeback with a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the ninth to win the game, 7-6.

The 29-year-old infielder has been with the Nationals’ organization since 2010. In 11 games this month, Johnson is hitting .290 with no home runs and five RBI’s.

Pitcher Of The Week: SP Joe Ross (3-1, 2.19 ERA)

Since coming to triple-A after a short stint with the Nationals, Ross has struck out just 15 batters in five starts, but he has kept the same command he showed with the big league club. In his last start on Thursday against Gwinnett, Ross went five innings, gave up no runs on two hits, struck out three, and did not walk a batter.

While the 22-year-old has only thrown a maximum of five innings in each of his starts, he has given up a total of six runs. Ross could receive a callup back to the Nats real soon. The team has announced their starter for tomorrow against the Mets and Tanner Roark pitched Friday and part of Saturday because of the faulty lights at Nats Park.

Honorable Mention: SP Paolo Espino (3-3, 2.71)

Espino made his first start since July 7 yesterday after making a brief one-inning relief appearance against Rochester on July 12. Against Gwinnett, Espino went six innings, gave up three runs on five hits, struck out two, and did not walk a batter. With that outing, he recorded his first win since June 22 against Charlotte (five appearances).

The 28-year-old right-hander had an impressive June when he had a 2.16 ERA in five starts. However, July has not been as kind to him. In four appearances, he is 1-2 with a 4.66 ERA and has given up three runs or more in his last three starts.

Next: Double-A

(Photo Credit: MILB.com)

Potomac Nationals (44-48)

Hitter Of The Week: Khayyan Norfork (.263, 1 HR, 15 RBI’s)

This past week, the Nationals’ high-A affiliate had a tough time scoring runs. Despite the lack of offense, Norfork was still able to put up some good performances at the plate. He went 6-for-18 at the plate with his best performance coming against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs).

In that game, he went 3-for-4 at the plate with a triple and a run scored, but Potomac lost the game 5-2. The 26-year-old is hitting .327 in 14 games this month with three RBI’s and a .353 on-base percentage.

Honorable Mention: C Spencer Kieboom (.250, 1 HR, 23 RBI’s)

The 24-year-old catcher only had a hit in one game this week (July 18 against Myrtle Beach), but he went 2-for-4 in that game with a double in Potomac’s 7-4 loss. The only other players who had RBI’s in that contest were Estarlin Martinez and Jayson Werth.

Kieboom could possibly use that two-hit game to his advantage because he has had a rough month of July. He is hitting .200 in 12 games with five RBI’s, but his five RBI’s are the most he has driven in during one particular month since April (11).

Pitcher Of The Week: SP Austen Williams (1-1, 1.64)

After an impressive stint at low-A Hagerstown, Williams has had a good showing in his first two starts for the Nats’ high-A affiliate. In 11 innings, he has given up two runs on six hits and struck out five batters. While he did get the loss in his start on Thursday against Myrtle Beach, he still put up a solid outing.

The 22-year-old right-hander went five innings, gave up one run (earned runs) on three hits, struck out three batters, and walked one. In his first two outings, opponents are hitting .158 against Williams. It is early, but one thing that stands out about Williams is his ability to go to the next level and put together a couple solid outings in a row, even though Potomac lost that game 1-0.

Honorable Mention: RP Justin Amlung (1-0, 2.13 ERA)

In a week where Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez did not have their best performances, our honorable mention goes to a reliever who had two solid games. In seven innings pitched, the 25-year-old Amlung gave up one hit over seven innings, struck out four, and did not walk a batter.

Since making his Carolina League debut on June 21, Amlung has not walked a batter in five of his six games and has held his opponents to a .143 average. The right-hander began his season at low-A Hagerstown, where he went 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA in 11 games.

Next: Low-A

(Photo Credit: MILB.com)

Hagerstown Suns (47-45)

Hitter Of The Week: 1B Jose Marmolejos-Diaz (.275, 6 HR, 50 RBI’s)

Marmolejos-Diaz had been one of the best, if not the best player for the Suns offense all season long. This past week, against West Virginia and Kannapolis, the 22-year-old first baseman did only have five hits in 18 at-bats, but he had five RBI’s. Four of those RBI’s came in the three games against Kannapolis, a series that concluded earlier today.

Out of the five hits that he had, two of them were doubles. Marmolejos-Diaz has 50 RBI’s, which is eighth in the South Atlantic League. He is hitting .258 this month with no home runs and 12 RBI’s.

Honorable Mention: 2B Bryan Mejia (.324, 3 HR, 11 RBI’s)

This past week, the 21-year-old second baseman went 7-for-22 at the plate, but he did have three multi-hit games in the games in which he got a hit. His best performance of the week came on July 15 against the West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates). In that game, he went 3-for-3 with a double. Those three hits were the only hits the team would have in the seven inning game, since it was Game two of a doubleheader.

Mejia has had 24 hits with the Hagerstown Suns and nine of them are for extra bases. He has four doubles, two triples, and three home runs. Plus, he has a .342 on-base percentage.

Pitcher Of The Week: P David Napoli (4-3, 3.27)

It’s not often that you see two relievers make the pitcher of the week. De Los Santos is our pitcher of the week, but Napoli gets that honor this week for Hagerstown because he got a win in both games he appeared in. He gave up no runs on two hits in 4.2 innings, struck out four batters, and walked one.

The 24-year-old right-hander went two innings yesterday against the Kannapolis Intimidators (Chicago White Sox) and struck out three batters in the win. In six appearances this month, Napoli is 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA.

Honorable Mention: P Connor Bach (3-1, 3.39)

In his lone start of the week against the West Virginia Power on July 16, Bach went six innings, gave up two hits, struck out six batters, and walked four in a 5-0 win for the Suns. Bach has not given up a run in three of his last four appearances.

Despite not giving up many runs, the walks continue to be a problem for the 23-year-old. He has walked at least three batters in each of his last three starts (ten total). His 40 walks this season are sixth in the South Atlantic League. However, in three starts this month, Bach is 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA.

Next: New-York Penn League

(Photo Credit: Grading On The Curve)

Auburn Doubledays (12-16)

Hitter Of The Week: OF Rhett Wiseman (.306, 3 HR, 9 RBI’s)

Wiseman was the Nationals’ third round pick in this year’s draft out of Vanderbilt University. Today. Wiseman was named hitter of the week in the New-York Penn League. In 25 at-bats this week, he had nine hits, including two home runs, and drove in seven runs.

The 21-year-old’s best performance of the week came on July 17 against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland Indians). In that game, Wiseman went 2-for-3 and had a three-run homer in the top of the first inning in Auburn’s 6-3 rain-shortened win. In ten games with Auburn, Wiseman has a .422 on-base percentage.

Honorable Mention: OF Andrew Stevenson (.361, 0 HR, 9 RBI’s)

While one of the Nats’ second round picks in this year’s draft has not played in a game since July 17, Stevenson still had a good week in the games that he did play in. He went 7-for-15 at the plate with three RBI’s. He had an RBI in all three games of Auburn’s series against Mahoning Valley.

His best game of the week occurred on July 13 against the Staten Island Yankees. In that game, he went 3-for-5 at the plate with a double. The 21-year-old has recorded at least one hit in 16 out of the 18 games he has played in and is currently on a 13-game hit streak.

Pitcher Of The Week: SP Taylor Hearn (1-0, 3.00)

The Nationals took the 20-year-old in the fifth round of this year’s draft. In his lone start of the week against Mahoning Valley on July 15, the right-hander went five innings, gave up one run on three hits, struck out five, and walked one to get his first professional victory.

Hearn made two starts in the Gulf Coast League before making his debut for the Doubledays on July 8. He has yet to give up more than two earned runs in any of his starts this season.

Honorable Mention: SP Erick Fedde (2-1, 2.45)

Fedde made his lone start of the week against the West Virginia Black Bears (Pittsburgh Pirates) on July 18. In Game one of a doubleheader, he went five innings, gave up three runs on seven hits, struck out seven, and walked one. The Nats’ first round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft has walked only one batter in his last four starts and has struck out 19 batters in his last three strikes.

In five starts with the Doubledays, the 22-year-old right-hander has 28 strikeouts to just four walks in 22 innings of work. Now that Fedde is completely healthy, he has been able to throw 83 pitches in a start (against West Virginia Sunday) and has thrown five innings in each of his last three outings.

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