Five Washington Nationals Storylines To Watch In 2016 Spring Training

The Pitching Youth Movement

Speaking of Giolito and Voth, those were the two players that stood out the most when the Nationals released their full list of non-roster invitees Monday afternoon. Giolito is regarded, as the best right-handed pitching prospect in the game by many prospect rankings and Both was one of the more consistent pitchers in the Nats’ minor league system last season (6-7, 2.92 ERA in 28 games at double-A Harrisburg).

While I don’t see either of those pitchers breaking camp with the Major League club, they will still get some valuable experience this spring facing Major League competition. For most, this will be the first time fans have seen Giolito and there is hope that he could make his Major League debut as soon as this season.

Giolito and Voth are the two main young pitchers to watch, but other names to keep an eye on are A.J. Cole, who made his Major League debut last year and Taylor Jordan, who made some spot starts for Strasburg last season.

With Strasburg likely to leave via free agency next year, this spring is another opportunity for some of these young pitchers to make an impression on the Nats’ front office for next season when thinking about who to keep or who to trade. Plus, let’s not forget some of the young arms in the bullpen, such as Felipe Rivero, who figures to play a prominent role in the Nats’ new-look bullpen.

The Nationals’ farm system is deep in pitching with guys like Erick Fedde and Reynaldo Lopez in the top ten of the team’s rankings by Baseball America, but it is good to see these young pitchers getting closer and closer to pitching at the big league level.

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