Washington Nationals: District On Deck’s 2017 Top 10 Prospects List
By Ricky Keeler
4. Koda Glover
Over the last two seasons, the prospect that has made the biggest jump in the Washington Nationals farm system is Koda Glover. Glover went from being selected in the eighth round of the 2015 MLB Draft to making his big league debut last July.
Glover appeared in 19 Major League games in 2016 and went 2-0 with a 5.03 ERA. He had 16 strikeouts to seven walks, but he revealed at Winterfest over the weekend that he had a torn labrum in hip, which caused his season to end early:
Koda Glover said he tore the labrum in his hip, which is why Nats shut him down. Tried to pitch through it, but couldn't.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) December 10, 2016
As for his minor league numbers, he had a 2.25 ERA in 40 games between Potomac, Harrisburg, and Syracuse. He had 66 combined strikeouts, eight saves, and held opponents to a .197 batting average (.195 in 16 triple-A appearances).
The 23-year-old didn’t have much success in September (7.27 ERA in ten games), but he showed good success with his slider at the Major League level. In the month of August, teams hit only .133 against the right-hander’s slider with nine strikeouts (according to Brooks Baseball). All nine K’s in the month came via the slider.
Right now, the closer spot is still vacant for the Washington Nationals. If the Nats don’t sign a closer this winter, Glover has to be a name that’s in the mix with his fastball in the upper 90’s in velocity to go with the slider. Whether it’s now or in the future, Glover definitely has the makings of a closer.