This week, I got to talk to the manager of the Washington Nationals high-A affiliate in Potomac, Tripp Keister, about his time in the organization and some of the Nats top prospects
Since 2012, Tripp Keister has been a minor league manager in the Washington Nationals organization at different levels. For the last three seasons, Keister has managed the high-A affiliate, the Potomac Nationals. At Potomac, Keister’s club won the Carolina League title back in 2014.
This week, I had the privilege of speaking to Keister as part of our DoDcast and I learned a lot of him. The first question I asked him was what he took away from last season. Potomac went 73-65 last year and ended up losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Lynchburg Hillcats (Cleveland Indians):
"“We always want to win, but we as an organization don’t just want to have Major League players, we want to have championship Major League players. That’s what we want to develop. We just talk about being the best player we can be and winning is a byproduct of doing things right,” said Keister."
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During my conversation with Keister, I asked him about several prospects that he got the chance to manage last season. Throughout last season, Potomac’s roster featured players such as outfielder Victor Robles, third baseman Drew Ward, outfielder Andrew Stevenson, and starting pitcher Erick Fedde.
One of the questions I wanted to ask Keister about Robles was how he thought the 19-year-old handled being the youngest player in the Carolina League. He suffered an injury during his time in Potomac when he got hit in the wrist by a 99 mile per hour fastball by Salem pitcher Michael Kopech (now with the White Sox)
"“He’s a dynamic player. He’s fearless. He can do anything to win a baseball game. He is exciting to watch and exciting to see every day,” replied Keister about Robles."
Before being promoted to double-A Harrisburg, Fedde was dominant over his last eight appearances in Potomac (0.63 ERA, 47 strikeouts to seven walks in 42.2 innings).
"“He (Fedde) makes adjustments on the mound. He was as competitive as I’ve ever seen. He was locked in as much as I’ve seen a guy on the mound. He was on a mission. I look for him to pick up where he left off,” said Keister."
When we talked about Ward and Stevenson, Keister talked about the improvements Ward made in his second season at the high-A level and how he helped Ward while he was a manager in the Arizona Fall League. He said Ward was one of the better players in the Carolina League last season.
As for Stevenson, Keister talked about how “he’s one of the hardest workers”. Keister also said “He’s a special kid in terms of his approach and I wouldn’t put anything past him.” Stevenson had a slash line of .304/.359/.418 with one home run, 18 RBI’s, and 27 stolen bases in 68 games before being promoted to Harrisburg.
Finally, I wanted to ask Keister about some of his experiences managing in the Arizona Fall League in 2015, Potomac bringing back the same coaching staff for consecutive seasons, and what he has learned during his time with the Nats organization. Here’s some of what he had to say on the last question and how he would describe his time with the Nats organization:
"“The word I would use working for the Washington Nationals is invested. I know how hard they work and how much they care, whether it’s the scouts or player development. It’s my job to get them to the next level and to have success and it’s the next guy’s job to get him to the next level. We are passing the baton.”"
Next: Which Nats Will Be In 2017 WBC
Be sure to listen to the full interview that I have posted in this article via YouTube. You will definitely enjoy it and learn a lot from it as I did. We thank Tripp for taking the time to do this interview and all of us at District On Deck wish him nothing but the best in 2017 with Potomac.