Washington Nationals: Our interview with Carter Kieboom

Yesterday, we got to talk to one of the Washington Nationals top prospects, Carter Kieboom, about his draft experience and his career day last weekend

Last year, the Washington Nationals selected shortstop Carter Kieboom with the first of their two first round picks (28^th overall). One year later, he is rising up the prospect rankings as he is ranked fourth on the Nats top prospects list (according to MLB Pipeline).

Now, Kieboom is with the low-A Hagerstown Suns and is off to a great start in the South Atlantic League. In his first 27 games, the 19-year-old has a slash line of .333/.402/.590 with six home runs and 18 RBI’s.

Before the Suns took on the Hickory Crawdads Saturday night, I had the chance to talk to Kieboom about his start to the season and much more. You can find the full interview at the bottom of the page, but here are some highlights from our conversation.

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One season ago, Kieboom was in the Gulf Coast League and hit .244 with four home runs and 25 RBI’s over the course of 36 games. If he is healthy, he will be playing more than 36 games in 2017 as he plays his first year of full-season baseball. I asked him what the transition to full season ball is like and here is what he replied:

"“It’s been good. The GCL schedule is totally different. You play at noon everyday and I got up every morning at 5:45. I think the biggest difference is the traveling. I’ve adjusted nicely so far. I know it’s a long haul, but I prepared this offseason the right way.”"

If the last name Kieboom sounds familiar, his older brother Spencer is one of the catchers at double-A Harrisburg. When I asked Carter about the most memorable piece of advice Spencer has given him, here is what he said:

"“Remember who you are. Stick to your game and don’t try to be somebody you’re not. If you play your game, you will be really successful and end up where you want to be.”"

The highlight of Kieboom’s season so far was last Sunday against the Lexington Legends when he went 5-for-7 with three home runs and five RBI’s in the Suns 22-4 win. Now, he has had eight multi-hit games, but he told me about the feeling the team had that day:

"“Every at-bat is a new at-bat to me. Those days, you just run into baseballs. The ball just finds your barrels. I was fortunate to hit three home runs, but three other guys had five hits as well. We had a lot of home runs, It was one of those days you look up and you are about to be on deck again. It was a crazy day.”"

This Suns offense has been the best in the South Atlantic League so far. Yesterday, they scored ten runs in game one of their doubleheader against Hickory, marking the sixth time the team has scored ten or more runs in a game. Also, they have six walk-off wins as a team and Kieboom talked about how it seems a new guy is a hero each night:

"“Our mood never changes throughout the game. We’re very even-keeled as a team. There’s no yelling or anything like that. We take every at-bat seriously and that’s played a huge part in our success so far.”"

As you listen to the rest of this interview, you will hear more about Kieboom’s draft experience, his favorite shortstop growing up, and what his goals are for this season.

Next: Prospect Profile: Ian Sagdal

We thank Carter for taking the time to conduct this interview and wish him all the best for the rest of the season and his career to come.

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