This week, we got to talk to Washington Nationals prospect Andrew Stevenson about his first week with the Syracuse Chiefs and much more
One of the prospects that are on the rise in the Washington Nationals farm system is outfielder Andrew Stevenson. Stevenson had a good Arizona Fall League and made a strong first impression in Major League spring training
Stevenson was recently promoted to triple-A Syracuse after hitting .350 with a .429 on-base percentage and 12 RBI’s in 20 games with the Harrisburg Senators. Before the Chiefs began their series with Buffalo on Monday, I got the chance to talk with him about a couple of topics, which you can find the full audio interview at the bottom of this page.
First, we talked about the adjustment period Stevenson is going through at Syracuse. He’s off to a slow start (.138 in seven games), but he told me how that adjustment was going for him after his first four games:
"“It’s been a little different playing with an older group of guys. It’s been going good. The guys are cool with me up here. I’m just trying to settle in and get it going,” said Stevenson.”"
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After telling me about his experience in the College World Series and playing with now Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman at LSU, we talked about some of the experiences he had this offseason. First, it was the Arizona Fall League where he hit .353 with two home runs and 12 RBI’s in 21 games.
“It was an awesome experience. I met some really cool people and it was fun going out there and got to play against some really good competition,” said Stevenson
Then, we talked about Stevenson’s experience at Major League camp in West Palm Beach where he made a good impression on the coaching staff. Stevenson talked about what he learned from being around Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth among others:
"“I was kinda just sitting back and seeing what they do that makes them so successful. Take all the tidbits and little advice I can. It’s something I will never forget.”"
While he was the Senators, the Nats’ second round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft had a great couple of games against the Harford Yard Goats. From April 17-18, Stevenson was 10-for-12 with three doubles and five RBI’s. In one of those games, the Senators won 16-14 in 13 innings:
"“If I ever played a game that long, it was like a one run game the whole time, nobody would score. This one was different. It took a little time to get finished with, but when you look back, it was pretty fun,” said Stevenson about that night."
While Stevenson is off to a slow start at this level, it’s important to remember that each player adjusts differently. Keep in mind, last year, he was just 4-for-28 to start at Harrisburg (4-for-29 now at Syracuse). He ended up having a .329 on-base percentage in the final 56 games of the season.
Throughout this interview, you will hear more about Stevenson’s draft day experience, his goals for this season, and whether or not he keeps tabs on how the big league club is doing.
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We thank Stevenson for taking the time to conduct this interview and make sure you either head out to watch him play in person or catch the Syracuse Chiefs games on MILB.TV.