Major League Baseball didn’t want to have any off days. Therefore they scheduled the draft to take place during the All-Star break, with day one coming on the final day of the first half. Your Washington Nationals selected Brady House, a shortstop out of high school.
The Nationals have had a run of drafting pitchers in the first round in recent years, taking one the previous four years, and seven in the past eight drafts. Coincidentally, the last position player the Nats drafted in the first round was also a high school shortstop. And just like House, he was drafted out of the state of Georgia.
Do you remember who that shortstop was? Correct. Carter Kieboom. By now you are well versed in the trials and tribulations Kieboom has gone through the past couple of years. From hitting a home run in his Major League debut, followed by hitting .128 during his rookie campaign and not receiving a September callup during the Nationals run to the 2019 World Series, to struggling to hit in 2020 and ending the year on the Injured List and not even making the 2021 team out of spring training.
Yes, the career of Kieboom has been a roller coaster to this point, with more downs than ups. As the Nationals welcome a new high school shortstop to the organization (fingers crossed they can sign him), we take a look at how the last high school shortstop drafted is fairing this year.
A look at former Nationals top prospect Carter Kieboom and his 2021 season in the minors thus far.
After being reassigned during spring training, Kieboom actually was on the team for Opening Day, with several players in COVID protocol. After two appearances, though, he was sent back down.
Several times he has been passed over when the Nationals have needed an infielder on the Major League roster, proving the Nats Brass has lost faith in him. A knee injury potentially cost him his latest promotion, and he is currently on the Triple-A, 7-day Injured List.
Kieboom got off to a slow start to the season, though has rebounded some to get his batting average up to .248. He has five home runs to go along with seven doubles and has walked almost as much as he has struck out. He is slowly rounding into form, though like we mentioned before, management seems to have lost patience with him.
What does the future hold for Kieboom? Will he be thrown into a package at the deadline if the Nationals go shopping at deadline time? Will h
e be sold off during the offseason in a change of scenery deal? Will he get the opportunity to earn the third base job with the Nationals in 2022?
Will Brady House become a full-time MLer before Carter Kieboom?? #Nats
— Troy Appel (@tdappel) July 12, 2021
While the future remains unclear for Carter Kieboom, we now have Brady House to track through the minors in anticipation of his Major League debut.