Before they were leading the Washington Nationals back to the promised land in the big leagues, guys like Dylan Crews, James Wood, and others were once grinding through the team's minor league system waiting to get their opportunity in the show. As the 2024 season nears a close, I will continue seeking to provide daily Minor League updates by taking a page out of hockey's playbook, and award the 3 Stars of the Night for Nats minor leaguers that aren't with the big league club. This is an attempt to shine a spotlight on 3 future Nats who happen to have big time performances the night before, in hopes to give them a bit of limelight and exposure that they wouldn't normally get to experience.
In case you are unfamiliar with hockey's concept of the 3 Stars of the Game, according to Wikipedia: "The three stars in ice hockey are the three best players in a game, with the "first star" considered the best of the three players, akin to the player of the match in other sports. Media representatives of the home team choose the three stars, who are usually the top point scorers or outstanding goaltenders from either team."
This will be the final installment of this series for the 2024 season, as with Sunday's action now completed, all affiliates of the Nationals are now finished with their MiLB seasons. As the final minor league team in action within the organization, the AAA Rochester Red Wings ended their season with a tough 3-2 loss to the Iowa Cubs in 11 innings. Although not ending on a high note, they still ended the season with a 77-71 record overall. And now, here is the final 3 Stars of the Night:
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Third Star of the Night: UTIL Jake Alu
Sunday's Third Star of the Night should be a familiar one for most Nats fans in utility guy Jake Alu. Since being taken in the 24th-round back in 2019 out of Boston College, Alu has filled a number of different roles within the organization across multiple levels. Just this season alone, Alu appeared in games at second base, third base, left field, DH, and even pitching in a couple games as well. On Sunday, he went 2/4 with a walk and an RBI single, reaching base 3 times and giving the Red Wings an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first that they unfortunately wouldn't be able to hold. It's unclear what sort of role Alu will have in terms of the big league club moving forward, if any at all.
⭐️⭐️ Second Star of the Night: OF Andrew Pinckney - WSH #28 Prospect
The Second Star of the Night goes to a repeat choice in outfielder Andrew Pinckney. I won't dive too much into Pinckney's profile as he has made a few appearances on here since the creation of this series, but he was able to end his season on a high note. He finished the game with almost the exact same stat line as Alu, going 2/4 with a walk and RBI single as well, except he struck out twice compared to Alu's one strikeout. This season was a very positive one for Pinckney, and I'm looking for him to likely make his debut in the show at some point next year.
⭐️ First Star of the Night: RHP Andrew Alvarez
Finally, Sunday's First Star of the Night goes to 25-year-old righty Andrew Alvarez, the team's 12th-round pick out of Cal Poly in 2021. Sunday was a great finish to the 2024 campaign for Alvarez, as he made it through 5.0 innings while allowing just 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 10. Alvarez, who saw action across both AA and AAA this year, finished the year overall with an 8-9 record, 3.90 ERA, and 1.33 WHIP in 26 starts. Overall, not bad at all, and there is a chance he could potentially get a look by the Nats at some point relatively soon, but only time will tell.
Which of these 3 players are you most excited to see in Washington one day? Do you think I missed someone more deserving? As always please let me know your thoughts on X,@DCBerk.
All stats in this article were provided by MiLB.com and MLB.com.