Here is the Nationals Minor League Report from Bill Gluvna
This Week’s Top Headlines
- JUST DOMINANT: Including his win last night at Scranton Wilkes-Barre (Yankees), Triple-A Syracuse RHP J.D. Martin has won 4 straight starts, 5 of 6 and 6 of his last 8…Martin is 8-2 with a 2.31 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) overall… Martin has allowed 2 runs or less in 10 of those 12 starting assignments…he has yielded just 7 walks in 70.0 innings of work, an average of 0.90 walks per 9.0 innings…he ranks among the International League leaders in wins (t-2nd), WHIP (t-3rd, 0.91) and ERA (6th)…Martin signed with Washington as a minor-league free agent, November 24, 2008
- THEIR TIME TO SHINE: Last night, Nationals farmhands participated in the Single-A Carolina League-California League All-Star Game and the Single-A South Atlantic League All-Star Game…in the CL vs. CL tussle, Potomac OF Michael Burgess (Nationals No. 4 prospect per Baseball America) went 1-for-3 with a walk, while RHP Jeff Mandel allowed one run in 2.0 innings…Potomac RHP Brad Meyers was a Carolina League All-Star, but did not pitch…Hagerstown C Derek Norris (Nationals No. 6 prospect per Baseball America) went 1-for-2 and RHP Marcos Frias worked 1.0 inning, allowing 3 runs, while pitching for the Northern Division squad in the South Atlantic League All-Star Game.
Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, International League North Division 37-32, 3rd Place, 4.0 Games Back
- START ME UP: RHP Collin Balester has earned the win in 5 consecutive starts, and is 5-0 with a 2.00 ERA (9 ER/40.1 IP) and just 13 walks in his last 7 outings…beginning with his May 17 start, Balester has lowered his ERA from 6.35 to 4.00…he has allowed 3 runs or less in 11 of 14 starts overall…Balester, 23, made 15 starts at the big league level last season with Washington
- ARE YOU MOCKING ME?: RHP Garrett Mock struck out 10 in a complete-game, 3-hit shutout on Monday vs. Columbus (Indians)…in his last 2 starts, he is 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA (1 ER/15.0 IP) and 17 strikeouts…since being optioned to Syracuse on May 21, Mock has gone 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA (7 ER/27.1 IP) and 35 strikeouts in 5 starts…opposing batters are just 19-for-98 (.193 BAA) against him in that span.
Double-A Harrisburg Senators, Eastern League Southern Division 26-41, 5th Place, 20.0 Games Back
- MT. EVERTS: RHP Clint Everts is a combined 3-1 with a 1.26 ERA and a 4.3 strikeout-to-walk ratio (35 K/8 BB) in 19 appearances (28.2 innings) with Harrisburg and Single-A Potomac…since being promoted to Harrisburg on June 9, he has posted a 2.08 ERA (2 ER/8.2 IP) in 6 games…prior to joining the Senators, Everts went 3-0 with 2 saves and a 0.90 ERA in 13 games with Potomac…the Cypress, TX native was Montreal’s first-round pick (5th overall) in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft
- LIKE A RHINEHART COWBOY: 1B Bill Rhinehart is hitting at a .348 (24-for-69) clip with 8 doubles, 2 homers, 9 RBI and 12 runs scored in 17 games this month…after beginning the season batting .226 (14-for-62) with just 5 extra-base hits in 18 contests, he has hit .298 (43-for-144) with 13 hits of the extra-base variety (9 doubles, 4 homers) in 34 games…Rhinehart, who played collegiately at the University of Arizona, was selected in the 11th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft
Single-A Potomac Nationals, Carolina League Northern Division 37-30, 2nd Place, 7.0 Games Back
- OSCAR MEYERS: RHP Brad Meyers leads Carolina League starting pitchers with a 1.67 ERA…in his most recent start, Sunday vs. Salem (Red Sox), he fired a career-high 8.0 shutout innings of one-hit ball…Meyers has allowed no more than one run in 10 of his 13 appearances (12 starts) overall…he was selected in the 5th round of the ’07 Draft out of Loyola Marymount University (CA)
Single-A Hagerstown Suns, South Atlantic League Northern Division 31-36, t-5th Place, 10.0 Games Back
- SCINTILLATING SUN: C Derek Norris leads all catchers in professional baseball with 14 home runs and 51 RBI…the 20-year-old ranks among the Single-A South Atlantic League leaders in nearly every offensive category, including RBI (1st), home runs (t-1st), total bases (t-2nd, 133), OPS (2nd, .968), slugging (3rd, .568), walks (t-3rd, 35), OBP (5th, .400), runs (t-5th, 42) and doubles (t-7th, 18)…Norris has posted a team-best 21 multi-hit games…the Kansas native has thrown out 40% (25-for-65) of would-be basestealers…per Baseball America, he entered the season rated as the No. 6 prospect and top overall catching prospect in Washington’s system
#1 by Berndaddy - June 24th, 2009 at 17:21
Here we are at the middle of the season and in the fall, when we look back, Derek Norris is the name that’s going to be at the top of the list of prospects. I hope this kid continues to shine.
#2 by dd - June 24th, 2009 at 19:23
Me too!
#3 by Roberto - June 24th, 2009 at 19:38
Brian, what do you make of Meyers? What is his best-case scenario? Thanks.
#4 by Scot - June 25th, 2009 at 01:02
Thanks Bill. Great write-up. Thoroughly enjoyed it! Exciting to think about the Nat’s future. Appears Mike Rizzo has some chips.
#5 by VladiHondo - June 25th, 2009 at 08:09
The Gluvna-tor finally gives an appropo name for all you Rhinehart Mafia members.
You’re not in a mob, you’re a Rhinehart Cowboy!
Now Cowboy Up, pardna’.
#6 by pahou - June 25th, 2009 at 09:50
does a September call up count toward the option years?
#7 by rukidding - June 25th, 2009 at 11:12
Maybe in the next week or so D. Norris will get the call up to Potomac and platoon with Rooney. We can send Peacock down. If Norris has the ceiling of being the #1 prospect by years end lets see what he does in High A.
#8 by Suns Fan - June 25th, 2009 at 16:26
I think the problem the Nationals face is that a platoon would stall the development of both Norris and Rooney. They’re both good hitters, though Norris is a power hitter and Rooney hits for average. They both have defensive problems (with Norris it’s keeping the ball in front of him, with Rooney it’s his arm and release time).
So yes, the Nationals could platoon them, but then they wouldn’t have a better and more experienced catcher to learn from. And then they would be cutting into each other’s playing time.
They seem to have it set up where the second stringer plays once or twice a week, and is a little better defensive catcher than Norris or Rooney.
Promoting Norris only works if they promote Rooney at the same time. There is a bit of a backup at catcher in the organization.
#9 by mcgalinmd - June 26th, 2009 at 07:07
I am still surprised to see Norris with the Suns. If there is such a backup situation, cut or trade some of the folks ahead for positions you need and get these fellows moving on. As much as we love having him at the Suns, if I was Norris, i’d be wondering why i’m not at Potomac yet – or even right to Harrisburg.