Two days in the classroom are under my belt and I’ve had a few moments to scan my RSS where I noticed that Baseball America had their latest list of minor league transactions up.
Here are the pertinent details regarding the Nationals.
Signed: LHP Eddie Guardado, 1B Josh Whitesell, SS Eric Bruntlett
None of the ‘Signed’ guys are new. All three have spring training invites.
Released: RHP Julio Perez, RHP Jose Pinales, LHP Kevin Light, LHP Jose Taveras, SS Valerio Heredia, OF Yhonson Lopez
- The 22-year old right-handed Perez pitched briefly for the GCL Nationals in 2009. He was 0-0 with a 3.60 ERA and 11K and 7BB over 10IP.
- The 24-year old right-handed Pinales was a reliever for the Lake Monsters in 2009. He was 3-1 with a 4.72 ERA and 25K and 25BB over 26 2/3IP.
- Light, a 22-year old left-hander was an undrafted free agent signed back in 2008. He spent the entire 2009 season in Hagerstown where he was 3-2 with a 5.00 ERA and 56K/28BB over 63IP.
- The 22-year old Taveras was 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA for the GCL Nationals with 8K and 4BB over 10 1/3IP.
- The 23-year old Heredia hit 227/295/250 over 47G for Hagerstown.
- Lopez hit 148/207/22 in 10G for Vermont.
None of these players appeared to be much more than orginizational guys.
#1 by Mark L - January 12th, 2010 at 19:57
Thanks, Teach.
#2 by Brian Oliver - January 12th, 2010 at 19:58
I don’t believe you raised your hand ;)
#3 by BinM - January 12th, 2010 at 20:09
Brian – Also of note, Luke Montz signed a MiLB contract with the Mets, FWIW.
#4 by Nate - January 13th, 2010 at 00:30
None of these players appear to be much good. /Fixed
#5 by Jane - January 13th, 2010 at 07:55
Luke, continued success with the New York Mets! Thanks for all the autographs, when you were in Harrisburg!!
#6 by VladiHondo - January 13th, 2010 at 09:45
. . . and Saul Rivera follows Austin’s footsteps with the Injuns.
#7 by Paul - January 13th, 2010 at 11:06
Brian, any thoughts on some minor league free agents that the Nats might try to sign to help fill out their squads?
PS, I am so happy to think that our major league team isn’t going to be full of retreads this year and the minor league signings are going to be more for organizational depth than anything else.
#8 by Pilchard - January 15th, 2010 at 11:58
With Valvarde signing with DET the first round of next June’s MLB draft order is finalized:
Angles will have 3 first round picks. The Rays 2.
#9 by jeff E. - January 17th, 2010 at 23:33
Angels have 3 first rounders and they may even end up with Harang by year’s end…. Heredia plays all around City isle park? Interesting to see how Marvin Lowrance and Davis fare @ SYR…perhaps Lowrance could sneak a cup of coffee @ WASH in 2010??
#10 by Pilchard - January 19th, 2010 at 12:25
Sorry if this was already reported, but BA just released their retrospective draft grades for each MLB for the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 drafts.
The Nats grades for those drafts are:
2005 – A 2006 – D 2007 – B+ 2008 – D
Giving the Nats an overall GPA of 2.38 and a ranking of #22 out of the 30 MLB teams. Not that good considering the Nats have had prime draft position in most of those years.
A link to the BA Grades: http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=1925
#11 by VladiHondo - January 19th, 2010 at 13:20
Nice link Pilchard.
The good news is the Diamondbacks score in 2005 & 2006. Rizzo was hired by the Nats after the 2006 draft (July ’06).
I was very disappointed in the ’06 draft – of our 12 picks in rounds 1-10, we did not sign 4 of them. Most were just bad picks of poor players (our 2nd round pick of Sean Black became NYY’s 7th rounder in ’09, our 7th round pick of Sam Brown became Texas’ 22nd round pick of ’09, our 10th round Marcus Salmon became Milwaukees’ 48th rounder in ’08, 9th rounder Joey Rosas was unpicked last year).
Disappointing but working with MLB’s legacy of little scouting depth.
#12 by TimDz - January 19th, 2010 at 17:50
Nats avoid arbitration with Nieves, Willingham, Bergman and Flores. Bergman got 750K, no words on the others.
#13 by catocony - January 20th, 2010 at 13:45
Hindsight is always 20/20 and I remember very clearly that, at the time, the Nat’s 2006 draft was considered very good. Everyone predicted stardom for Marrero. At this point, I think he’ll make it to the Bigs but won’t be an impact player. Willems hasn’t progressed at all, which is always dicey with high school pitchers. Black never signed, Englund has been a major bust since he can’t hit and, if he makes it back from his steroids suspension, is going to try and become a pitcher. Stephen King is still floating around, Gibson was traded, Zinichola – the great bullpen pitcher who was going to be in the Bigs by 2007 – is currently a Rule 5 pick for the Jays (though we’ll most likely get him back. VanAllen got hurt.
That’s the 2006 draft but even a year ago, big things looked ok.
The 2008 draft was bad since we didn’t sign Crow. I think it was a good draft because we didn’t sign Crow, got the pick back and signed Storen.
#14 by Pilchard - January 20th, 2010 at 14:36
A lot of this is determined by perspective, but the Nats will get credit for Storen in the evaluation of the 2009 draft. With SS and Storen, it appears that Nats will get a high mark for that draft even though they essentially punted the rest of the draft with exception of Kobernus.
#15 by catocony - January 20th, 2010 at 17:57
My opinion, which I wrote on the Nat’s board last year, was that if Storen and Strasburg pan out as expected, the rest of the draft is pure gravy. A legit closer and a legit #1 starter in the same draft is good work. If you get a reliever and a utility guy out of the same draft, you’ve done exceptionally well.
#16 by Terry Byrom - January 22nd, 2010 at 15:19
This is off topic, but yesterday we decided to raffle off a one-night luxury suite rental to two lucky winners. Each raffle ticket is $10 and all of the money is being given to UNICEF for the Haitian relief.
I know many of you are in the Washington Area, but hey, we aren’t that far and they are Nats prospects.
Here is a link with more details…
http://harrisburg.senators.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100121&content_id=7950410&vkey=news_t547&fext=.jsp&sid=t547
#17 by Pilchard - January 22nd, 2010 at 17:24
Shawn Hill signs a minor league deal with the jays. Dana Brown can’t stop thinking about the “glory days” in DC.
#18 by jeff e. - January 22nd, 2010 at 21:43
Brian, I cannot recall low depth chart guys getting camp invites like this: Herrerra and Lopez might be seen as speedy bench guys for Cathcart in POT. How many years WAS Cathcart in Toronto chain? Perhaps long enough to know Knorr in Jays chain….
#19 by Pilchard - January 25th, 2010 at 16:39
BA compares Bryce Harper and Joe Mauer and concludes that that Mauer was the stronger prospect (Harper has more power, and their arms are equal; Mauer is stronger in all the remaining evaluation areas, but BA notes that Harper is younger as a 16 year-old HS graduate: http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/ask-ba/2010/269427.html
#20 by jeff e. - January 25th, 2010 at 18:22
Brian, I guess Duncan is thought of as a guy who can play PH, LF and 1b better than Jacobs? three kids inked for Potomac ( the two IFs and the small OF)??? perhaps a 3b signee for HARR before end of March?