Nationals Farm Authority

This will be the first of seven installments looking at the best of the farm system.

The Nationals had two teams in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) in 2006, and I’ll cover them together. It’s difficult to provide an assessment of the play there given there are only box scores and overall statistics to use as a guide. But from what I know, the DSL is considered a strong pitcher’s league where you do not see alot of home runs, so it requires a bit more digging to uncover the interesting hitting prospects.

Record: I don’t place too much value in the records of the teams, the goal of the organization is to develop the best possible players, and while winning is an indicator of organizational strength, it’s not the only thing to watch. For the record, both of the DSL teams finished under 0.500, DSL #1 30-34 & DSL #2 21-45, a trend that continues with every team but AAA New Orleans.

Statistics: DSL #1 was marginally better than DSL #2 both offensively and pitching-wise:

Offense: 

Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
DSL#1	66	1918	223	395	67	9	11	159	251	532	79	55	206	315	267
DSL#2	66	1914	184	367	51	4	11	131	210	608	69	42	192	288	240

Pitching: 

Team	W	L	G	SV	IP	ERA	WHIP	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	AVG
DSL#1	30	34	66	19	533.33	2.51	1.19	10.7	3.9	2.7	0.2	209
DSL#2	21	45	66	10	528.00	3.51	1.39	9.4	5.2	1.8	0.2	223

Players: From a scan of the players, it appears the Nationals placed a relatively balanced team (19.5-year old bats & 19.9 year-old arms, on average) with their DSL #1 team, while assembling a mix of younger bats (18.6-year olds) and older arms (20.7-year olds) on their DSL #2 team.

Top 10 DSL Nationals prospects

1. Yunior Novoa SP DSL2: The 21-year old LHP was the clear choice here. Novoa was one of nine DSL players who joined the Gulf Coast League Nationals once the GCL season began shortly after the 2006 draft. While in the Dominican, Novoa pitched 35.33 innings while allowing a microscopic ERA of 0.76 and WHIP of 0.59. His other peripherals were equally as astounding racking up 17.1K/9 while walking only 0.8BB/9 and opponents BA of 149 (including no HR surrendered). Novoa continued his strong performance in the GCL, wrapping his season up with one start in Savannah (A).
2. Juan Bautista SP DSL1: The 19-year old Bautista threw the most innings in the DSL (59.67), making the most of his time there. He had a 4-0 record with a 0.75ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 10.6K/9, 2.4BB/9, oppBA 168, and no home runs allowed.
3. Atahualpa Severino SP/RP DSL1: I’ve touched on the 21-year old Severino courtesy of Global Baseball. The lefty burst onto the radar statistically in 45.33 innings with an ERA of 0.99 and a WHIP of 0.77, while striking out 15.7 batters per 9 innings and opponents only batted 121 against him. Severino is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and has likely add his name to those to watch entering 2007.
4. Luis Solorzano SS DSL1: A 19-year old RH SS, Solorzano was the strongest of a lackluster group of bats statistically. Batting 254/351/291 in 213AB, he showed a developing eye (26BB/45K), but what placed him at #4 was his speed, 17SB in 24 attempts. With the signing of Esmailyn Gonzalez, Solorzano will need to build on his 2006 performance to thrust himself into the future plans of the Nationals.
5. Carlos Cabral OF DSL1: The 21-year old OF was one of two DSL Nationals who managed more than 10 extra base hits in 2006. In 178AB, the switch-hitting Cabral batted 225/359/337 with 8 doubles, 3 triples, and 2 home runs. He led all DSL Nats with 35 walks and added 9/13 in stolen bases.
6. Moises Corporan SP DSL1: The 20-year old RHP put up a solid 2.75ERA and 1.06ERA in 55.67IP with 10.6K/9 and 2.4BB/9 while holding opponents to a BA of 201.
7. Yeurys Tejeda SS: An 18-year old RH SS, Tejeda led DSL Nationals with 26RBI in 196AB. He batted 214/276/316 and was the only other DSL Nat to compile more than 10 extra base hits (9 doubles, 1 triple, and 3 home runs). His plate discipline needs serious improvement (69K) but he shows a solid balance of extra base power and speed (12/17 in SB).
8. Amado de los Santos RP DSL1: A 20-year old RHP who pitched primarily in relief in 50.33 innings. He had a WHIP of 1.19, 11.4K/9, and 2.11BB/9. 
9. Danny Taveras CA DSL1: The 20-year old hit 244/381/299 in 127AB in the DSL. He did show patience at the plate walking 22 times while only striking out 32 times. He has one advantage over many of the Nationals prospects, there are not many premium catching prospects in the organization, so the opportunity is there for him to succeed if he can build on 2006.
10. Samuel Gomez IF DSL2: While his BA and SLG need serious improvement (174/371/240), the OBP shows that the 19-year old IF has plate disciplinebeyond that of most of his teammates. In 121AB, Gomez had only 4 extra base hits, but took advantage of his OBP with 10/15 in SB attempts.

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