Nationals Farm Authority

Minors 2006 (1 of 7) - Dominican Summer League

Minors 2006 (2 of 7) - Gulf Coast League

Minors 2006 (3 of 7) - Vermont

The Nationals wrapped up a short affiliation in South Atlantic League Savannah (Montreal established the relationship in 2003) with another tough season.Savannah has not had a winning season since 2000. Beginning in 2007, the Nationals have relocated their A-ball affiliate to the much closer Hagerstown Suns.

Record: The Sand Gnats completed the 2006 season with a 56-83 record. Much like the Lake Monsters in Vermont, Savannah struggled with a Nationals organization without an abundance of lower level prospects. While the 2006 season saw appearances by likely top 10 prospect Shairon Martis (acquired mid-season from the Giants for Mike Stanton) as well as a handful of 2006 draft picks including Chris French and Adam Carr, it wasn’t enough to help the Gnats finish above 0.500.

Statistics: The trend that plagued the Lake Monsters continued with the Gnats. The pitching struggled as Savannah had below South Atlantic League average statistics in what is considered one of the stronger pitcher’s parks in the Sally League. These struggles also impacted the offense where the team also finished below league average. Hagerstown can expect a bit more firepower both on the mound and at the plate in 2007, but the struggles will likely continue until the rebuilding effort is given another season to germinate. The Suns may see a late season appearance by Chris Marrero, Stephen Englund, Stephen King, Colton Willems, or Glenn Gibson. But more likely the fans in Hagerstown will get to know Justin Maxwell, Mike Daniel, Cory VanAllen, Aaron Jackson and Chris Lugo.

Offense:

Team	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
Savannah	4538	564	1095	192	46	81	494	469	1113	90	50	0.241	0.319	0.357
Average	4598	633	1170	232	31	88	566	463	1011	143	63	0.254	0.331	0.376

Pitching:

Team	IP	ERA	WHIP	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	OppBA
Savannah	1197.67	4.65	1.44	6.9	3.3	0.7	0.275
Average	1206.33	3.88	1.35	7.5	3.5	0.6	0.254

Players: The Gnats had only a handful of their parent clubs top-level prospects, and even those they had faced their difficulties. Whether it was Dee Brown’s early struggles before heating up mid-season or Brian Peacock’s hot start before struggling as the season wore on, Savannah faced consistency challenges in 2006.

Top 10 Savannah Sand Gnats Prospects

1. Shairon Martis RHSP - While he only made four appearances for Savannah after his trade from San Francisco (for Mike Stanton), Martis proved that he was among the better arms in the organization with a 3.80ERA, 1.27WHIP, 5.9K/9, and 1.7BB/9. The 19-year old throws a developing low-90s fastball and has an above average curve. If he can develop one additional average to above average pitch, Martis has the potential to be a top of the rotation starter for the Nationals. He’ll likely begin 2007 where he completed 2006 in AA Harrisburg.
2. Craig Stammen RHSP - The 22-year old 2005 12th round draft pick had a breakout season for the Gnats pitching 113 innings with a 3.58ERA, 1.23WHIP, 7.4K/9, and 2.3BB/9. He can throw four pitches for strikes (FB, CB, SL, & CH). What made him stand out was his tremendous work ethic. Manager Bobby Williams said, “Nobody can outwork him. He has excellent makeup. [The strongest part of his makeup is probably his incredible work ethic, his aptitude, and he is coachable. Craig has a very bright future.” Given he completed his season in A-Advanced Potomac, it would not be unexpected for him to begin 2007 in AA Harrisburg.
3. Edgardo Baez OF - The 21-year old was a 4th round selection in the 2003 draft. He began the season with Potomac but struggles there led to a demotion to Savannah. He has good raw power and can drive the ball to all fields, but he isn’t prone to swing for the fences. In 94 games for the Gnats, Baez batted 279/336/403. His plate selection certainly needs work, illustrated by 80K to 30BB in 355AB. Ideally, he’ll return to Potomac in 2007 as he is still young enough to develop.
4. Dee Brown OF - The son of the late Eagles All-Pro defensive lineman, Jerome Brown, the 23-year old 2005 10th rounder showed the makeup that drew the Nationals to him. After a slow start to the season, Brown heated up enough to warrant a promotion to Potomac where he continued to hit putting himself on the radar as one to watch. In 103 games, Brown batted 278/326/408 with a combination of power (33 extrabase hits) and speed (12/16 in SB attempts). Bobby Williams felt, “When he swings at good pitches, he has success. Once he learns the strike zone, he has a chance to be a good hitter with power.” The Nationals should push him to AA Harrisburg in 2007 given his age (23) in order to see if he can hold his own against some of the top minor league pitching prospects in the Eastern League.
5. Francisco Plasencia OF - The 22-year old was brought over from the Brewers as a minor league free agent prior to the 2005 season. He had a solid season in Vermont in 2005 and big things were expected from him in Savannah in 2006. While he didn’t put up the numbers the Nationals had hoped (261/354/371 in 132 games), he remains among the best raw athletes in the system. He has excellent pull power and his defense is above average with a strong accurate arm. He needs to cut down on the strikeouts (124 in 502AB) and like many of his Gnats teammates, improve his pitch selection. He’ll likely play the 2007 season in Potomac.
6. Ofilio Castro IF - Considered one of the better hitting prospects in the organization, the 23-year old Castro played a full season in Savannah hitting 253/342/346. His plate selection was solid walking 60 times and striking out only 65 times in 459AB. He is a good baserunner with solid instincts demonstrated by his 11/13 SB in 2006. His glove seems best fit at 2B, and he is likely to be in Potomac for the 2007 season.
7. Brian Peacock CA - Peacock was drafted in 2004, but signed as a draft-and-follow after his 2005 season in JuCo. He started the season hot batting 302/345/566 in April and 280/321/480 in May with 7 of his 12 home runs. But the drag of his first full professional season and an emergency appendectomy dragged his numbers down. He takes great pride in his defense and handles the pitching staff well. He’ll need to build his durability if he hopes to continue up the organization. He will likely replace Devin Ivany as the starter in Potomac, assuming Ivany is on his way to AA Harrisburg in 2007.
8. John Lannan LHSP - The 21-year old left was an 11th round selection in the 2005 draft. In 138 innings for Savannah, Lannan struck out 114 while walking 54. He has three developing pitches in a low-90s fastball, a curve that was sharper & showed more bite than 2005, and an improved changeup. He’ll likly begin the 2007 season in Potomac but will need to build on his efforts of 2006 in order to make his next step.
9. Gene Yost LHP - The 25-year old Yost was a jack-of-all-trades for the Gnats filling as both a starter (10 games) and a reliever (23 games). He used his plus changeup to hold opponents to a 0.244 BA while amassing 7.4K/9 and 3.5BB/9. His future is likely as a RP and he needs to jump a level soon if he hopes to make the majors. Potomac is the most logical starting point, but if he can produce, a promotion to Harrisburg could come to pass.
10. Brett Nyquist LHRP - After not pitching in 2005, the towering 6′7″ lefty returned to the Nationals organization in 2006 pitching everywhere from Savannah to Potomac to Harrisburg. The 25-year old Nyquist has an above average low-90s fastball that he used in 22 apperances, throwing 63.67 innings allowing a 2.69ERA, 1.15WHIP, 6.5K/9, 1.8BB/9. He has the fastball to excel as a relief pitcher but needs to develop a second pitch in order to work his way up through the system. He could start anywhere from Potomac to Columbus given how the numbers work out.