Minors 2006 (1 of 7) - Dominican Summer League
Minors 2006 (2 of 7) - Gulf Coast League
Minors 2006 (3 of 7) - Vermont
Minors 2006 (4 of 7) - Savannah
Minors 2006 (5 of 7) - Potomac
Double-A has recently become the final step for prospects before their promotion to the major leagues. This fact was crystallized by the Harrisburg Senators in 2006. While only fielding prospects of note like Kory Casto and Ian Desmond, or Futures Game participant Sal Manriquez, the Senators struggled with pitching in 2006. The glass half-full is that a handful of arms showed up later in the season making things a bit more palatable. Garrett Mock, Matt Chico, Collin Balester, and Zech Zinicola all made late season appearances, offering a view of what should be a better 2007.
Record: After battling in the Southern division of the Eastern League into early August, the Senators finished in 5th place with a 67-75 record. Both the lack of high level prospects as well as the injuries in Washington were tough for Harrisburg to overcome and they finished under 500 again in 2006.
Statistics: Much like their counterparts in Potomac, Harrisburg’s pitching left much to be desired. The Senators ranked either last or second to last in the important peripherals (ERA, WHIP, K/9, BB/9, and OppBA).As for their hiting, the Senators BA/OBP/SLG of 246/320/376 ranked them in the bottom third of the league but their were some positves as Harrisburg was in the top five in both home runs and stolen bases.
Offense:
| Team |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
K |
SB |
CS |
AVG |
OBP |
SLG |
| Harrisburg |
4614 |
563 |
1137 |
188 |
24 |
120 |
520 |
469 |
1036 |
113 |
65 |
0.246 |
0.320 |
0.376 |
| Average |
4641 |
594 |
1168 |
229 |
28 |
104 |
548 |
441 |
1005 |
105 |
52 |
0.252 |
0.323 |
0.380 |
Pitching:
| Team |
IP |
ERA |
WHIP |
K/9 |
BB/9 |
HR/9 |
OppBA |
| Harrisburg |
1231.00 |
4.44 |
1.45 |
7.1 |
3.9 |
0.8 |
0.264 |
| Average |
1225.39 |
3.81 |
1.31 |
7.4 |
3.2 |
0.8 |
0.252 |
Players:
Top 10 Harrisburg Senators Prospects
- Kory Casto 3B/OF - The lefthanded 24-year old was the Nationals Top Minor League Player for the second straight season, not to mention the Eastern League Rookie of the Year, and an OF on the Eastern League year end All-Star team. Over 140 games, Casto batted 272/379/468 with 20 home runs. Casto is a professional hitter who rarely if ever swings at a pitcher’s pitch. His biggest challenge is hitting lefthanded pitchers, in 2006, he hit only 189/311/273 against LHPs. A postive was that number was much lower earlier in the year and he didn’t appear overmatched. His problem seemed to be waiting for his pitch rather than hitting the ball where it was pitched. If Alfonso Soriano signs elsewhere in free agency, Casto will have every opportunity to win the starting LF job with the Nationals in 2007. He’ll spend this fall in Arizona where I’m sure the Nationals will pay close attention to his performance against some of the top arms in the minor leagues.
- Garrett Mock RHSP - One of the two arms acquired from Arizona in an August deal for Livan Hernandez, the the 23-year old Mock had his season ended with surgery to repair damage to his patella. Mock has a mid-90s four-seam fastball, a high-80s cutter, a curve, and slider. His biggest problem remains that, for some reason, he is too hittable. He allowed 173 hits in 147.67 innings pitched. He is going to require 4-5 months to rehab from knee surgery, so if everything goes well, he should be ready by spring training. Given the Nationals need for starting pitching, it wouldn’t be out of the question for Mock to be given a chance to start for Washington some time in 2007.
- Matt Chico LHSP - Much like Mock, the other piece of the Livan trade, the 23-year old Chico immediately leaps to the top of the Nationals prospect list. In only four starts for Harrisburg, Chico was 2-0 in 22 innings with a 3.27 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 5.3K/9, and 3.3 BB/9. Chico has a starter’s repertoire with a low-90s fastball, an average curveball, and an improving changeup. Even if he does not excel as a starter, Chico has a future as a left-hander out of the bullpen. Depending upon the Nationals’ offseason moves, Chico has a chance to make an appearance for Washington in 2007.
- Frank Diaz OF - The 22-year old right-handed outfielder remains a tremendous defensive outfielder with a quick first step and an above average arm. Diaz biggest challenge remains his bat, In 107 games, Diaz hit 259/296/373. A silver lining is that he only struck out 59 times in 402 at-bats. He’ll need to improve offensively if he hopes to continue his progression up through the system. He amy make a return appearance in Harrisburg in 2007.
- Zech Zinicola RHRP - Zinicola makes his third appearance on a organization’s top 10 list in Potomac. The 21-year old had a solid 10 games in Harrisburg. Over 10IP, Zinicola was 1-1 with 5 saves striking out 8. Zinicola has an outside shot at cracking 2007 at RFK.
- Ian Desmond SS - The 21-year old Desmond is an odd choice, given his 182/214/231 performance in 37 games. The Nationals upper level of their system remains a work in progress and realistically, Desmond deserves notice here as he is still developing. He’ll probably get a second shot in Harrisburg in 2007.
- Sal Manriquez CA - The 24-year old is already developing offensively (257/320/398 in 100 games). He has solid gap power with developing power (10 home runs). Defense remains a big question for him with an average arm and still challenged blocking pitches. He’ll likely start 2007 in Columbus.
- Melvin Dorta UTIL - The 24-year old Dorta was a pleasant surprise for Harrisburg in 2007. Over 108 games, Dorta batted 257/307/347 while playing every position except centerfield and catcher. While Dorta’s ceiling is likely no higher than a utility infielder, he offers the Nationals a player who can adequately fill in anywhere on the diamond excluding pitcher and catcher. If he remains in Washington, he’s bound for Columbus in 2007 but given his versatility he could be a frequent option to be recalled.
- Josh Whitesell 1B - The 24-year old Whitesell is all about power. In 127 games, Whitesell hit 19 home runs in 402 at-bats. His biggest challenge remains plate discipline, in those same 402 at-bats, he struck out an alarming 125 times. With Broadway blocking his path in AAA, it’s likely he’ll return to Harrisburg in 2007.
- Shawn Hill RHSP - The 25-year old Hill made his return from Tommy John surgery after 10 games in Harrisburg where he pitched 50.33 innings with a 2.68 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 5.7K/9, 0.9BB/9, and a 237 opponent’s batting average. He battled soreness in his right elbow while in Washington. If he’s recovered, he’ll battle for a spot in the Washington rotation in 2007.