Columbus took two out of three from Indianapolis over the weekend, losing 5-2 on Friday (box/gamer) before winning 13-1 on Saturday (box/gamer) and 6-5 on Sunday (box/gamer).
- Friday: Shairon Martis allowed three runs on eight hits and three walks with two strikeouts; Yurendell de Caster was 1/4 with a home run and two RBI
- Saturday: Tommy Murphy was 3/5 with a double, two runs & two RBI; A rehabbing Austin Kearns was 3/4 with a triple and two RBI; Ryan Langerhans was 2/4 witha double, triple, two RBI & three runs; Rey Olmedo was 3/5 with a double & two runs; Marco Estrada was 1/2 with a walk and three RBI and threw six shutout innings allowing six hits while striking out three
- Sunday: Mike Bacsik, Zech Zinicola and Brian Sanches combined to allow only one run on two hits over the final 4 2/3 innings; Rehabbing Austin Kearns was 2/4 with a doubble, homer and four RBI; Jorge Padilla was 3/5; Ryan Langerhans was 2/4 with a double and two RBI
Record: Columbus 45-37, tied for 2nd place IL West (2GB)
Tonight: RHP Tyler Clippard (4-5, 3.69) versus Toledo RHP Lauren Gagnier (2-2, 5.04) at 7:05PM
Harrisburg was swept in Erie, losing 2-1 on Friday (box/gamer), 5-3 on Saturday (box/gamer), and 11-5 on Sunday (box/gamer).
- Friday: Luis Jimenez was 3/3 with a solo home run; Roger Bernadina was 2/4; Craig Stammen allowed two runs on three hits and three walks over 7IP with two strikeouts
- Saturday: Andrew Lefave was 2/2 wuth two doubles and one RBI; Marcos Yepez & Luis Jimenez each had one RBI; Adam Carr pitched a scoreless inning of relief allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one
- Sunday: Jordan Zimmermann allowed eight runs on nine hits and three walks over 4 1/3IP; Luis Jimenez was 2/4 with a solo homer; Ofilio Castro was 1/3 with a double and two RBI
Record: Harrisburg 44-36, 3rd place EL South (4.5GB)
Tonight: RHP Adrian Alaniz (0-0, 2.65) versus Bowie RHP Jason Berken (5-3, 4.28) at 6:35PM
Potomac took one of their final two games in Myrtle Beach, winning 6-4 on Friday (box/gamer) before losing 12-6 on Saturday (box/gamer); they then opened their series in Kinston with a 6-1 loss on Sunday (box/gamer).
- Friday: Bill Rhinehart was 3/3 with a walk and two runs scored; Brian Finegan & Francisco Plasencia were each 2/4 with one RBI & one run scored; Jhonny Nunez threw five innings allowing two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out five; Martin Beno picked up his fifth save despite allowing an unearned run on three walks and an error in the ninth
- Saturday: Bill Rhinehart was 2/5 with a double and run scored; Dee Brown was 2/4 witht wo doubles and one RBI; Brian Peacock was 2/4 with a solo homer; Leonard Davis was 2/5 with a solo homer; Brian Finegan was 1/5 with a solo homer; Ross Detwiler had an ugly outing, walking seven and ollowing three runs on two hits over 3IP with four strikeouts; Alex Morales joined the P-Nats from Harrisburg, allowing three runs on one hit and two walks in an inning of work
- Sunday: Jeff Mandel allowed five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five over 5 1/3IP; Dee Brown was 2/4 with a solo homer
Record: Potomac 7-3, 1st place Carolina North (3 games ahead)
Tonight: RHP Luis Atilano (0-0, ) at Kinston RHP Carlton Smith (5-4, ) 7:00PM
Hagerstown earned a split of their two-game series with Delmarva, winning 7-6 on Friday (box/gamer) and then swept a two-game series with Lake County, winning 6-4 on Saturday (box/gamer) and 4-3 on Sunday (box/gamer).
- Friday: Brad Meyers picked up the win despite allowing five runs on eight hits over 6 2/3IP; Edulin Abreu picked up the save with 2 1/3 innings of relief, allowing a run on three hits with three strikeouts; Stephen King (1/4) & Tim Pahuta (1/3) each had two RBI; Michael Burgess was 1/3 with a double & two runs scored; a rehabbing Austin Kearns was 1/1 with two walks, one run and one RBI; Aaron Seuss was 2/4 with a run; Sean Rooney was 2/2 with a run
- Saturday: Tim Pahuta was 1/4 with a double & three RBI; Michael Burgess was 1/4 with a double & run scored; Erik Arnesen allowed two runs on sixhits and one walks over 5IP with six strikeouts; Kyle Gunderson picked up his fourth save getting the final two outs
- Sunday: Boomer Whiting was 1/3 with a double & two RBI; Michael Burgess was 1/4 with a stolen base and one RBI; Kyle Gunderson picked up his fifth save getting the final two outs
Record: Hagerstown 8-3, 1st place Sally North (1 game ahead)
Tonight: RHP Cole Kimball (3-3, 6.14) versus Lakewood at 7:05PM
Vermont completed a three-game sweep of Lowell with a 2-1 win on Friday (box/gamer) and a 5-1 win on Saturday (box/gamer); and then taking the series opener in Tri-City 11-4 on Sunday (box/gamer).
- Friday: Nick Arata was 1/2 with two walks, one RBI, one run, & three SB; Derek Norris was 1/3 with adouble & one RBI; Tyler Moore was 2/3 with one run; Ricardo Pecina started struck out two, allowing a run on four hits and two walks over 3 1/3IP; Tom Milone picked up the win with three shutout innings of relief, allowing only two hits and striking out one; David Slovak picked up his second save with a scoreless ninth
- Saturday: Tyler Moore and Jose Lozada were each 1/4 with a homer & two RBI; Michael Guerrero was 3/4 with one runs & one RBI; Jesus Valdez was 2/4; Brad Peacock allowed only one run on two hits and two walks over 5IP with six strikeouts; Steve Light picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief, surrendering one hit and two walks while striking out a pair
- Sunday: Tyler Moore was 2/5 with a three-run homer; Steve Souza was 1/4 with a solo homer & two runs scored; Michael Guerrero was 2/4 with a home run, two runs & two RBI; Jesus Valdez was 3/5 with a double, two RBI & three runs scored; Randy Matias made the start, going four scoreless innings allowing only one hit and four walks while striking out seven; Jose Pinales picked up the win, though he allowed two runs (one earned) on three gits and two walks over 3IP
Record: Vermont 7-6, 1st place NYP Stedler (0.5 games ahead)
Tonight: LHP Will Atwood (0-0, 0.00) at Tri-City 7:00PM
The GCL Nationals defeated the GCL Mets 5-3 on Friday (box) and the GCL Marlins 6-5 on Saturday (box). They did not play on Sunday.
- Friday: Jack McGeary allowed two runs on five hits over 5IP striking out six; Zach Segovia picked up the win allowing one run on two hits over 2IP; Brett Sellers was 2/4 with a double; Francisco Soriano was 0/3 with two runs scored; Ronnie Labrie (1/4), Chris Curran (0/4), Dan Killian (0/4), & Yhonson Lopez (0/3) each had one RBI
- Saturday: J.P. Padron was 2/4 with one run & one RBI; Brett Sellers was 1/3 with a double & two runs scored; Yeurys Tejeda was 1/3 with a double & one RBI; former catcher Wilfri Pena made the start allowing one hit over two scoreless innnings of work; Mason Smith picked up the win with two scoreless innings of his own, allowing only one hit and one walk while striking out two
Record: GCL National 4-3, 2nd place GCL East (1.5GB)
Today: GCL Nationals host the GCL Cardinals at 12:00PM
The DSL Nationals1 blanked the DSL Padres 8-0 on Friday (box) while the DSL Nationals2 lost to the DSL Tigers 4-3 (box). On Saturday, the DSL Nationals 1 defeated their DSL Nationals 2 counterparts 3-1 on Saturday (box). Neither team played on Sunday.
- Friday (DSL1): Osvaldo Rodriguez threw 5 1/3 shut out innings allowing only two hits and three walks while striking out twelve; Jonathan Molina struck out four over 2 2/3 hitless IP; Eury Perez was 1/5 with a stolen base, run and three RBI; Eduardo Urbina was 1/4 with two RBI; Samuel Gomez, Alexander Romero, & Danny Taveras each scored twice
- Friday (DSL2): Raudy Almonte threw only 2/3 of an inning allowing two unearned runs on two hits and one walk; Rafael Castillo threw 6 1/3 innings of one-hit shtout relief, striking out two
- Saturday (DSL1): Juan Martinez struck out seven over 6IP allowing only one run on four hits and two walks; Ruben De La Rosa picked up his fourth save with 1 1/3 shutout innings, striking out three; Samuel Gomez was 1/3 with a walk and two runs scored; Eduardo Urbina was 1/4 with one RBI
- Saturday (DSL2): Manuel Rivera allowed two runs (one earned) over 6IP, walking one and striking out six; Jose Altuve was 1/4 with a run scored; Joseph Cabreja was 1/4 with a double; Elvin Cuello was 2/3
Record: DSL Nats1 22-3, 1st place DSL S.D. West (8 games ahead); DSL Nats2 7-18, tied for 3rd place DSL S.D. West (15GB)
Today: DSL Nationals1 at DSL Padres; DSL Nationals2 at DSL Tigers; both at 10:30AM
Joe fan | 30-Jun-08 at 9:48 am | Permalink
Be advised that regarding the GCL National’s game of Saturday,June 28, againt the GCL Marlins,Wilfri Pena did not start that game. I was instead Hassan Pena making his first rehab start for the GCL Nationals.
Brian Oliver | 30-Jun-08 at 9:48 am | Permalink
Thanks …
Dick | 30-Jun-08 at 10:36 am | Permalink
It appears clearer by the day that Detwiler will be a bust. Even top 10 draft choices don’t always pan out.
Anyone know what happened to Zimmermann in has last outing? I don’t think he has ever had an outing that bad in his professional career.
Mark | 30-Jun-08 at 10:41 am | Permalink
Quick question about the DSL - why are the teams limited to play only within their division? It looks like the Nats 1 & 2 have only two other teams to play all season, while other divisions have the benefit of playing eight or more. Is it politics? Geographic contraints? No travel budget?
Brian Oliver | 30-Jun-08 at 10:58 am | Permalink
Dick - I am not ready to call him a bust yet. It’s still only his first full season. It’s hugely disappointing but I am going to reserve judgement for the time being.
Mark - From what I understand, it’s a geographical thing. The teams that are close to one another play each other. I have never been to the Dominican but from what I can gather, they attempt to keep the teams from travelling too far on a regular basis.
Mark | 30-Jun-08 at 11:06 am | Permalink
Brian - from your explanation it would appear that the DSL model (little/no travel, no budget, always playing the same people) is very different than pro-ball model in the US. It makes you wonder how scouts are able to project DSL talent in to the US pro leagues.
Louis J | 30-Jun-08 at 11:07 am | Permalink
Brian
With Balester coming up from Columbus, who is “removed” from the 25-man roster to make room for him. I assume it will be a position player since the Nats only have 11 pitchers (4 starters & 7 relievers) on the active roster. Does the trade for Lopez get done today and open up a spot? Does LoDuca or Wily Mo get traded or released for the open spot? Or, is Nieves or Orr the odd man out?
Plus, Kearns is getting ready to return and another roster spot will be needed. Whose next?
Brian Oliver | 30-Jun-08 at 11:11 am | Permalink
Mark - Which is precisely why I am not in the camp of giving a 16-year old international player a $4 million bonus. There are way too many variables and the “science” of scouting has proved time and time again that finding the stars among international teenagers is a crapshoot.
Louis - My guess is if there is not a trade of Felipe Lopez, Pete Orr gets sent down for Balester. When Kearns returns, I’d imagine it’s either Nieves or one of the pitchers with options who goes (Shell, etc)
MiLBFan | 30-Jun-08 at 11:23 am | Permalink
While some appear in a rush to write Detwiler off, people need to know he is only 22, is, as Brian states, in his first full year of professional ball, has had his mechanics worked with. Some are quick to see his struggles as failure while many of those within the profession see the talent there, understand it needs development and is letting that occur. Despite some here saying that it has never happened, Detwiler has at times dominated the opposition (see his game against Salem where he pitched 6 innings, walked 3, struck out 9 and gave up 3 runs (at least one of which should have not been earned), and at times he hasn’t. Not every talented pitcher makes it to the majors quickly. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Its fun and exciting when a prospect zooms through the system, and boy do the Nationals need help, but lets not ridiculously jump to conclusions about Detwiler so early. I don’t know about others, but I would like to see him develop all the tools necessary for a long a successful career with the Nationals rather than judge him now.
Mjames | 30-Jun-08 at 11:47 am | Permalink
For those willing to write-off Detwiler, do not forget about those pitchers that took years to reach the majors. Think about A Galarraga and R. Thompson who we traded away. These guys were never considered excellent prospects when they were traded or at least Bowden did not value them that highly.
Louis J | 30-Jun-08 at 11:52 am | Permalink
Brian
Continuing….Smiley Gonzalez has settled in at GCL which I believe is a good place for him so that he can mature and get adjusted to American life (a common challenge for very young Latin players coming to the U.S.)
But, what about Garrett Bass? I understand that he was a late round draft choice and the Nats have other priority kids to develop but he’s too old for GCL. With the player moves at Hagerstown, I think they need to move him to Hagerstown to ascertain if his power is legit.
Finaaly,Detwiler’s situation could be another case of the development system trying to fix something that wasn’t broke. Detwiler didn’t have control, durability or injury problems in college.His fastball velocity and breaking ball were good. So was his feel for the game and what to throw, when to throw it and where to throw it.But, the system (namely Spin Williams)likes to develop “cookie-cutter” prototype pitchers. Therefore, after one look at his delivery, which was successful for 3 yrs in college, Williams decided to change his mechanics. Detwiler isn’t a bust but the system may turn him into a failure.
Ric | 30-Jun-08 at 11:52 am | Permalink
When Kearns returns, isn’t the logical move for Bernadina to be optioned back to the minors?
Brian Oliver | 30-Jun-08 at 11:55 am | Permalink
From what I have heard, Garrett Bass best projects as a DH.
Brian Oliver | 30-Jun-08 at 11:56 am | Permalink
Ric - Perhaps, but the Nats might want to give Bernadina regular playing time in CF with Dukes in LF and Kearns in RF. Just to see what they have in Bernadina.
dd | 30-Jun-08 at 12:10 pm | Permalink
Mjames,
Galarraga was an undrafted player, while Daryl Thompson was the 237th player drafted (8th round)in 2003. Detwiler was the 8th player drafted last year. I do not believe the comparisons are valid
While Detwiler cannot be written off in his first pro year, many players chosen after Ross are doing very well in their inaugural season. He has been disappointing this season, moreso after all the “hoopla” of last year.
Brian Oliver | 30-Jun-08 at 12:12 pm | Permalink
dd - I am with you 100%. The Nationals and Detwiler have to be disappointed with the results so far
expo_ram | 30-Jun-08 at 12:24 pm | Permalink
Louis - agreed. “Fixing” a pitcher’s delivery to something his body isn’t used to, could more easily introduce injury, it seems to me. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But then again, we don’t know everything that is going on. Hopefully Crowe wasn’t selected because our scouts thought Detwiler might not pan out. Let’s hope he gets back on track.
Mark | 30-Jun-08 at 12:25 pm | Permalink
It is very common for picthing coach’s to teach new mechanics to prospects in order to handle the stresses of a long season and to adjust to the better quality hitters. Spin has every right to work with Ross and change him however he sees fit. Some pitchers take to the new mechanics and pithces - it looks like part of Ross’s challenge may be mentle as much as new mechanics. Either he will remain incosistent and be labeled a bust in a year or two, or all at once everything will “click” and Ross will mow batters down the way he has been projected to. Right now we have to adjust our expectations while he works everything out.
Dick | 30-Jun-08 at 12:33 pm | Permalink
MiLBFan: I couldn’t agree with you more with regards to what to hope for. Unfortunately, the Nats saw fit to add him to the 40-man roster last year and bring him up to the bigs for a cup of coffee. He really hasn’t done anything this year to even master Single-A. 22 is not young for that league, either, particularly for a high-college pick. Not like Marrero at 19. Contrast him with Matt Wieters at single-A, for example.
The LEAGUE is hitting .305 off Detwiler this year, .348 in June. Not much to hang your hat on there! Certainly nothing ‘dominating’.
To be clear, I want Detwiler to succeed but am preparing for the possibility that he doesn’t. Many picks that high don’t, unfortunately. What I think doesn’t matter; I can’t write him off because I don’t have anything to do with the team. At the same time, I’m not going to get my hopes up for him. Statistics are a cold, hard thing in baseball and are much more important than age, mechanics or scouting reports. He’s not a bust yet; just looks to be headed that way.
Now on the bright side, there is always Alaniz!
Dick | 30-Jun-08 at 12:55 pm | Permalink
Mjames: Daryl Thompson is 4 months and 4 days older than Detwiler. He’s in the bigs, Detwiler is struggling in A-Ball. Sort of magnifies Detwiler’s struggles, doesn’t it?
Nats King | 30-Jun-08 at 2:25 pm | Permalink
Souza has 4 homeruns in 5 games and is second in league in rbis. Rumor has it that Davis is headed to Harrisburg. King or Souza to Potomac?
Brian Oliver | 30-Jun-08 at 2:27 pm | Permalink
Dan Lyons & Aaron Seuss were promoted to Potomac. I’m not sure they’ll send anyone else right now.
Louis J | 30-Jun-08 at 2:38 pm | Permalink
Mark
I disagree with your comment that Spin Williams “has the right” to mess with Detwiler’s meachanics! Williams job is to develop his pitching prospects and fix their actual and not preceived problem. His control was not a problem as measured by bb9- Bob Gibson had a 4.64 at his early age and finished with 3.10; Steve Carlton was 3.54/3.16; Whitey Ford was 4.2/3.1; Bob Feller was 4.15 and Nolan Ryan was 4.67!! His strength and durability was may be a problem but changing his mechanics won’t improve them. Detwiler is “wiry”. If Williams wants to help him, develop the lower half of his body. A power pitcher needs a strong lower half (butt and legs)to drive off the mound toward the plate.That is Detwiler’s biggest need not his control and his stuff.
Brian Oliver | 30-Jun-08 at 2:39 pm | Permalink
The altering of his mechanics was reportedly to cut down on him coming across his body on pitches. The thinking was that was a recipe for a future injury and the Nats were aiming to fix that motion in order to prevent future injury.
Tofu Dog | 30-Jun-08 at 3:59 pm | Permalink
You show me a Spin Williams product that works. I could not find one. All those years for Pittsburgh and nothing–unless you want to claim that Kris Benson is the real thing. They took plenty of first round pitchers too. So if you want him messing with the mechanics of YOUR prospects, please take my Spin Williams.
dd | 30-Jun-08 at 4:42 pm | Permalink
Tofu Dog:
Williams has had a spotty record, but he should not take all the blame for the players’ pitching woes.
-Spin was with teaching in the Pirates system since 1979, a total of 26 years!!
He must have had some credentials and success to be with one organization for so long, in a very transient industry.
-In an interview a few years back, he said “I try to individually mold myself to teach each guy to get the most out of himself,” he says. “You’ve got to find certain ways to get to people. I think that’s my strong suit. That and helping them understand how to be consistent with their pitching mechanics and execute pitches.”
-Potomac pitching coach, Randy Tomlin, is a fan of Williams.
-John Lannan seems to have done well under his tutelage.
I am not trying to appoint Williams the best pitching coordinator in baseball, but to temper the criticism aimed at him. Minor league prospects get a lot of instruction from their manager, pitching/batting coach, roving instructor, guest instructor, major league coaches,…..
Is Spin Williams the weakest link? I don’t know!
Dick | 30-Jun-08 at 5:01 pm | Permalink
If the Nats get lucky enough to sucker the O’s into taking Lopez off our hands, I’d ask for Brad Bergeson in return. It would be a steal if we could get him.
Pilchard | 30-Jun-08 at 5:04 pm | Permalink
Interesting discussion.
The Nats have invested more in Detwiler than any other player currently in the system. Clearly, they want that investment to pay off. It’s complete speculation and likely too simplistic to claim that Detwiler’s struggles are attributable to Spin Williams and tweaking of his delivery. FWIW, every professional player, including MLB players, make adjustments to improve and avoid injury. Should the Nats not attempt to improve Detwiler’s delivery in any way? Seriously doubt that Detwiler was flawless as junior at Missouri State.
Also, who’s to say that Detwiler would not have struggled if the Nats had done nothing to attempt to improve his delivery. While there does appear to be some correlation between the adjustments to Detwiler’s deliver and his struggles, there could be other factors as well (like the Nats over-rated his talent).
I will be the first to admit that I have no clue what the issue is with Detwiler, but everyone in the Nats system wants the kid to succeed. If it turns out the only way that Detwiler can be effective is to return to his previous style, I am sure that the Nats will give that a try, but it really is silly to essentially claim that the Nats should not even try to cure an obvious flaw in a pitcher’s delivery.
Louis J | 30-Jun-08 at 5:24 pm | Permalink
dd-John Lannon’s success was attributed to working with the father of a friend, Glenn Gibson, who was drafted by the Nats. Gibson’s father (Paul) was a former ML LHP pitcher and worked with both his son and Lannan in the off-season a few years ago. Also, Spin Williams was fired by the Pirates as the their pitching coach.
Brian- I understand that Detweiler throws across his body but that motion was believed to affect his control. He has never been injured and pitchers could develop an injury at any time. Detwiler’s problem is his physical built with a very weak lower half which will be the cause of a future injury more than his delivery.
Finally, has St. Claire discussed changing Detwiler’s mechanics. After all, Detwiler was their No.1 draft choice a future top of the order starter and most fans believe in St. Claire’s talents in developing pitchers.
Mjames | 30-Jun-08 at 5:30 pm | Permalink
The Reds did try to change Ryan Wagner’s delivery and that failed. The Nats advised him to revert to old his style when they acquired him. He met with a modest degree of success before injuring himself ( correlation?). St Clair told Chico to revert to his old delivery. While his speed increased, his command languished and now he has a forearm strain (correlation ??). I am curious if this guy Williams changes the delivery on every pitcher or is it just those that have a obvious flaw. I can’t believe he messes with every pitcher.
Conclusion:
Draft only those with no mechanical flaws and leave them alone.
Recommendation:
If I am the Nats I say let Detwiler go back to his old style. He is not the first pitcher to throw across his chest. I am sure there were pitchers in the 50’s, 60’s 70’s that did and had no problem. Leave the kid alone.
Louis J | 30-Jun-08 at 5:35 pm | Permalink
dd- also, Randy Tomlin is a fan of Spin Williams because Tomlin was a pitcher with Pirates with Williams….
JayB | 30-Jun-08 at 6:14 pm | Permalink
This discussion of Detweiler is not a new one. He has been disappointing and getting worse from Spring Training this year. It is time for some tough questions for the Player Development staff and the GM This clearly was not coordinated with a mechanics change so involved that is has lead so many walks that he can not even get out of the first inning. This is not just young player in his first year of professional ball. This is the 6th pick overall of a team that has put all its eggs in the draft basket. They claim to have the best scouts, best coaches, and the best plan for each player. Nats front office needs to speak on what has happened to Ross Detweiler in this organization and take the steps needed to make sure it does not happen again. .
It seems to me that Jim Bowden did not coordinate promotion of Detweiler last year to MLB status and his placement of him to the 40 man roster with the rest of the organization. I questioned that move last year but we were all told by the Nats Front Office (Jimbo) it would not matter because Detwieiler would be in the majors to stay by the end of this year.
Brian, what issues have been caused by having him in the major league last year and now a 22 year old in getting rocked in single A, after 3 years in college, and behind 10 -15 pitchers in the system. By the time Detweiler is able to work his way out of this mess will he be a Minor League free agent? How long do we have to get this fixed?
Tofu Dog | 30-Jun-08 at 6:21 pm | Permalink
I don’t mean to fault Spin Williams. I just don’t see the track record and I am growing skeptical and frustrated. However, I agree with those who have commented that changing the mechanics of young pitchers is a crap shoot. Spending your top picks on a talent because you think you can change them into a more successful or healthier pitcher doesn’t make sense. Maybe in the lower rounds, but not with the sixth pick overall. Kevin Appier had an across the body motion that everyone said would wreck him in a season, but he had a long and successful career. It would make sense to me to hire pitching coaches/coordinators because they are proven winners rather than because of their links to Bowden in his formative years with the Pirates. Lannan is a good example of a success story achieved with a minimal amount of work with the Nats coaches. Cory Van Allen is the opposite. He worked with Tomlin for a year and then took off, but he also is injured now. As a fan I want to add up the successes and failures and make a judgement. It probably is not that easy, but I wish it were.
Brian Oliver | 30-Jun-08 at 6:27 pm | Permalink
JayB - Assuming that Detwiler stays down for the rest of this season, the Nationals will have three more option seasons with Detwiler. So the earliest they will have to make a difficult roster move is the 2012 season and honestly if he’s not ready by then, it doesn’t matter when he was drafted. A college junior drafted in the first round should be major league ready within the first four seasons.
Wooden U. Lykteneau | 30-Jun-08 at 7:12 pm | Permalink
Just to put things in perspective, Collin Balester — who’s exactly three months younger than Ross Detwiler — went through a similar stretch of struggling with his control when the powers that be tried to change his mechanics from drop-and-drive to tall-and-fall in 2006.
When he reverted back to his original form, it was noticeable — in fact, if you look at his game-by-game line you can probably guess within in 1-2 starts exactly when he made the switch:
http://www.howesportsdata.com/howesportsdata/stats/baseball/history/2006/42567.txt
Does that mean Ross ought to abandon the experiment? Maybe, maybe not. Most of the scouting reports I was able to find online remarked about his slight frame (it’s curious how he “grew” from 6-4 175 to 6-5 185 from the preview to draft day) so I would imagine that, given the old-school obsession with the number 200 for a pitcher, they feel like it’s best to fix the mechanics before he fills out. There’s no doubt that Balester is easily 20lbs heavier.
Having seen Detwiler pitch in person at Potomac eight times this season, I can say that he rarely puts a batter away within 3 or 4 pitches. But unlike Everts last season, I’m not noticing a pattern where if he doesn’t get the first-pitch strike, he’s in trouble. This leads me to believe that the problem is mental, not physical.
Dick | 30-Jun-08 at 7:29 pm | Permalink
WUL: Thanks for the eyewitness view!
Let’s face it, it’s not about the player or even the coaches all of the time. The draft, like the rest of baseball, can be luck, statistics, probability, whatever you want to call it. That is one reason why you get 50 picks even with a 25 man roster.
The Nats drafted 3 high-ceilinged lefthanders last year. If one of the three goes bust, one pitches for a few years at the major league level and one becomes a stud, the Nats (and the Plan) would be ecstatic. It’s far too early to know how McGeary, Smoker and Detwiler will pan out. I guess I started all this by noting that it doesn’t appear so far like Detwiler will be the stud and it is not clear he will even be the regular. You would like to think the 6th pick in the draft is a sure bet but baseball isn’t always like that.
Wooden says its all in his head; that is the hardest part to fix! I’ll end where I started, hoping I’m wrong, but it looks like he will be a bust. Maybe things will click someday. . .
Andrew F. | 30-Jun-08 at 7:43 pm | Permalink
If the issue is mechanics, wait until they get a load of Crow’s hitch in his delivery. They’ll have him pitching left-handed.
Andrew S | 30-Jun-08 at 9:15 pm | Permalink
I think they’ve seen him pitch before ;)
Terry Byrom | 30-Jun-08 at 11:44 pm | Permalink
Hey all… I’m looking forward to seeing Detwiler eventually here in Harrisburg.
Something I want to point out though, sort of food for thought.
At the present time there are approximately 750 major league players. Given there are players on the DL, we’ll say about 900 players in the big leagues.
Over the past ten years, there have been 300 #1 picks (each team in the first round). Yes I know that not every team get its own number 1 pick but that position is still drafted.
Very clearly, 1/3 of the big leagues is NOT populated by their teams #1 picks. Unfortunately, far… far… far… far more DON’T make it than do make it.
I can recall back in 2002 when I worked in Ogden, my first year, and they were a Brewers minor league affiliate. They were the Brewers Rookie League affiliate. There was a pitcher on the team out of a major four-year college with GREAT numbers. He was selected in the top ten rounds if I recall correctly. He was right handed and threw across his body. I remember specifically the choice then as told to me was to dramatically change his delivery or let him pitch until his shoulder “blew out.” They didn’t change him, and his shoulder did “blow out”.
I have no personal knowledge of Detwiler or his situation, but about 95% of the time I would trust the organization etc.
As for Spin Williams, this guy has had a hand in developing plenty of pitchers. If he’s going to get knocked for Detwiler, he should be praised for everyone else that has made it.
Sorry for the long post.
Bobby Williams | 01-Jul-08 at 3:17 am | Permalink
Let me get something out here I’ve seen comment after comment about Steven Souza and i dont know what you guys are thinking but he is the as solid as any other 3B the nationals have when I watched king and I watched Souza I enjoyed watching him more because he left everything on the field and the minor league player of the week wawrd should show how much he has improved and become a true prospect…
Why else would he be in Vermont over a repaet in the gulf?
Monsters fan | 01-Jul-08 at 3:22 am | Permalink
New York-Penn League
Steve Souza, Vermont
.368 (7-19), 7 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 3 BB, 3 SO, 0 SB, 1.105 SLG
Souza became the first NYPL player this season to homer twice in one game after doing so Thursday against the Lowell Spinners, to aid a 6-1 victory. After beginning the season with Class A Hagerstown, the Washington native was demoted to Vermont, but is hitting .263 with three home runs and 12 RBIs thus far. His first roundtripper was a 430-foot shot at Centennial Field.
Monsters fan | 01-Jul-08 at 3:24 am | Permalink
I’ve watched him play and I have to agree with Bobby that he is a true prosepect the game I watched where he went 3-3 he hit every single ball hard one to left one to right and one to center… Come on and the fact that he drew a walk showed ptience to me. Im on the Souza train!
Louis J. | 01-Jul-08 at 7:29 am | Permalink
Terry Byrom
When you get some time, mention a few of the pitchers that Spin Williams directly “helped” develop into ML pitchers.
Louis J. | 01-Jul-08 at 8:15 am | Permalink
The most important part of the evaluation of Jim Bowden’s performance as GM is how the Nats baseball operation works and not the “deals” he makes. Bowden relies too much on old friends from his past.
The best pitching evaluator and teacher in the Nats organization is Randy St. Claire. Is anybody curious if St. Claire ever saw any of our pitching prospects either in person or on tape before they were drafted? Is anybody curious if St. Claire was consulted about a pitching prospects talents or the things to be fixed with said prospects? Does St. Claire ever review tape of prospects who are having problems and does he offer suggests on how to correct things?
I don’t mean to be negative with my comments but if the Nats farm system is going to be improved it’s going to need a first class development team in addition to a great scouting department and $$$$. Mike Rizzo has improved the scouting department and the Lerners have spent the $$$$ on the draft choices. But those items will be wasted if the prospects don’t receive the best development possible. In this area, the Nats have made advances but they can do better.
Nationals Fan | 01-Jul-08 at 11:09 am | Permalink
Souza is a nice prospect who definitely has shown some power, but you can’t begin to evaluate his performance when he has played just 12 games in Vermont (.239 BA). If he has a few good games his average could jump 100 points in either direction in the next week. Let him settle in and play 40 or 50 games before seeing what you have. It takes time to develop into a professional player, and moving too quickly can sometimes cause long term problems in the development of a player. Patience with all these high school prospects!
Terry Byrom | 01-Jul-08 at 7:56 pm | Permalink
After going through thebaseballcube.com, it looks like while he was a minor league pitching coach/manager, he helped develop about 25 MiLB pitchers into MLB pitchers including Tim Wakefield and Randy Tomlin.
He was also the big league pitching coach for five or six years with the Pirates.
I suppose my point is that if you are going to knock him, shouldn’t he get any credit? How many young minor leaguer’s have made it to the big leagues over the past three seasons? Everyone talks about Lannan, doesn’t he get any credit for him? Or Balester? Or Mock?
Just curious…