Comments on: Cleaning Up Rosters

By: Andrew S

Andrew S — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:34:14 +0000

Was Zach injured to start the year? Seems surprising someone who the previous year was on the Major League team would start the year in another organizations lowest levels.

By: Brian Oliver

Brian Oliver — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:43:56 +0000

He was pitching in 2007 with an impingement in his right shoulder. He had off-season surgery to fix that and was working his way back when the Phillies released him in earlier in June

By: e

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:51:29 +0000

Brian — what do you know about Dan Leatherman? He seems to be mowing hitters down in Hagerstown this season. Where did this guy come from?

By: Brian Oliver

Brian Oliver — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:53:54 +0000

Here is a 2006 article on Leatherman giving some details on his background

By: Ronny

Ronny — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:31:54 +0000

Brian-When is the date of the next Rule5 draft? I hope we can get another Gem this year, it would be great if there is a Dan Uggla type of player we can pick up.

By: Brian Isemann

Brian Isemann — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:52:50 +0000

Leatherman went to a small high school in Maryland (Walkersville) and shuffled between community colleges before the Twins drafted him. The Frederick News Post did a piece on him earlier in the week. I don’t have a direct link, but it should be easy to find at fredericknewspost.com.

By: Andrew S

Andrew S — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:24:18 +0000

Rule V drafts are held every December, around the 5th of the month.

By: ronny

ronny — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:26:00 +0000

Thanks Drew!! December, man that’s a long time from now. I thought it was some time this summer.

By: Andrew S

Andrew S — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:16:33 +0000

Last December the Nats took 1b Matt Whitney and of Garrett Guzman in the Major league phase. Whitney is back in the Indians org. and the Nats traded to retain the rights of Harrisburg’s Guzman. Remember, 2 years ago they took Flores from the Mets.

By: Wooden U. Lykteneau

Wooden U. Lykteneau — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:31:50 +0000

[republished with permission ;-]

My disappointment—some might say disdain—with Ross Detwiler may have taken a turn last night.

Now the line last night was pretty mediocre:

6+IP, 8H, 4R, 4ER, 1HR, 1BB, 4K, 27BF, 6GO, 8FO

But, take away the first two innings...

4IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0HR, 1BB, 1K, 14BF, 4GO, 7FO

There's a common misconception that lots of strikeouts means that a pitcher was "dominant." But this is why seeing things first hand is invaluable. And this was the first time I saw Ross do the mature thing and go with what was working when the time came. So instead of trying to overpower guys, he pitched to bad contact, though a lot of the outs throughout the night were hard and "at 'em."

The talk of the alteration of Detwiler's mechanics is now apparent to me. I was watching for it and when Ross missed it was usually up and/or away. His windup also seemed a little slower and more deliberate than usual. It appeared to my semi-trained eye that he was trying to feel for the "correct" release point, resulting in some "rainbow" curveballs and lower velocity.

But it did get better as the night progressed, and despite his wildness, there were no batters hit or diving to get out of the way. In fact, Detwiler seemed to be able to command inside quite well, enough to keep batters honest. And he was able to snap off a couple of nice 12-6 curves (side note: if the Pelicans' Scott Diamond manages to harness his breaking pitches, he'll be a name to remember).

And as I've posted previously here and elsewhere, while he pitched to just one batter in the 7th, it was the first time that he had pitched more than six innings in his professional career and the most batters he had faced in any game. This is the progress that I've been waiting to see.

By: pahou

pahou — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:40:17 +0000

According to the Patriot News, Mike Hinkley is going back to the bullpen and Spradlin is returning to Potomic. Monster smash by Bill Reinhart last night.

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:44:26 +0000

Maybe a possible September call up for Rhinehart if he continues to hit at Harrisburg. I have heard his D is suspect, but it can't be much worse than Dimitri's.

As for Detwiler, I thought labeling this guy a bust within a year of being drafted, was a tad premature. Lets see how this guy finishes the season at Potomac. If he has a strong second half, he will most likely start next season at Harrisburg.

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:16:30 +0000

I haven’t heard a thing about Rhinehart’s defense, so not sure if that’s good or bad, but regardless Rhinehart is “raising some eyebrows in the organinzation” according to Senators manager John Stearns yesterday. I think his chances of getting a Septmeber call up are about 50-50.

Wooden - that is a very keen analysis for an “semi-trained eye”. It’s about as encouraging as I’ve heard all year for young Ross, which is not saying a ton, but perhaps he’s close to finding his groove / roll as a pitcher. He still seems to have a 2nd inning problem and then usually gets better as the game wears on. I still think he’s a potential starter (as opposed to a reliever), he is just taking a while to find his pitch. At 22 y.o. I’m not worried… yet.

By: Andrew S

Andrew S — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:07:06 +0000

I wonder what their roles could be if Marrero returns to form. I hope he doesn’t eat his way to the AL.

By: Terry Byrom

Terry Byrom — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:57:22 +0000

Just remember everyone, before you get too excited, to be called up in September requires a player to be on the 40 man roster. So for every player that is put on the 40 man, a player has to come off the 40 man roster.

Happy 4th!

By: Suns Fan

Suns Fan — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:12:18 +0000

Rhinehart isn’t going to win a gold glove, but to call his defense “suspect” is off base. He’s a slightly above average fielder. He’s a good player. I’ve seen both Rhinehart and Marrero play. I think Rhinehart is the better player, and will make the better major leaguer…

By: Hoagie

Hoagie — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:38:24 +0000

One small point: I don’t know a whole lot about the strategy of minor league baseball and developing pitchers, but two people mentioned to me (when worrying about Detwiler) that the team may just have him trying out certain pitches in certain spots (pitches that might not be used under normal circumstances). Since minor league games don’t REALLY count, I suppose the strategy (in theory, at least) would make some sense. Any other thoughts on this?

By: hartmanbirge

hartmanbirge — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 09:49:37 +0000

Rhinehart’s OBP is very nice - he has plate discipline that’s for sure. But remember, he’s almost 5 years older than Marrero - he SHOULD be more advanced. I bet that Billy Beane would love to get ahold of him..

By: Wooden U. Lykteneau

Wooden U. Lykteneau — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:36:25 +0000

Hoagie - I haven’t noticed much “backwards” pitching from Detwiler (e.g. 2-0 curve, 3-1 change) but I can look for it next time I see him.

Hartman - Rhinehart DOB = 11/22/84; Marrero DOB = 7/2/88
Difference = 4 years 4 months 20 days. Not quite “almost 5 years” so let’s not be so quick to bury Rhinehart. He’s got a good eye, hits for power besides HRs, is not slow, and makes the routine plays fluidly and without hesitation.

By: Suns Fan

Suns Fan — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:23:19 +0000

Had Rhinehart started in Double A instead of low A, I think he could well be with the Nats by now…

By: MiLBfan

MiLBfan — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:42:27 +0000

Wooden, while I (routinely) disagree with you about Detwiler (heck, that’s part of the fun of being a baseball fan), I agree totally about Rhinehart. He plays first with an instinct that is nice to see. I recall one play while at Potomac where he had to stretch for the throw and, while making the play, also tagged the player as he ran by. While Chris was making progress, Rhinehart is, so far, showing he is up to the promotion to AA and maybe higher. Is he Keith Hernandez…doubt it, but very few are.

By: John

John — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:20:52 +0000

The age difference is three years, seven months, and about two weeks. :) I would call that significant when one of the two just turned 20.

By: Andrew S

Andrew S — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:22:58 +0000

Terry, that is assuming the 40 man is full. Hartman, Beane probably would love Rhinehart’s game but I don’t think he would give up anything significant because 1b/DH is a position that org. has filled at pretty much every level now and in the future.

By: Wooden U. Lykteneau

Wooden U. Lykteneau — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:16:18 +0000

John - Well, my math is bad, but my point of Rhinehart being not nearly five years older remains. Sort of.

MiLB Fan - Ross showed me something the other night, so he's earned a little slack. Still overrated, but then again, most (read: a majority) first-round draft picks are. That's why guys that got drafted really low making it big is so special: They proved the doubters wrong.

By: Terry Byrom

Terry Byrom — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:00:58 +0000

Andrew S., by my count, the Nats 40-man roster has 40 players plus two on the 60-day DL that get a reprieve until they are activated. Typically I don’t think more than two or three non 40-man roster players get Sept call ups. And keep in mind, with Potomac already in the playoffs and with Columbus and us (Harrisburg) still very much in the race, the Sept call ups this year could be later than usual.

By: Tofu Dog

Tofu Dog — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:03:08 +0000

Terry, What do you think of Rhinehart overall and defense specifically?

By: hartmanbirge

hartmanbirge — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:22:38 +0000

I didn’t mean to knock Rhinehart. It’s just that I think it a bit unfair at this point to compare Marrero to him - they are at way different age levels of development. I would love to see Rhinehart make it to DC - later this year and then go on from there and be our starting 1B. I can not stomach any more of Dmitry Young as a starting 1B - he is putrid defensively and turns routine throws into eye-closing adventures. Nick Johnson has never remained healthy his entire career - how can any team pencil him in and think the position is settled? Rhinehart does nothing but hit, get on base, and play a decent 1B. He may be an answer for us.

By: Mjames

Mjames — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:55:00 +0000

With all these injuries to our outfield can tell us the status of Maxwell? I know he hurt is wrist but that was almost two months ago. Even then I heard he was going to try to play through it. Did he break his hand or something? Is he gone for the year?

By: Tofu Dog

Tofu Dog — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:35:05 +0000

John Stearns–or someone believable–said in an interview on the Harrisburg website last week that Maxwell has close to returning.

By: Positively Half St.

Positively Half St. — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:17:44 +0000

The way the major league team is going, we may well have a roster full of folks on the DL, and the necessity to call a bunch of kids up.

By: Terry Byrom

Terry Byrom — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:00:16 +0000

Unfortunately Tofu that was me answering a mail bag question about Maxwell. I mentioned on the air last night that he has not started his rehab yet, not just sure at this point what his timetable for returning is. I think the Nats are still hopeful it’ll be around the beginning of August.

As for Rhinehart… defense at 1B is tough to gauge right away. I’ll say this about him overall, he certainly looks comfortable and not overwhelmed whatsoever. He’s confident but not cocky, which is very good. I would say the same thing about Leonard Davis.

We’ll learn a lot more about Davis and Rhinehart when we play Bowie next weekend. They have a good pitching staff and it will be their second time to them. Of course, it will also be their second time to see Bowie too so we’ll see how things shake out.

By: dd

dd — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:20:50 +0000

Jones was pulled after two outs in Harrisburg today. Anyone know if he reinjured himself?
As for Rhinehart, he is making an opportunity for himself. Hopefully he takes advantage of the current dearth of first basemen. Also hope he develops better than larry Broadway, who was also touted as someone with a good eye at the plate and sound defensively.

By: Mjames

Mjames — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:01:31 +0000

I would still give Broadway a shot. He cannot be any worse than who we have playing 1st now. It is a shame we screwed up the Whiteshell guy. We cannot afford to lose players like that. We could probably use him now.

I would give Rhinehart a shot. Did you see the quality of first base play yesterday? Pathetic.