The Nats, and what new faces could make an impact next year

Any team that is going to compete for a spot in the playoffs is going to half to have some good depth, and most of the time the depth is someone that you know what they will do, but sometimes there will be a guy to come out of no where and make an impact.  Last year Ryan Mattheus would be the best example of that, filling in after Cole Kimball went down with an injured shoulder.  Along with Mattheus we saw a couple other rookies make an impact, good or bad, and since we already have an idea of what they can do, im gonna try and focus on The guys who I think could make their MLB debut for the nats next year, and hopefully they will all make a positive impact.

The new names we saw last year were Chris Marrero, Steve Lombardozzi, Corey Brown, Tom Milone, Brad Peacock, Cole Kimball, Atahualpa Severino, Ryan Mattheus, and Brian Broderick.  After the jump I will attempt to predict who will finally get their name on a MLB jersey

First off how I came up with who I picked, they had to finish last year at at least AA, and I have never seen someone go from A+ to the MLB in one year under Rizzo, Only exceptions to that are Rendon and Purke.  Other than that I looked at how they progressed through the year, and just my gut feeling for some.  Hope you enjoy.

Pat Lehman- He doesn't have dominating stuff, but he had a break out year in Potomac/Harrisburg this year.  He is a local guy from George Washington, and made the jump to AA fairly smoothly, but in order for him to have a real good chance of seeing time, he will have to improve on his AFL numbers.

Rafael "beer league" Martin- Im sure you all know his story by now from as many times as I have linked it here.  If you just look at his age he appears to be nothing more than an OG, but I dont think that is the case, He started the year hurt and in XST, but he worked his way back to his dominating self.  I think he will be a damn good reliever some day, and look forward to seeing what he can do in AAA next year.

Cory VanAllen- Hes been around forever, but he started out the year great, and ended the year okay.  the main reason he is on this list is because he is a lefty, and as you guys know, this team inst exactly stacked with lefties.

Brad Meyers- He has been dominant everywhere he has been when he has been healthy.  It took him a little time to get adjusted to AAA, but once he did he was great every time out there, he rarely walks batters, and has the stuff to get away with it.  I think he could be a VERY solid MLB pitcher for a good number of years.

Ryan Tatusko- One of the "Guz two" he stunk to start the year, but during the all star break he told himself to "just pitch" and it did wonders for him.  I believe he throws hard, so he has that going for him, and if he can pitch like he did the second half of last year, He could find his way to the MLB

Josh Wilkie- NFA  Brian's favorite prospect, he doesn't have the good stuff, but he puts up the numbers every year, I would love to see him get a shot  FREE JOSH WILKIE

Zech Zinicola-Very similar to Wilkie, he was taken in the Rule V draft by the Jays, and returned before he could make the majors.  He was dominating at AAA last year.

Jeff Mandel-Almost a Wilkie clone, that's about all that needs to be said here

Christian Garcia-Former big time Yankees prospect, two TJ surgeries really threw off his career.  reports says hes healthy, but he hasn't had a true test yet

Tyler Moore-He kept up the great power numbers, leading the EL in HR's after a breakout year at Potomac the year before.  He will probably need to cut down on the K's, but I feel that he has a higher upside than Marrero

Erik Komatsu- Acquired from the Brewers for Hairston, he was good in the Southern League, but struggled in the EL.  He walks a lot and has decent power, maybe he will be the CF of the future

Jhonathan Solano-He has always had the defense, but its the bat that has been the question.  He didn't put up great number in AAA Syracuse, but he put up good enough numbers to make you think that he could be something decent.  Another question he has is the low CS rate

Danny Rosenbaum- Very John Lannan like, not great stuff, but he is supposed to have a good curve, the only problem is that he has trouble throwing it for strikes, but when he got it over the plate, the Carolina League hitters didnt stand a chance

Derek Norris-Had trouble making contact last year, but hit for good power, and kept the OBP up.  He will have to stay at catcher to stay a big prospect, but if he can get the average up he could be a dangerous player

Rendon/Purke-These guys have been talked enough about recently, not much more I can add.

 

Hope you enjoyed, and hopefully these guys can make a positive impact if needed.  Feel free to add more information in the comments, ask an questions, or just comment on it, I will do my best to get back to you.  Thanks for reading!