Washington Nationals’ prospect Seth Romero throws on side, Mitchell Parker makes debut in Instructional League...

WASHINGTON – It was an eventful day for pitchers in the Washington Nationals’ system on Wednesday – and just part of that was in an Instructional League game.

In that contest in West Palm Beach, the Nationals beat the Marlins 3-1 as recent draft pick Mitchell Parker pitched two innings in his first appearance against an opposing team since he was drafted this summer.

“He has some deception in his delivery,” pitching coordinator Brad Holman told Federal Baseball from Florida on Wednesday. “He is a funky lefty.”

Parker, who turned 21 last month, was drafted in the fifth round out of San Jacinto Junior College in June.

The starting pitcher for the Nationals on Wednesday was Eddy Yean, who went two innings.

He pitched in the Gulf Coast League and for Auburn in 2019.

Also on Wednesday, lefty Seth Romero threw on the side in Florida. “He is in a super place,” said Holman, who was the Triple-A pitching coach in 2019.

Romero made his Major League debut with the Nationals in 2020 in three outings out of the bullpen. He fell and hurt his right (non-throwing) hand and went on the Injured list.

A first-round pick in 2017, Romero did not pitch in 2019, following Tommy John surgery, after reaching low Single-Hagerstown the year before.

Also on Wednesday, Steven Fuentes – who had been in Instructional League – pitched five innings and gave up six hits and two runs (one earned) with five strikeouts in a game in the league in his native Panama. He threw 74 pitches, according to Holman.

Wednesday was also the one-year anniversary of another strong pitching performance. The Nationals, behind Stephen Strasburg, beat the visiting St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the NLCS at Nationals Park on Oct. 14, 2019 as the right-hander yielded just one run in seven innings.