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WASHINGTON - These are busy times for Mark Scialabba, the Assistant General Manager, Player Development for the Nationals.
Just days after the minor league season ended for four clubs, he will head up Washington’s Instructional League which begins Wednesday in West Palm Beach, Florida.
That is a quicker turnaround than most years, as the pandemic forced the minor leagues to extend their seasons longer this year than in the past.
Scialabba informed Federal Baseball earlier this week that nearly every member of the draft class of 2021, among others, would be at Instructional League.
One of the instructors in Florida is Jake Lowery, a Richmond native and former minor league catcher with Cleveland and Washington.
He made it to Triple-A in the Washington system and ended his playing career in 2019 at Double-A Harrisburg. He just finished his first year as the manager of the Florida Complex League team, which ended its season Sunday.
Harrisburg and low Single-A Fredericksburg also ended their seasons Sunday, while high Single-A Wilmington played its last game on Saturday.
Here is a look at how draft picks in the top 10 rounds from this year fared in their first pro season:
Brady House (1st round): The Georgia high school product hit .322 with an OPS of .970 in 59 at-bats for the Florida Complex team.
“He has broad shoulders, a big dude,” said Lowery. “He has been fun to watch, honestly. He puts the bat on the ball.”
Daylen Lile (2nd): The high school outfielder from Kentucky hit .219 with an OPS of .612 for the Florida team.
Branden Boissiere (3rd): The first baseman from the University of Arizona hit .200 with .593 OPS for Fredericksburg.
Dustin Saenz (4th): The lefty pitcher from Texas A & M was 1-0, 4.73 in six games, with two starts, split between Florida and Virginia.
T.J. White (5th): The high school outfielder from South Carolina hit .283 with an OPS of .903 in Florida.
“Switch-hitter with a calm presence in the box,” Lowery noted.
“He can drive the ball to all fields, which is impressive for a high school draft pick. It’s been fun to watch his growth thus far and aptitude to listen and learn.”
Michael Kirian (6th): The lefty was 2-1, 3.55 in seven games with one start between Florida and Virginia.
Jacob Young (7th): The outfielder from the University of Florida hit just .208 in 101 at-bats for Fredericksburg.
Will Frizzell (8th): A first baseman, the Texas A&M product hit .313 in 32 at-bats in Florida.
Cole Quintanilla (9th): The right-hander from Austin and the University of Texas was 0-2, 3.86 in six games with two saves over seven innings split between the Florida complex and Virginia team.
Darren Baker (10th): The second baseman from California and the son of Dusty Baker hit .313 overall in four games with the Florida complex team and 18 in Fredericksburg.