NewsSeveral Nats prospects shine in AFL
Strasburg, Storen, Marrero, Espinosa show big league skills
By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com
11/06/09 3:05 PM EST
Is there a future front-line starter, closer, starting shortstop and first baseman in the group? It's too early to tell.But Nationals assistant general manager Roy Clark is impressed with what he has seen out of the Nationals' prospects in the Arizona Fall League thus far.
Believe it or not, it isn't just phenom Stephen Strasburg who's representing the Nationals' organization by playing for the Phoenix Desert Dogs -- winners of five straight AFL championships, though the league rotates affiliated teams each year.
Drew Storen, the right-hander who was also a first-round pick; Chris Marrero, a power-hitting first baseman; Danny Espinosa, a slick-fielding shortstop; right-handers Josh Wilkie and Jeff Mandel; and catcher Sean Rooney have all been getting extra playing time this month.
The Nationals' two prized possessions from this year's Draft class -- Strasburg and Storen -- were scheduled to play in Saturday's Rising Stars game as part of the East Division team, but Strasburg was scratched because of a muscle strain in his neck, the Nationals announced Friday.
So far, Strasburg is 3-1 with a 5.28 ERA in four starts. While Clark, also the Nationals' vice president of player personnel, is impressed just like everybody else with Strasburg's electric fastball and knee-buckling curve, he's perhaps even more impressed with how quickly the 21-year-old developed a nice changeup -- though its velocity could be considered other pitchers' fastballs.
A third pitch that could one day make him unhittable.
"It was 92, 93 mph, and those hitters had no chance of hitting it," Clark said. "I've seen him a bunch. He's always had that good breaking ball and obviously the arm strength, but I guess he started throwing that changeup in instructional league, and it was unhittable.
"I've seen him since he was a junior in high school, and I've never seen him better."
Numbers-wise, Storen has been even more impressive.
The 22-year-old taken with the 10th overall pick has a slim 0.93 ERA while giving up just one earned run in 9 2/3 innings, striking out nine while walking just one.
Storen projects to be a Major League closer some day, and Clark has seen nothing this fall that would convince him otherwise.
"He's got three legitimate plus pitches with his fastball, curveball and slider, so I don't think there's any reason why he couldn't be a closer," Clark said.
"He's another guy that is very close. When is he going to be ready? I don't know. He may be ready in the beginning of the year, middle of the year. He's just got to do the same thing [as Strasburg] -- just has to work on being consistent with his pitches and keep the ball out of the middle of the plate."
The Nationals had a pretty good idea they had their future third baseman and potentially the eventual face of their franchise when they took Ryan Zimmerman with the fourth overall pick in 2005. But they simply couldn't pass up on another third baseman, Marrero, with their first-round pick the following year.
That's because Marrero could flat out hit the ball. And now, as a converted first baseman, he's continuing to show it.
Through 15 games for the first-place Desert Dogs, the big 21-year-old right-handed hitter is batting .371 (23-for-62) with three home runs and 17 RBIs.
Marrero, who switched from the outfield to first base as a pro, is coming off batting a combined .284 with 17 home runs and 76 RBIs for high-A and Double-A this summer, and he continues to impress at the plate.
"His approach is much more compact now," Clark said. "Our coaches and player-development staff have done a great job with him. His approach is so much better. He can really hit, and he's getting better and better defensively. He's really working hard at that.
"When he comes to the plate, good things tend to happen, and they're really happening down here."
As for Espinosa, the 22-year-old's defense has never been in question; he's projected to play a Major League-caliber shortstop. Throughout his pro career, however, strikeouts have been a problem, as he has a career .448 slugging percentage.
His slugging percentage currently sits at .429 this fall -- having struck out 15 times in 56 at-bats -- so improvements still need to come there.
"I know defensively, he can play in the big leagues right now and be a well-above-average defender," Clark said. "It's just the bat.
"But he's close. He's close."
As for the other AFL prospects, Rooney is 1-for-12 while seeing action in four games; Mandel sports a 3.00 ERA in nine innings of work spanning seven relief appearances; and Wilkie has given up just one run in nine innings of relief to give him a 1.00 ERA.
"I think that the player-development staff and the scouting department for the Washington Nationals is very underrated," Clark said. "They have some very good scouts and instructors and coaches over here. That's the biggest thing I've seen. And then, coming over here and seeing the players in this league, we just talked about four guys that have a chance to be very good Major League players, if not better than that. I'm proud to be a Nat, and it's just fun to be over here with a great group of guys."
Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
