After weeks of speculation, Thursday the Washington Nationals announced they have acquired 22-year-old left-handed pitcher Matthew Spann from the Tampa Bay Rays to complete the earlier David DeJesus trade.  Washington claimed DeJesus from the Chicago Cubs on August 19th for cash, only to be redirected four days later to Tampa Bay in exchange for a Player To Be Named Later, eventually Matthew Spann.

General manager Mike Rizzo took advantage of the Nationals relatively early waiver position in late August to claim DeJesus, a solid veteran capable of playing all three outfield positions.  When acquiring DeJesus the Nationals pointed to his $6.5 million dollar team option for 2014 as additional motivation for the claim.  A career .279/.353/.416 hitter, DeJesus would have been a quality addition to the Nationals bench desperately in need of an overhaul prior to next season.  However, with Bryce Harper, Denard Span, and Jayson Werth occupying the three outfield positions next season, at-bats are expected to be scarce, and $6.5 million is expensive for a reserve.   Understandably, the Nationals quickly decided to convert their claim into a promising left-handed pitcher in Spann.

Matthew Spann, Tampa Bay’s 25^th round pick in the 2010 draft from a Tennessee high school, spent 2013 pitching at Bowling Green, Tampa Bay’s Low-A affiliate, posting a 2.87 ERA with 35 strikeouts against 21 walks in 59.2 innings pitched.  According to reports Spann features an 87-90mph fastball, an inconsistent 77-79mph slider, and a changeup with downward movement like a split-finger.  Listed at 6-7 185lbs., yes only 185lbs., Spann has plenty of physical projection remaining and I assume the Nationals’ scouts are betting that as he fills out, his velocity will also increase.  His low strikeout rate in A-ball is rather alarming, but Spann is an intriguing arm for the Nationals to add to their farm system.

General manager Mike Rizzo has shown a proficiency for uncovering valuable pieces in his smaller trades, cheaply acquiring Mike Morse, Ryan Mattheus, and Tanner Roark amongst others during his tenure in Washington. That said unless Spann increases his velocity and further refines his off-speed offerings to enable him to miss more bats, he is  more likely to follow the career path of other Rizzo acquisitions Robinson Fabian, Victor Garate, and Greg Veloz.  Either way, the Nationals’ front office deserves credit for shrewdly turning a waiver claim into a young left-handed pitching prospect with breakout potential. 

NatsGM Overall Grade                      ->         B-

Quick fellow members of Natstown, do you remember who was the winning pitcher in the final victory for the Montreal Expos?  The answer was the closer for the inaugural 2005 Washington Nationals team and the subject of this Time Capsule, Chad Cordero. 

Fondly remembered for his flat-brimmed baseball hat and known by his nickname, The Chief, Cordero was the Montreal Expos 1^st round pick, 20^th overall, in the 2003 MLB draft from Cal State Fullerton.  After spending a few months developing in the minor leagues, Cordero made his major league debut on August 30, 2003 in the 7^th inning against the Florida Marlins.  Cordero quickly capitalized on his opportunity, posting a 1.64 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 12 appearances for the Expos the rest of that season.  The following year, 2004, saw Cordero pitch 82.2 innings with a 7-3 record, a 2.94 ERA, 14 saves, and 83 strikeouts while establishing himself as one of the best relievers in the National League.  

As a 23-year-old and in his first season in Washington, Cordero had a magical career year, making 74 appearances for the upstart Nationals with a 1.82 ERA and 47 saves in route to being selected to the All-Star team.  In addition, Cordero was 5^th in the National League Cy Young voting, and 14^th in the Most Valuable Player award, nearly unheard of for a reliever.  Cordero also captured the NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year, an award given annually to the top relief pitcher in each league.

As an acknowledgement of his monster 2005 campaign and blossoming reputation, Cordero was selected to represent Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in the spring of 2006: many Nationals fans pointed toward this early game action as the reason his numbers slipped somewhat that season, as Cordero provided the Nationals with a 3.19 ERA, 29 saves, and 69 strikeouts over 73.1 innings pitched.

Cordero stumbled again early in the 2007 season, as his ailing grandmother served as a distraction and eventually forced him to take a six game leave of absence during May.  After resolving those unfortunate issues, Cordero transformed from Clark Kent to Superman, finishing the year with a 3.36 ERA and 37 saves in 75 innings pitched.  Noteworthy from this season was that on June 13, Cordero (at 25 years and 86 days) became the second youngest player in baseball history to reach 100 career saves, trailing only Francisco Rodriguez.

This was about the end of the positive news for him on the field, as early in April 2008 Cordero tore the labrum in his throwing shoulder, forcing him to undergo surgery and miss most of the season.  While rehabbing his shoulder and still under contract with the team, then general manager Jim Bowden infamously went on Sports Talk 980 in July and stated that Cordero would not be tendered a contract after the season.  True to his word, on October 30, 2008 Bowden and the Nationals sent Cordero to Triple-A Syracuse, but because of the incident with Bowden, he rejected the minor league assignment and became a free agent. 

The following March Cordero signed a minor league contract with Seattle in expectation of competing for their closer role after recovering from surgery.  Unfortunately Cordero was unable to take the mound until July and did not make an appearance in the majors in 2009.  He did return to the majors for Seattle on June 3, 2010, throwing only 9.2 innings with a 6.52 ERA before he was released on July 15.  Soon thereafter, Cordero signed another minor league deal, this time with the New York Mets and was assigned to Triple-A. 

The next winter Chad signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, but was quickly released on May 17^th.  Cordero then agreed to terms with the St. Paul Saints of the Independent Leagues, but suddenly decided to retire from the game on June 20, 2011.  However, this past February The Chief came out of retirement to pitch for the Salt Lake Bees, the Triple-A affiliate of the Anaheim Angels.  Cordero struggled this season, posting a 5.53 ERA in 55.1 innings with 46 strikeouts across two minor league levels.  Still only 31-years-old, it will be interesting to see if Cordero ever again returns to the major leagues. 

Although his unfortunate shoulder injury derailed a promising career as a reliever, Cordero will forever hold a special place in Washington Nationals history as the closer on the inaugural 2005 team.  In a city with a Commander and Chief and many Chiefs of Staff, to loyal Nationals fans there will forever be only one man known as The Chief, #32 Chad Cordero.

This article was also published at our sister website, RedPorchReport.com.

Much like the masterful band Journey’s often overlooked second album, Looking Into The Future, I spent Labor Day weekend scouting the many talented prospects from the Frederick Keys and Potomac Nationals, the High-A affiliates of the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals respectively. 

Yesterday in Part 1 of this series, I examined Nationals pitching prospects Paul Demny and Brett Mooneyham along with rehabilitating Orioles infielder Ryan Flaherty; today in Part 2 I highlight two of my favorite overlooked prospects, Michael Taylor and Tim Berry, who are not receiving enough attention from others around baseball.

Michael Taylor                 CF Potomac Nationals

One of the best pure athletes in the organization, the still raw 22-year-old Taylor has started to turn his skills into performance this season for Potomac, hitting .263/.341/.428 with 10 home runs, 41 doubles, and 86 runs batted in.  Taylor has quick hands, excellent bat speed, and has made a noticeable effort to stand taller at the plate this season to take advantage of this in order to make more solid contact. 

Defensively, Taylor has made improvements this summer making reads on balls off the bat, which combined with his above-average speed and solid throwing arm make him an asset defensively in center field.  He is also developing on the bases as well, stealing 51 bases this season in only 58 attempts.

The glaring weakness in Taylor’s game remains that he still strikes out far too often, specifically 128 times in 505 at-bats this season, and is particularly susceptible to high fastballs and off-speed pitches away.  That said he has made noteworthy and commendable progress this season improving his all-around baseball skills, and has just begun to scratch the surface of his immense talent.  Projecting a player to improve his ability to make contact is a risky proposition, but I see tangible signs Taylor is beginning “to get it”, and think he could be in store for a breakout season in 2014.

Tim Berry             LHP Frederick Keys

Berry served as the starter for the Keys in their season finale Monday, and as he has done all season, he was impressive, pitching six innings and allowing three runs on seven hits and no walks and three strikeouts.  Berry, 22-years-old, has an impressive repertoire consisting of a 90-94mph fastball, a 74-75mph curveball with some slurvy-type movement, and an above-average 80-81mph changeup with late downward action.  A relatively skinny pitcher with projection remaining, Berry has a very quiet, clean motion and stays compact and square through his delivery. 

Berry was recently selected as one of the Orioles prospects to play in the Arizona Fall League next month, which should provide an excellent challenge as he will face some of the best hitting prospects in baseball in an offensive-friendly environment.  Berry likely starts next season in Double-A Bowie’s rotation, and as a lefty with three quality offerings, he has the potential to develop into a quality #4 or #5 starter in the big leagues, possibly as soon as mid-2015. 

Right-handed reliever Brian Dupra entered the game in mop-up duty on Monday for Potomac and caught my eye with his potent arsenal comprising a 93-96mph fastball with some armside run, an 80-83mph slider that he can locate for strikes, and an 82-84mph changeup.  A physically imposing figure on the mound at 6-3 200lbs, Dupra has been uneven at Potomac in 2013, posting a 4.96 ERA with 64 hits and 28 walks against 44 strikeouts in 61.2 innings pitched.  Bluntly, his stuff is much better than those results, as his pure stuff should overwhelm A-ball hitters.  Now almost 25-years-old, Dupra should receive a promotion to Double-A Harrisburg in 2014, and next season is critical to his career development path.

I am not particularly confident 23-year-old Potomac catcher Craig Manuel will ever develop into a professional caliber hitter, but he is quite proficient defensively, serving as a square, quiet target for the pitcher and shows an aptitude for blocking pitches in the dirt and throwing out potential base stealers.  A left-handed hitter lacking power, Manuel does a reasonable job making contact and possesses a career .365 on-base percentage.  If he can somehow manage to hit .240-.250 with a .310 OBP, his defense is good enough that he could find work as a major league backup in a few seasons.

A College World Series legend while attending South Carolina, right-handed pitcher Matt Price was the Orioles 7^th round pick last summer; Price entered the game on Monday in the 9^th inning to close out the victory for the Keys.  Price possesses a huge, stocky physique and throws from a three-quarters arm slot with some effort in his delivery, which provides deception to the batter.  Price throws an 89-92mph fastball with some late life and a 78mph slider that visibly fooled a hitter.  An experienced 24-year-old pitcher, Price should start next season at Double-A Bowie and has a chance to reach the majors as a reliever particularly effective against righties.

Choosing to avoid the standard traffic jams at the Bay Bridge on a holiday weekend, I decided instead to drive to Frederick both Sunday and Monday to scout the Keys as they hosted the Potomac Nationals.  Labor Day weekend marks the end of the minor league regular season, so neither a near monsoon Sunday night nor scorching hot temperatures Monday afternoon could keep me away from Harry Grove stadium. 

Even though the players could see the end of the season in their grasps like a secretary counting the minutes until 5pm, I was impressed by the effort level and hustle shown by both teams and the number of talented pitchers from each organization.  Because of the number of prospects on both teams, I have divided my notes from this series into two parts – Here is Part 1.

Nationals prospect Paul Demny

Paul Demny                       RHP Potomac Nationals

A thickly built Texan who looks bigger than his listed 6-2 200lbs. size, Demny was the Nationals 6^th round pick in the 2008 MLB draft, and has a four-pitch arsenal consisting of a two-seam and four-seam fastball, a slider, and a changeup.  Demny throws a relatively straight but powerful 91-96mph four-seam fastball, along with an 86-90mph two-seam fastball with armside movement and some subtle sink.  For off-speed offerings Demny throws an uneven but promising 80-82mph slider with some tilt that he can locate for strikes, and an 83-85mph changeup which has splitter-type movement.

Demny has a slow, deliberate windup, and has a lot more activity during his delivery than is typically ideal, and could help explain his 51 walks in 120.1 innings pitched this season.  Recently 24-years-old, Demny has a major league quality arm, but if he does not cut down on the walks and improve his fastball location, he will struggle to rise through the farm system.  Perhaps a shift to the bullpen could hide some of his control issues and he can carve out a role as a major league reliever. 

Brett Mooneyham           LHP Potomac Nationals

LHP Brett Mooneyham

A very large left-handed pitcher with room to add weight, Mooneyham was the Nationals 3^rd round pick in 2012 from Stanford University. Mooneyham came out this year and pitched well at Low-A Hagerstown, posting a 1.94 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 93 innings before forcing a promotion to High-A Potomac a few weeks ago.

On Monday Mooneyham showcased his three pitch arsenal including an 89-92mph fastball which has some cutting action, an 81-83mph slider, and an 82-84mph changeup that fades away from right-handed batters.  Mooneyham has a unique pitching motion with extreme movement, almost turning his back to the batter during his delivery.  His motion does provide some deception to the batter (and me behind the plate), but the amount of moving parts causes his mechanics to misalign fairly quickly: this likely explains his 54 walks in 104.1 innings this season. 

There is a lot to like about Mooneyham, as his fastball has natural movement and he can throw it more than 90mph, but he looks raw on the mound for a 23-year-old and his delivery will make it difficult to ever pitch at a consistent level.  Mooneyham will be a name I remember for 2014, because if he can make some subtle tweaks to his motion this offseason, his #4 starter potential could quickly emerge.

Baltimore Orioles Infielder Ryan Flaherty

Orioles’ infielder Ryan Flaherty was on a rehabilitation assignment in Frederick this weekend in an effort to get some at-bats before returning to Baltimore.  In his first two at-bats Sunday evening, Flaherty seemed to be consciously working the count to see some pitches, eventually struggling to catch up with velocity and swinging behind a 95mph and 96mph fastball from Demny for strikeouts. 

In his final at-bat of the evening, Flaherty ripped a single to left-center field on a 93mph fastball and resembled a major leaguer hitting off an overmatched High-A pitcher.  Maybe that at-bat was what Orioles officials wanted to see, as he was recalled to the majors early Monday morning.

The Orioles 7^th round pick in the 2011 draft, left-handed pitcher Trent Howard served as the Frederick Keys starter on Sunday and showed a three-pitch mix including an 85-88mph (topping out at 90mph) fastball with some sinking action, an inconsistent 76-78mph slider, and a good 76-80mph changeup with fading armside action.  Howard always pitches from the stretch, and has a relatively simple, straightforward delivery though there is some effort involved in his motion.  Howard seemed to tire quickly during his outing, as his velocity decreased and the hitters started hitting him more squarely in the 3rd inning, leading me to believe his career is as a reliever.

Although the Orioles are currently using him in the rotation, the numbers say Howard should be a reliever as well, as he has a 0.62 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 29 innings as a reliever verses a 4.88 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched as a starter this season.  For development purposes, it certainly makes sense to give him additional experience as a starter, but expect the Orioles to promote Howard to Double-A Bowie in 2014 and permanently shift him to the bullpen. 

Long-time personal favorite of mine Potomac outfielder Brandon Miller showed his skills over the course of this series, hitting a towering home run to left field Sunday night into a breeze and flashing his quick bat on a double to right field Monday afternoon. 

In addition he impressed me with his above-average speed and defensive range in making an excellent running catch in the right field corner on Monday and showed off his monster arm throwing out a runner at second base from the warning track on the fly.Miller still whiffs far too often, accounting for four strikeouts in two games, but if he can improve these contact issues, he has a chance to reach the major leagues in a few years.

Tomorrow I will return with Part 2, in which I will discuss Nationals outfielder Michael Taylor and Orioles pitcher Tim Berry amongst other prospects.