Late Thursday afternoon the Washington Nationals announced that they have added 2B Christopher Bostick, Catcher Spencer Kieboom and LHP Nick Lee to their 40-man roster, in order to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. Without getting too deep into specifics, the Rule 5 draft occurs at the Winter Meetings each year and those eligible this year are any college draftee from 2011 and before or any high school draftee from 2010 and before not on a team’s 40-man roster. By adding them to the 40-man, these three are now immediately protected from the Rule 5 draft next month.

Acquired along with Abel De Los Santos from Texas last offseason for LHP Ross Detwiler, the 22-year-old Christopher Bostick quietly had a productive season, hitting .258/.312/.398 with 12 home runs, 42 extra base hits and 31 stolen bases in 137 games while splitting time for both the Potomac Nationals and Harrisburg Senators in 2015. Defensively he spent most of the season playing second base, though he did see some time at left field, center field and shortstop.

Offensively Bostick is a right-handed hitter with quality bat speed and loose wrists which he uses to whip the barrel through the strike zone. In addition Bostick is a wiry 5-11 185lbs with excellent athleticism and possesses plus speed, which he has used to steal 96 bases in 480 career minor league games. His swing has some excess length and generates some whiffs, but he has managed to swat 92 extra bases hits the past two seasons. He will take a walk and if he can make a few adjustments, Bostick projects as a potential below-average to fringe-average major league hitter.

In the field Bostick has an average (“50”) arm with a reasonably quick release and good athleticism. Unfortunately these skills do not add up to a dynamic defensive second baseman, as Bostick does not look comfortable and will make errors on the routine play. I project him as a potential “40” defender at second and think his future could be as a utility player.

The Nationals sent Bostick to the Arizona Fall League this spring, likely to help in this decision of whether or not to protect him in the Rule 5 draft – Bostick has seized the opportunity, batting .268/.333/.549 with 4 homers in 71 at-bats. This performance in front of scouts, plus his obvious physical tools, made this an easy decision for Washington’s front office to add him to their 40-man roster.
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Chris Bostick

Drafted in the 5th round of the 2012 draft, catcher Spencer Kieboom has earned the reputation as a terrific defensive catcher. The 24-year-old Kieboom possesses a plus arm, a quick release and nimble feet, which allow him to routinely post sub-1.95 second pop times to second base. In addition, he has a good aptitude for receiving the baseball and shows the ability to block pitches in the dirt. Overall Kieboom profiles as a plus or “60” defensive catcher.

Offensively the right-handed hitting Kieboom shows good raw pull power in batting practice and a keen eye at the plate, as evidenced by his .352 career on-base percentage. He also makes contact and does not strike out much, but this contact ability does not often translate into power during game action. Kieboom should see major league time simply because of his defensive wizardry but his likely “30” hit and “30/35” raw power limits his ceiling to an above-average major league backup. Kieboom should begin 2016 as the starting catcher at Double-A Harrisburg and could reach the majors sometime next year.

Nick Lee

Nick Lee was drafted by the Nationals in the 18th round of the 2011 draft from Weatherford College in Texas. A left-handed relief pitcher, Lee possesses an imposing 93-94mph fastball that touches 96, in addition to a hard 79-82mph slider with sharp downward movement. Lee spent 2015 pitching for both High-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg, posting a combined 3.12 ERA over 52 innings pitched with 57 strikeouts against 33 walks. Lee has excellent pure stuff, but his difficulty avoiding walks as shown by a career 4.8 BB/9 ratio (5.7 BB/9 in 2015), hinders his overall effectiveness. After being exposed to scouts this fall in the Arizona Fall League and the dearth of lefties who can throw in the mid-90s, I am not surprised the Nationals decided to protect the soon-to-be 25-year-old from the draft.

The Nationals truly had legitimate decisions to make on likely six prospects, obviously Bostick, Kieboom and Lee, in addition to 1B Jose Marmolejos-Diaz, Catcher Raudy Read and 1B Matt Skole. Due to the limited ceiling of Skole and the distance from the majors of Marmolejos-Diaz and Read, the Nationals probably make the proper call leaving them off the roster. The Nationals currently have 38 players on their 40-man roster, giving them flexibility for free agent signings and trades going forward, not to mention the potential to select a prospect themselves in the Rule 5 draft. Thursday’s activity represents one of many small moves in what is expected to be a busy offseason for the Nationals’ front office.