Determined to spend the day outdoors enjoying the unusually comfortable August weather, I drove to Hagerstown Sunday to observe the Nationals Low-A minor league affiliate, the Hagerstown Suns, host the Kannapolis Intimidators, the Low-A farm team of the Chicago White Sox. 

Municipal Stadium, home of the Suns, is one of the most charming minor league stadiums I have ever experienced, with a manually operated scoreboard in left field, an extensive list of quality food and beer options, and the overall nostalgia of a ballpark built nearly 85 years ago.  Always an enjoyable experience, I strongly recommend every baseball fan try to attend a home Hagerstown Suns game. 

Sunday was no exception, as I was treated to a well-played game of Low-A baseball and plenty of future major league talent on the field.  Here are some of my scouting notes from yesterday’s contest. 

Kylin Turnbull

Kylin Turnbull                   LHSP      Hagerstown Suns

I was particularly excited to watch Turnbull Sunday afternoon, as he has been a popular name in the Nationals farm system since being selected in the 4^th round of the 2011 draft.  Now almost 24-years-old and scuffling with a 4.58 ERA in Low-A, I wanted to scout Turnbull and get a better feel for his potential to progress up the organizational ladder. 

Immediately one notices Turnbull’s ideal pitchers frame with projection remaining, as he is listed at 6-5 205lbs. and his pitching motion is rather simple and clean without much wasted motion.  He hides the ball well as he comes to the plate, though he should try to get better extension as he releases the ball to take advantage of his length.  He is also very athletic, especially for his size, as he fields his position well and made a noteworthy diving attempt to catch a bunt in the 6^th inning.

Unfortunately Turnbull’s repertoire is not as impressive, as his fastball sat 85-88mph, both from the windup and the stretch with some arm side movement, and he located the fastball fairly well all afternoon.  In addition Turnbull featured a below-average 77-80mph slider that needs more late bite to miss bats, and an intriguing, but inconsistent 79-82mph split-finger that had interesting screwball-type movement.

While there is a lot to like about Kylin Turnbull as a prospect, I question his future potential as there are precious few pitchers with velocity below 90mph in the majors unless they have a quirky throwing motion or an elite off-speed pitch.  I believe the Nationals should convert Turnbull to the bullpen this fall, as he could add velocity in shorter appearances and his changeup should keep right-handed batters off-balance, making him more than a pure lefty specialist. 

Tony Renda                        2B           Hagerstown Suns

Tony Renda

Drafted by the Nationals in the 2^nd round last summer, the 22-year-old Renda has performed well in Hagerstown this season, hitting nearly .300 with about the same number of walks as strikeouts.  Tony Renda does not have much projection left in his generously listed 5-10 170lbs. frame and he looks small in stature compared to the other players: in fact, a man seated behind me confused him for the bat boy before the game.  What Renda does not have in physical size, he makes up for with an excellent ability to make contact with the baseball with lightning-quick wrists, solid hand-eye coordination, and above-average bat speed in a compact swing.   Quite simply, Renda can hit. 

Renda owns average to slightly above-average speed and athleticism and plays extremely hard, but his mediocre arm strength limits him defensively.  Renda is a difficult prospect to label, as his power is negligible and his defense, arm, and speed are just mediocre, yet his special ability to make hard contact as a batter leads me to think he could carve out a career in the major leagues.  Renda has little left to prove at Low-A, and I am surprised the Nationals have not promoted him to High-A Potomac.

Tim Anderson                    SS           Kannapolis Intimidators

Kannapolis SS Tim Anderson

Drafted 17^th overall in the 2013 MLB Draft, Anderson’s sheer talent and impressive athleticism are overwhelmingly obvious and he was clearly the most talented player on the field.  Anderson has a lean, wiry frame with potential to fill out, and has above-average to plus speed.

Defensively Anderson possesses a strong, above-average throwing arm, soft hands at shortstop, and solid instincts for the position. On Sunday Anderson was impressive going to his left defensively, and showed off an Olympic athlete-type vertical leap in the 4^th inning.  With refinement Anderson profiles as an above-average or better defender at shortstop in the major leagues. 

Anderson is less developed as a hitter but owns extremely quick wrists and apparent bat speed, but like most 20-year-olds he still struggles to make consistent contact.  I was impressed by his approach at the plate, which when combined with a good swing should allow him to hit for average as he moves up the White Sox system.  I doubt that he hits for much power, probably chipping in 5-7 homers per season, but I envision him hitting plenty of doubles and triples as a hitter. 

An outstanding athlete with baseball instincts, Anderson will need plenty of development time in the minor leagues, but I would bet on this immense talent playing shortstop in the major leagues in a few years. 

Others of Note:

Finally Kannapolis’ reliever Euclides Leyer entered in the 8^th inning and flashed a quick pitching arm along with a 92-94mph fastball and a low-80s slider with some bite.  His fastball is pretty flat and there is little deception in his motion, which allowed the Hagerstown hitters to square him up and likely explains 5.57 ERA in 2013.  Only 20-years-old with projection remaining in his slender frame, his weaknesses are obvious, but he has potential if he can refine his command and the mechanics in his delivery.  Leyer is definitely a name to remember in the White Sox farm system. 

After several weeks of build up to the July 31^st MLB trade deadline, yesterday passed rather quietly, with the biggest deal either being Bud Norris going to Baltimore or Ian Kennedy heading to San Diego.  The biggest trade of the deadline occurred late Tuesday evening, when the Red Sox agreed to trade shortstop Jose Iglesias to Detroit and three prospects to the White Sox in return for Jake Peavy, with Avisail Garcia going from the Tigers to Chicago to complete the three team deal. 

In general, like most trade deadlines, this year passed with a great amount of rumors and trade discussion, but with the feeling of not much actually happening.  Sure Matt Garza, Jake Peavy, and Ian Kennedy were traded in the past few days, but potential blockbuster trades for Philadelphia starter Cliff Lee, Miami outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, or Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista ended up as nothing more than internet gossip.  Nevertheless there was enough activity during the month of July to declare some clear Winners and Losers of the 2013 MLB Trade Deadline.

The Winners

1)            Chicago Cubs

The Cubs continued their rebuild during July, making a total of five trades and parting with Alfonso Soriano and Matt Garza as they attempted to get younger and overhaul their roster.  In these trades, Chicago received five prospects including third baseman Mike Olt, two intriguing reclamation projects in Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop, and Players To Be Named Later.  Not too shabby considering the team did not want to extend Garza for major dollars and wanted to clear any amount of Soriano’s salary off their future payroll.  While Chicago parted with plenty of talent this month, they definitely received the most prospect talent in return, and have further added to their rapidly improving farm system. 

2)            Houston Astros

Without major trade pieces to part with, the Astros must again be commended for understanding where they are in their overall rebuild and taking productive major league players such as Jose Veras, Justin Maxwell, and Bud Norris and turning them into two outfield prospects, two pitching prospects, a Player To Be Named Later, and a top-40 selection in the 2014 MLB Draft.  In particular, I like the haul Houston received for Norris, a solid but flawed starting pitcher, who returned a possible everyday left fielder in Washington D.C. native L.J Hoes, blossoming left-handed starter Josh Hader, and a top draft pick next year.   Houston has quickly transformed one of the shallowest farm systems in baseball into one of the deepest, and shrewd trades like these are a major reason for this. 

3)            San Diego Padres

I know Ian Kennedy has struggled mightily this season, but he is only one season removed from winning 15 games and only two seasons removed from 21 victories and finishing 4^th in the National League Cy Young voting, and the Padres were wise to trade for him while parting with only reliever Joe Thatcher, prospect Matt Stites, and a 2014 draft pick.  Kennedy is under contract through 2015, and the shift to a pitcher’s park in San Diego for this fly ball pitcher could rejuvenate his career.  Thatcher is an excellent reliever and Stites should develop into a dynamic late-inning reliever, but the opportunity to buy-low on a potential mid-rotation starter like Kennedy was too good to pass up.  I understand and can view the merits to Arizona’s side of this trade, but I expect a major bounce back for Kennedy in San Diego and consider this my favorite deadline move of 2013. 

Honorable Mention:

Although only a small trade, I thought the Atlanta Braves did well to acquire left-handed reliever Scott Downs from Anaheim for only Triple-A reliever Cory Rasmus.  Downs is strictly a lefty specialist at this point in his career, but he should more than adequately fill the holes left from injuries to relievers Eric O’Flaherty and Jonny Venters earlier this season.  Nice job by Atlanta to fill a clear need without giving up anything the Braves will miss in the future. 

The Baltimore Orioles did give up some nice prospects from their farm system this month in L.J. Hoes, Nick Delmonico, and Josh Hader, but give them credit for recognizing their weaknesses both in the starting rotation and the bullpen and going out and getting two solid starters in Scott Feldman and Bud Norris, and an established veteran reliever in Francisco Rodriguez.  The Orioles still lack a dominant starting pitcher, but credit the front office for filling many of the remaining holes on their roster this month, without parting with top prospects Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman, or Jonathan Schoop.

The Losers

1)            Pittsburgh Pirates

Rumors had the Pirates as one of the most aggressive teams at the deadline looking to add another pitcher and another hitter to their roster, but Pittsburgh was able to make only two minor deals in July, one for journeyman Russ Canzler and the other for utility infielder Ronny Cedeno. The Pirates have a strong farm system with excellent depth, which makes it even more surprising they were unable to find a way to truly improve their team in July.  Often the best trades are the ones teams do not make, but with an obvious weakness in right field and a need for pitching depth, the Pirates and their fans must be disappointed they did not buy at the deadline.

2)            Seattle Mariners

Although Seattle did not have the strongest trade chips, they did have hitters Mike Morse, Kendrys Morales, and Raul Ibanez, and left-handed reliever Oliver Perez as impending free agents with little chance of helping the Mariners in 2014.  With the sheer number of teams looking for a hitter (Baltimore, Texas, Pittsburgh), and every team looking for another lefty reliever, it mystifies me why Seattle did not make one single trade to free up some payroll and add prospects to their farm system.  Certainly I do not know the quality of the offers they received, but virtually anything would have been better than complete inactivity for a team with no hope for the playoffs.

3)            Philadelphia Phillies

If rumors are true, the Phillies had offers for impending veteran free agents Michael Young and Carlos Ruiz, who both should have been traded to clear some payroll and free up playing time for youngsters like Cody Asche, along with adding valuable prospects to a mediocre farm system.  Also, the Phillies might have had a golden opportunity to trade Cliff Lee and or Jonathan Papelbon to quickly rejuvenate their prospect pipeline and inject some youth to an aging roster.  That said the Phillies appear on this list simply for not trading Young to the Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers, or Pirates for a middling prospect and some payroll savings.

Honorable Mention:

The Washington Nationals only made one move, trading prospect Ivan Pineyro and a player to be named later to Chicago for outfielder Scott Hairston and a player to be named later.  I am a big fan of Pineyro and think the Nationals did not need to part with such a promising arm while taking on Hairston’s salary in 2014.

Although the New York Mets did not have many pieces to deal, I think they made a mistake not dealing outfielder Marlon Byrd to one of the many hitting deficient teams in a pennant chase, even if all they could receive was a mediocre prospect.

Currently owning a 52-54 record, 7 games back in the Wild Card chase and 8.5 games behind Atlanta for the division title, most experts and members of the media believe the Nationals should stand pat or sell ahead of Wednesday’s MLB trade deadline.  With only 56 games left to play in the season, that position makes sense, as their chances of making the playoffs are slim and their farm system is not as rich as it was a few seasons ago.  Contrary to this point of view, I find myself inclined to jump on my soapbox and argue the Nationals should make a trade to bolster the offensive production from their bench in their difficult attempt to secure a second straight playoff berth.

As general manager Mike Rizzo has mentioned in recent days, the Nationals need to improve their woeful production from their reserves.  The team entered the season with roughly the same bench as last season, but their production has not matched their superb performances from a year ago.  For example, here are the statistics from the four primary members of the 2012 and 2013 “Goon Squad”:

Roger Bernadina:             .184/.250/.279 in 2013 vs. .291/.372/.405 in 2012

Steve Lombardozzi:        .251/.262/.315 in 2013 vs. .273/.317/.354 in 2012

Tyler Moore:                     .151/.195/.283 in 2013 vs. .263/.327/.513 in 2012

Chad Tracy:                         .177/.210/.302 in 2013 vs. .269/.343/.441 in 2012

The Nationals made their first attempt to improve their bench a few weeks ago when they acquired versatile veteran and lefty-masher Scott Hairston to take over Moore’s role as a reserve right-handed hitting outfielder with pop.  Unfortunately Hairston has not performed well as of yet in Washington, hitting .118/.167/.118 thus far, but this small sample size should not overshadow the strong probability that he will bolster the bench down the stretch and be a nice addition to the roster. 

That said the Nationals now need to find a left-handed hitter to serve as a late-inning pinch hitter, occasional starter, and replace Chad Tracy on the roster.  This player is not currently in the organization, so the Nationals must look to make a trade to fill this void.  General manager Mike Rizzo has been loath to acquire “rental players” in trades, preferring players under contract for future seasons such as Hairston and Kurt Suzuki.  With this in mind, I believe the Nationals should (and will) target a versatile, veteran left-handed hitter with home run power under contract through 2014 – I recommend the Nationals trade for Minnesota Twins catcher and outfielder Ryan Doumit.

Doumit, 32-years-old, is struggling through a bit of a down season in 2013, batting .241/.304/.392 with 9 home runs and 42 runs batted in over his 91 games played.  However Doumit is a switch-hitter with a career .268/.328/.439 batting line and defensively can play first base, left and right field, in addition to catching.  While not a particularly good defensive player, Doumit is more than serviceable at each position.  Doumit makes $3.5 million this season, and will make $3.5 million in 2014 as well before becoming a free agent. 

From the Twins perspective, while Doumit is a versatile veteran signed relatively cheaply, Minnesota currently stands at 45-57, 13 games back of Detroit in the standings and could value an opportunity to clear future payroll and add an additional prospect or two to their blossoming farm system.  Frankly, Doumit is the type of player a rebuilding franchise should look to trade at the trade deadline.

For the Nationals Doumit would act as a substantial upgrade to Chad Tracy, as a veteran clubhouse leader and versatile bench player who mashes righties.  For his 9-year career, Doumit has produced a .271/.331/.457 batting line against right-handed pitching, and has shown proficiency for pinch hitting with a .260/.333/.385, a particular area of weakness for the Nationals this season.  Looking ahead to 2014, Doumit could serve as the backup catcher to Wilson Ramos if the Nationals decide to part with Kurt Suzuki this offseason, or he could find a reasonable amount of at-bats simply as a pinch hitter, possible designated hitter in interleague play, and backup at four positions.

I would approach Twins’ general manager Terry Ryan and offer him his choice of two of the following prospects {Robert Benincasa, Jeff Kobernus, Estarlin Martinez, Jason Martinson, Brett Mooneyham, Eury Perez, Tony Renda, Michael Taylor}, in addition to taking on all of Doumit’s future salary, and see if he is willing to deal.  Certainly Minnesota would counter with, and prefer names such as A.J. Cole, Taylor Jordan, Nate Karns, or Robbie Ray, but I think my offer would be enough to pique their interest.  If the Nationals could secure his services for a similar package to the one I offered while simultaneously protecting their top pitching prospects, Doumit would be a quality addition to the organization for a rather small price. 

One of my favorite events each summer is the now annual Sirius/XM All-Star Futures Game on the Sunday prior to the All-Star game.  Started in 1999, this exhibition game brings together many of the brightest prospects in baseball.  Baseball America, along with Major League Baseball, selects the rosters, which consist of 25 prospects from the United States, and 25 prospects from the “World”, or outside the United States.  Each major league franchise must have a prospect in the game, but no team can have more than three players in the event.

In last year’s contest, the rosters consisted of current superstars and 2013 MLB All-Stars such as Baltimore Orioles 3B Manny Machado, Miami Marlins RHP Jose Fernandez, and Milwaukee Brewers SS Jean Segura.  This year scouts were eager to arrive at Citi Field and watch top prospects like Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, and Francisco Lindor among the many elite players on each roster.  These are my game notes from the Nationals and Orioles representatives that participated in the 2013 Futures Game, an event the United States team defeated the World 4-2.

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A.J. Cole RHP Washington Nationals

The lone Washington Nationals representative, Cole entered the game in the 9^th inning and picked up the save for the US squad, throwing only 10 pitches.  Cole showed a 93-97mph fastball with some life and an inconsistent but promising 82mph changeup while inducing a strikeout and a ground out to the two hitters he faced.

Cole needs some minor polish to his delivery, and to greatly refine his breaking ball and changeup, but his monster fastball and talent is legitimate.   If everything comes together, Cole still has the ceiling of a #3 starter in the majors, with his floor likely being a late-inning reliever.  Most likely Cole reaches the majors with a plus to plus-plus fastball and two mediocre off-speed pitches, making him a productive #4 or #5 starting pitcher. 

Eduardo Rodriguez         LHP Baltimore Orioles

Entering the game in the bottom of the 6^th, Rodriguez was impressive in his one inning of relief, flaunting his 92-94mph fastball, his above-average to plus changeup, and promising breaking pitch in retiring the side on only eight pitches.  Only 20-years-old, the Orioles aggressively promoted Rodriguez to Double-A Bowie after posting a 2.85 ERA in 85.1 innings at High-A Frederick earlier this season.

Rodriguez still needs time in the minor leagues to improve his fastball command, and further develop his off-speed pitches, particularly his curveball which shows promise but is inconsistent.  Rodriguez will likely spend the remainder of 2013 in Bowie, and might return there to begin 2014, but he has a chance to arrive in Baltimore late next year, and should be a fixture in the Orioles’ rotation beginning in 2015.  While he may not have the potential of fellow Orioles’ prospects Dylan Bundy or Kevin Gausman, Rodriguez projects as an above-average #4 starter in the major leagues, with potential to be better than that.

Henry Urrutia                    OF Baltimore Orioles

Although he was not particularly productive in the game, going 0-3 with a walk, Urrutia showed the tools and ability that has had scouts and Orioles fans buzzing this season.  This was my first look at the 26-year-old, and I was immediately impressed by his magnificent, still projectable body and noticeable bat speed from the left side. 

While his swing still looks fairly long and his reputation exists as a poor defensive player in the outfield, Urrutia’s offensive skills are readily apparent and he could help the Orioles later this season.  Although too old to be considered a prospect, I think with a bit more refinement in the minor leagues and further adjustment to “American baseball”, Urrutia should be a solid contributor to the Orioles lineup, perhaps beginning in 2014.

Christian Walker             1B Baltimore Orioles

Walker made a late appearance in the game, going 0-2 with a strikeout, and seemed a bit overwhelmed by the sheer velocity of the opposing pitchers.  I have written about Walker extensively this season, and like him as a prospect more than the consensus.  Walker has done a nice job overhauling his physique this year and has improved defensively at first base, making him a potential average defender in the future. 

That said Walker will make the major leagues based on his powerful right-handed bat, and his sound, mature approach at the plate.  While he may not develop into a star in the major leagues, I believe Walker carves out a successful big league career as a bench player and occasional first baseman and designated hitter.