Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Rendon heating up in Arizona

US Presswire file photo
Anthony Rendon has 10 hits in his last 21 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League.
After a slow start to his Arizona Fall League season, top Nationals prospect Anthony Rendon has gone on a tear at the plate over the last week.

Rendon has 10 hits in his last 21 at-bats for the Salt River Rafters, with three doubles, five RBI and four walks, to raise his AFL season batting average to .317. His seven total doubles are tied for the league lead, while his .411 on-base percentage ranks ninth among all the upper-level prospects participating this fall.

Rendon, the sixth overall pick in the 2011 draft, is one of the least experienced players in the AFL, having appeared in only 43 professional games, only 21 of them above Class A. (He missed most of this season with a fractured ankle.)

The 22-year-old third baseman, who received a major-league contract from the Nationals before the new collective bargaining agreement banned such deals, will be in big-league camp next spring. He's likely to return to Class AA Harrisburg (or perhaps jump to Class AAA Syracuse) to open 2013 and could be ready to join the major-league roster at some point during the season's second half.

Rendon was one of three Nationals prospects selected to play in Saturday's AFL Rising Stars Game. (He flied out to left field in his lone at-bat.)

Center fielder Brian Goodwin was among the stars of the game, going 2-for-5 with a homer and a double. A fellow 2011 draft pick, Goodwin has cooled off since his hot start to the season; he's 0 for his last 16 (though that doesn't include the Rising Stars Game).

Reliever Aaron Barrett, meanwhile, retired one of two batters faced in Saturday's game. The right-hander has a 3.38 ERA in seven overall appearances.

57 comments:

Sunshine_Bobby_Carpenter_Is_Too_Pessimistic_For_Me said...

Mark, this post will cause this comments section to explode. People will want this kid to bat leadoff through 8, play all nine positions, sing the national anthem and eliminate the national debt. All by Memorial Day.

Myself, I'd like to see the kid stay healthy for, oh, say, 60 straight days.

peric said...

Myself, I'd like to see the kid stay healthy for, oh, say, 60 straight days.

Yes, but the problem is that applies exponentially to Ryan Zimmerman. Who is more important? Zimmerman is he's the best hitter in the lineup. So, moving Zimmerman to first base looks very tempting given his recent injury history and number of games missed in addition to those where he really was ineffective at the plate.

In the case of Rendon his injury was referred to as "freak". So, if he is completely healed he may be a better choice to man the hot corner to see what he can do. Starting right out of spring training. This would give the Nationals an infield where every player is under team control for the long haul. Every player is still under 30. Every player a bonafide gold glove candidate. Every player capable of hitting 20 home runs and driving in at least 50 or more RBI. Every player with decent speed. Three capable of stealing 20 bases. Every player with a great arm.

SlowPitch63 said...

Thanks for the update. It's easy to get excited. Our major league lineup is so sond we really don't NEED asny additions but it is so nice seeing our depth expanding.
Let's Play Two!

Dr Trea (formerly #werthquake) said...

Talent-wise i don't think there is a question that he is capable, but he needs to stay healthy and get reps. I try not to get overexcited about prospects (right now, primarily Goodwin and Rendon).

Remember all those phillies fans crowning Dominic Brown the next superstar just a few years ago? Yeah...

Gonat said...

I have been following Rendon and he seems to have more tools than what you see on the surface. Good baserunner who can steal a base if you aren't paying attention.

Gonat said...

Most impressive is that .350 BA with RISP and the way he has been improving after a slow start.

Gonat said...

Today is the start to the GM meetings in Palm Springs Cali. Good time for Rizzo to sit down with the SFX agents on LaRoche.

Also have to believe Rizzo and Beane owe each other a beer.

Gonat said...

Jason Bay is now a FA parting ways with the Mets.

Tcostant said...

Stop it - everyone.

We are playoff team, we don't more our starters to new positions to make room for a rookie. I agree, lets see him stay in the lineup for a while, before we change our whole off-season approach. Let him go to the monors and hit and then maybe come up in mid summer if his production merits that. Than if he hits the cover off the ball in the bigs, then you can talk about how to find a spot for him. Zimm is on record of saying that he will move off 3B, if someone is better there; but he'll need to prove that in the bigs first.

alexva said...

Faraz, from the previous thread re Ichiro. If Laroche signs I think Morse is gone. If Laroche is gone Morse is at first. Either way LF is then open.

Tcostant said...

Faraz you asked about credits back for unplayed games.

Today I got my last outstanding credit directly to my credit card for the public sale of the NLCS. Check you activity, I bet yours is there too.

baseballswami said...

Ichiro in left for a year or do? Hmmmmm. How old is he? Hasn 't he being doing some leading off? Ichiro in DC??? Hmmmmm, indeed. Intriguing .

Tcostant said...

Ichiro for a year while we wait for Goodwin to arrive is very interesting. While is game is not the same, he still me more than okay. I kind of like it too.

Faraz Shaikh said...

alexva, no doubt that LF is likely to be filled via FA or trade. For some reason, some NIs and most experts such as Dave Cameron think that Morse should be traded. I would like to keep the lineup as it is, i.e. sign ALR. However, if his defense were to be replaced with someone who is very good defensively such as Ichiro, pitching will be good as it is.

What keeps Morse in the lineup and in that OF is his power which will be hard to replace. Ichiro is my top favorite player of all time (no Nats come close), but I don't see him a) coming to DC (no Japanese links whatsoever) and b) as an everyday player given his declining performance. I have gone over his stats multiple times over last two years and read a lot about him. I hope for a resurrection of old Ichiro and would be very glad to see him in Nats uniform, but I just don't think he is Davey's or Rizzo's type of guy.

Laddie Blah Blah said...

Rendon is proving to be a quick learner. It will not take him long before he is ready. The Nats will find a place for him when he is. He is probably the most talented guy with the bat that the Nats have, and he is a plus defender. He does not strike out. His OBP will be among the league leaders, if not the best in the league.

Rizzo will make sure the kid has had enough reps and enough time to get his timing back. The only real question is where he plays and who he replaces.

blovy8 said...

Ichiro for a year would be pretty damned cool.

Faraz Shaikh said...

On Desi, http://bit.ly/Subq9l

Faraz Shaikh said...

For comparison sake, let us assume that Ichiro simply replaces Morse in our everyday lineup.
Here is the comparison between the two hitters, http://bit.ly/UwYsaN.

It is no secret that Ichiro can not replace Morse power-wise. OF defense will be thousand times better and Ichiro's capability of playing CF and RF gives flexibility to our OF if you want to rest other two OF. But offense will suffer. Desmond will likely replace Morse and Werth might be more suited back to #6 spot than lead-off.

Actually if we do sign Ichiro, I would like to beef up our #5 significantly. Lannen will likely not cut it. I would want James Shields or Felix Hernandez to be our #5.

Having said all that, I still fail to see Davey or Rizzo interested in Ichiro. I probably sign him in a second.

Faraz Shaikh said...

by the way Tcostant, I got most of it back. They kept $16 for processing I guess.

Faraz Shaikh said...

One more plus about Ichiro is his baserunning of course, which Davey does not use much. One other plus is he does not K as much as all of Nats hitters, then again he walked less than even Morse.

Theophilus T. S. said...

If we're really into aging 1-to-2/year rental OFs, I'd vote for Torii Hunter over Ichiro. Ichiro's OBP has fallen off alarmingly the last couple of years (fewer leg hits?), and so have his assists: I'm not sure he's considered more than an average outfielder these days.

And I don't want the Nats caught up in a Pudge Rodriguez Races to 3,000 Hits situation.

My preference is still to leave well enough alone.

Theophilus T. S. said...

Also Ichiro last year played CF for the first time since 2008 -- 7 games. That does not him a CF make.

blovy8 said...

The idea of Ichiro is really just a fallback when Bourn, Upton, Pagan, and Victorino start getting crazy offers that are more than Rizzo/Lerners want to pay. He's just another guy in the outfield mix if you have to trade Morse to get the #5 SP you want, or if LaRoche walks and Morse replaces him.

Faraz Shaikh said...

Theo, Ichiro is still very much an OF arm not many runners run on. He is not a threat he used to be, but he is not just an average OF.

blovy8 said...

Hunter's a bad idea if the price is right, but I think last years' numbers give him a chance at more than one year.

blovy8 said...

Meant to say Hunter's not a bad idea, if an OF was open.

Faraz Shaikh said...

hunter's BABIP last season was .389. His career BABIP is .307 so I wouldn't base much on his last seasons's stats. Also his ISO has been declining for past four seasons. his walk/K ratio was worse than Ichiro's (better than Morse).

Faraz Shaikh said...

http://bit.ly/VTBLia

JD said...


Faraz,

You want king Felix for # 5? that's all?

Don said...

Theo, Seattle had Fraklin Gutierez playing CF for much of that time since 2008 that Ichiro was in RF. Gutierez might be the best defensive OF in the game, so it is likely not that the Ms did not have Ichiro in CF becasue he was below average at the position so much as he was not the best guy they had. And they had a doozey of a guy to play CF.

Even at the advanced age, Ichiro has elite speed, and I am guessing he'd take beter routes to hte ball than Harper might (as he is a very experienced, multiple Gold Glove winning OF and Harper has played a total of maybe 200 games in any OF postion in the pros), and his arm may not be as strong as Harper's -- though it might -- he's deadly accurate.

Faraz Shaikh said...

JD, swap Ross with Price also?

NatsLady said...

Keith Law rates BJ higher than Josh Hamilton. FWIW.

peric said...

if someone is better there; but he'll need to prove that in the bigs first.

That's NOT HOW it works Tconst. Else why play Harper everyday in CF? Why? He was a 19 YEAR OLD ROOKIE!!!???

Rendon is older and is both a better hitter AND fielder than Harper. Harper's big advantage is the level of talent given his age.

Of course you start Rendon at third base if he is ready. And you move Zim to first base. That's the National's way. Just ask Davey.

peric said...

And stop with the aging outfielders? The Nats aren't going there. They don't have to. They'll sign BJ Upton at age 29 before Ichiro or Torri Hunter. That's a fact.

peric said...

If Laroche is gone Morse is at first. Either way LF is then open.

NO. Zimmerman moves to first base. Moore, Morse and Bernadina are still in left field. Top prospect Rendon gets third.

I'll be here to say I told ya so.

Don said...

Rendon is likely a year away, and Zim may end up at 1B at some point soon, but it is not likely 2013. Morse either plays 1B or (I think more likely) he's going to be traded (he's terrible in LF, the running around out there makes his fragility worse, he's not a long term piece for the club and he's in a walk year). I'll also be here to say I told ya so. ;-)

sjm308 said...

Peric:

even though I am not sure you are correct about it happening so soon, can I at least tell you how happy I am that you are not calling people idiots. Its great to hear the back and forth during this time and lord knows, with Rizzo, anything can happen. What I take out of the talk today is pretty much everything is win/win for our lads.

If we go with Rendon (again, I don't think it will be to start the season), we will be adding youth and incredible talent. If we go with Ichiro, we add valuable experience. Can you imagine what Harper could learn from him about hitting, defense, and overall baseball sense?

Anyway, gone are the days of moaning about how little talent we have.

Go Nats!!

TheManBearPig said...

peric, I'm reluctantly agreeing with you for no reason other than I don't think the Nats would fail to get a deal done with LaRoche unless the Rendon/Zim move was the plan. That said, I still think they get the LaRoche deal done and keep Morse's bat in the lineup and Moore's on the bench in 2013, deferring the Rendon/Zim move until at least 2014.

sjm308 said...

Don: one point about a player in a "walk" year is that more times than not, they play way above what they have done the previous year. If that is the case and we are the beneficiaries of Morse having a career year, it certainly would not hurt. He will never be a good outfielder but if he hits say 40 HR next season (and that honestly is possible if he is healthy) then we would certainly gain from that.

Again, its win/win for our boys!!

sjm308 said...

manbearpigcow etc:

what you have described is just what I think/hope happens. Sign LaRoche, Morse plays well in LF, Zimm has a full year of health and Rendon and Moore continue to learn and grow. In 2014 I honestly think what Peric has been preaching for longer than anyone comes to fruition.

TheManBearPig said...

sjm, I'm with you regarding Morse and 2013. As I've said here before, he'll be 31 next season and will be running out of chances to earn a big payday, so a year like 2011 isn't too much to expect.

Gonat said...

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/11/diamondbacks-will-listen-to-offers-for-trevor-bauer.html

Very int-e-resting. Justin Upton trade talks ongoing. SteveM, when you mentioned this last week, did you know something? NatsJack, there's the Bauer connection!

Gonat said...

Here's the Justin Upton link:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/11/dbacks-in-active-discussions-about-justin-upton.html

Gonat said...

Ghost Of Steve M. said...
I think if LaRoche leaves that Rizzo could trade for Justin Upton. Upton would be an upgrade on corner outfield defense and provide a good middle of the lineup power and OBP.

November 02, 2012 11:49 AM
_____________________________________

This is all crazy! SteveM, what do you know?

Theophilus T. S. said...

For sure, D-Backs don't want Morse in trade for Upton. They need players all around the infield except 1B. I'm not sure Upton is worth having, period, given how intent AZ seems to be on getting rid of him. He certainly isn't worth Desmond, and not worth Espinosa, either, unless the Nats were convinced Rendon was ready for that spot -- and they're not, because he hasn't played an inning there yet as a pro.

Neither do they especially want starting pitchers -- the reason Bauer seems to be available is because he is surplus, and probably not yet ready for the majors.

If the Nats were interested in Upton -- and I really hope they aren't -- I don't think they have/would give up what AZ is looking at. Texas is where he'll end up; they will need an OF and could give up Andrus to get him.

Gonat said...

Teammate Mike Adams on Josh Hamilton: "He's a different guy sometimes. Every day you hope that Josh comes to the ballpark, shows up and plays like Josh Hamilton."

"Sometimes he shows up and you don't know which Josh is going to show up at the ballpark. It's nothing to be negative about toward Josh; that's just the way it is. That's what you get with Josh."

Don said...

I love Morse's big upside, but I hate his big risk. He is a giant and fragile guy who can hit like mad but cannot field well at all -- he's not good at 1B either. (And if ALR walks, the club could get Pena -- who Rizzo has always wanted for some reason -- on a 1 year deal to play 1B, or go for an Ishikawa kind of guy and bat either of them 7th, move Morse to another club and get a more top of the order type player into the mix for LF/CF. Zim, Harper, Werth and Desi should provide a lot of power.) Anyway, going into his age 31 year he's had 1 full MLB season. If Rizzo can get real SP value for him from an AL club (Texas maybe?) that sees him getting a bunch of ABs at DH, then I hope that Rizzo makes the deal.

Gonat said...

Theo, Justin Upton soured with the team last season and the year before that he was the toast of the town.

Mike Rizzo knows him well and if Mike goes for it, its because he is comfortable with Upton's clubhouse demeanor and the way he carries himself on the field.

Yes, you can read through blogs how AZ fans thought JUpton was dogging it and not playing all out. They turned on him quickly. In 2011 he could do nothing wrong. Reminds me a little in that respect of Nyjer Morgan.

Gonat said...

NatsJack in Florida said...
At 24 yo, Justin Upton is a game changer who played at less 100% physicaly last year.

If Arizona is shopping him, Rizzo is definitely interested.

November 07, 2012 6:10 PM
____________________________________

If you get JUpton, are you ok with the end of Adam LaRoche?

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Gonat, surely you know I have no inside info ;). DBacks want Clip, Espi, Rendon and Ramos.

Can you just say NO! I wouldn't do that.

Gonat said...

I can't believe how quickly this Justin Upton thing has come together.

The Nats were 1 strike away from the NLCS and the DBacks weren't close.

I wouldn't trade away key pieces of the future.

Gonat said...

Basically it looks like Arizona wants controllable pieces to fill in and they want a lot of players.

Gonat said...

By the way, Davey, Bryce and Gio were all named Top 3 finalists in their award categories in Mgr of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Cy Young.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Here's a small issue with J. Upton, he has a limited no trade clause.

He will be traded, just not sure if Rizzo goes all in.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

NatsJack, that's a starting point. I would give them Espi and Clip and 2 Minor Leaguers not named Rendon, Goodwin, or Purke.

Give them Flores. When you consider they can play Espi at SS or 2nd, he is better than what AZ has. They are weak up the middle. Build the deal around Espi.

Gonat said...

Turn on MLB Network, they will lead into Justin Upton rumor.

Gonat said...

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