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| Photo by USA Today |
The Washington Nationals have announced another round of spring training cuts, sending six players to Triple-A Syracuse and two to minor league camp. The team also granted 32 year old catcher Chris Snyder an unconditional release.
Pitchers Ryan Perry, Erik Davis, and Yunesky Maya, as well as infielder Chris Marrero, catcher Jhonatan Solano, and outfielder Corey Brown are all off to Triple-A. Reassigned to minor league camp are pitcher Ross Ohlendorf and infielder Zach Walters.
Davis and Maya head north after strong springs that on other teams may have warranted big league roster spots. Davis held a 1.13 ERA through eight innings across seven games, with just one earned run allowed and two walks. He struck out eight batters and posted a .148 batting average against. Maya appeared in five games with a 2.25 ERA and seven strikeouts through eight innings pitched.
Perry, on the other hand, had a rough spring with a 10.24 ERA in 9 2/3 innings pitched. He allowed 11 earned runs and four walks with a .325 BAA.
Marrero, Solano, and Brown all had good camps as each are right on the cusp of the big league roster. Marrero hit .239 through 21 games, but posted seven RBI and eight runs. Solano hit .316 with four runs through nine games, and Brown posted a .275 clip across 51 at-bats with four runs scored.
Walters also impressed in the Nats’ lineup with a .297 average in 21 games. He showed promise with two homers and 11 total hits.
Ohlendorf goes to minor league camp after a disappointing spring. He pitched in four games and allowed nine earned runs. He leaves Viera with a 7.36 ERA through 11 innings pitched.
Snyder leaves the Nationals after appearing in eight spring training games with a .222 average, a home run, and two RBI. He was signed a week before spring training to a minor league deal.
Snyder leaves the Nationals after appearing in eight spring training games with a .222 average, a home run, and two RBI. He was signed a week before spring training to a minor league deal.
Washington now has 33 players on their spring training roster. There are exactly two weeks until the Nats begin the season with an April 1 game against the Marlins.
31 comments:
I understand that those who were invited to Spring Training but are not on the 40-man roster are simply reassigned.
Here's hoping that Mike Rizzo can quickly reduce the size of the roster further by trading Chris Snyder for a minor leaguer worth having. It seems several clubs are interested.
+1/2St.
NatsNut: If you're on the 40-man roster, you have to be sent ("optioned") somewhere specific (e.g., Syracuse, Harrisburg). If you're not, there's no change to your contract status, you're just going to the minor league camp to play there. No change in status.
NatsJack in Florida said...
Of all the new cuts, only Zach Walters has impressed me. The kid has some real pop in his bat and showed some range and a pretty good arm at short.
March 18, 2013 10:57 AM
I agree but he has had some case of the "yips". I think Marrero was impressive at times but also didn't grasp the opportunity as he wasn't consistent.
I say this as a fan of Corey Brown that he just didn't look ready to compete and that's a shame as he could have found himself as "trade bait". Instead he looked overmatched by fringe pitchers as he was usually coming in late in games.
Ryan Perry looked like the guy we have seen before. Just a AAAA type that can't add to his repertoire and just can't fool anyone with the pitches he has. At times it looks like he is throwing BP.
Interesting Ghost. I was just gonna post about what a shame it was for Brown. I have liked him, especially how he looked when the Nats brought him up last year. Looking overmatched is not good, and as you said, late in games against mostly fringe pitchers. He must feel like he has nothing to prove in Syracuse after the year he had last year there.
Good article from Boz today. Hope the Nats aren't too confident. Big difference in being the hunter and now the hunted.
NatsNut, yes, they just move to their group in the Minor League part of Viera.
NatsNut -- During the last couple of weeks of ST, when in need to fill empty seats in the clubhouse, a few players will be called over from the minor league camp to play in exhibition games.
The minor league regular seasons (AAA, AA and A+) open a couple of weeks into April.
Just saw this Tweet.
Adam Kilgore @AdamKilgoreWP
Gio Gonzalez going strong in an intradquad minor league game. Sitting 92-93, whiffed Rendon and Skole back-to-back in the fifth inning.
Poor Phillies. Haladay struggling. Oh well. Cliff Lee seems on the downward slope also. Well they still have Hamels and....uh....Lannan as stoppers.
They also have minor-league spring training games. Verlander came in and pitched when Syracuse was playing vs. the Tigers squad.
Why hasn't Jeremy Accardo been cut yet? The guy is just plain awful. I keep waiting to see his name removed from the list of players still in camp, and why he's still on it, is totally beyond me.
At this point, the Nats cant be keeping him there because they need bodies. The final 2 weeks should belong to the guys who have the best chance of helping the Nationals and a remote to good chance of making the opening day roster. Accardo is as far from having earned a sot on that list as I have.
BigCat said...
Interesting Ghost. I was just gonna post about what a shame it was for Brown. I have liked him, especially how he looked when the Nats brought him up last year. Looking overmatched is not good, and as you said, late in games against mostly fringe pitchers. He must feel like he has nothing to prove in Syracuse after the year he had last year there.
He was never going to make the Opening Day roster but you also come into compete for someone else's 25 man as you make yourself desirable trade bait.
Very disappointing as I have always seen Corey as a guy who has 5 tools as a Minor League guy and just needs to dominate and force himself on a MLB roster.
He is on my Top 5 biggest disappointments this Spring along with no #6 starter stepping up.
My Top 5 biggest positives aren't completed yet but I have to say Danny Espinosa shortening his LH swing is nice to see if it can translate to the regular season plus JZim adding that new mid 80's changeup. Micah Owings and Rendon are probably in there also as positives.
Since I didn't make it to Viera this Spring I'm relying on talks I have had with some scouts. One of the observations on Espinosa is that he is making solid contact earlier in the count as they felt in the past he missed solid contact on balls that were fouled off instead of put in play hence giving up a strike. Again, need to see him in regular season keeping that approach.
It wasn't only Brown's hitting, he made several fielding mistakes. I wonder if his head was not completely in the game, knowing he had very little chance to make the 25 going North. Maybe he doesn't want to be traded and figures his best shot is to sit in Syracuse until needed.
NatsLady said...
Just saw this Tweet.
Adam Kilgore @AdamKilgoreWP
Gio Gonzalez going strong in an intradquad minor league game. Sitting 92-93, whiffed Rendon and Skole back-to-back in the fifth inning.
Good to hear but wondering now how Davey will get everyone on schedule for 1st week of April.
I'm very frustrated right now, as I have a post almost finished about the Nats baserunning in 2012 (terrible, #30 in MLB as per fangraphs). But my desktop computer is malfunctioning--and every time a Microsoft guy tries to fix it (remotely) it gets WORSE!!! My word-processing and spreadsheet software is on that computer, and I'm not buying another copy! They are sending me a free copy of Windows 7 but that won't arrive until March 26!!
I may put up the post in "draft" form and let you all look at it. I was really surprised by the stats, especially in light of Harper's hustle and Werth's smarts. (Interestingly, in 2011 the Nats were about average, but they were bad in 2010). We had some slow runners on the 2012 team, Tracy, LaRoche, Morse... This is not base-stealing, caught stealing, this is taking the extra base, going from 1st to home on a single, etc.
Isn't this the guy Atl added to "shore up" their bullpen, as if it needed shoring up?
David O'Brien @ajcbraves
#Braves Walden had epidural for bulging disc, uncertain if he'll have enough time to get ready for season or open on DL.
Marrero in same boat as Brown. He needs to go to Syracuse and put up some numbers and hopefully get picked up or traded for by another club
Chris Snyder's been released, and apparently has already signed a minor league deal with the Angels. Kind of hard to trade a guy everyone knows will be a free agent in a week, it would seem.
NatsLady said...
It wasn't only Brown's hitting, he made several fielding mistakes. I wonder if his head was not completely in the game, knowing he had very little chance to make the 25 going North. Maybe he doesn't want to be traded and figures his best shot is to sit in Syracuse until needed.
March 18, 2013 11:41 AM
Corey will turn 28 later this year. I think Corey would choose sitting on the bench for Bo Porter in Houston vs AAA in Syracuse.
A player like Corey given his age has to get his MLB time in any way he can with the hopes of getting vested and the benefits that come with it.
Ghost,
I am with you on Corey Brown. I think he should have approached this spring from the point of view of : 'I can force the Nats to at least consider me in the Tracy/Bernadina slot'. For whatever reason he didn't impress at all and at some point (and given his age) you run out of opportunities.
As far as Marrero is concerned I don't see the power, I don't see the speed (both of the bat and of the feet) I don't see the defense and I don't really see anything which is more than major league fringe at best.
EmDash said...
Chris Snyder's been released, and apparently has already signed a minor league deal with the Angels. Kind of hard to trade a guy everyone knows will be a free agent in a week, it would seem.
March 18, 2013 12:00 PM
Yep, Rizzo could've waited and tried to get some value in a trade and again did the right thing for the player.
Ghost, I understand what you are saying, but having watched Corey Brown (on TV) all spring, he either isn't as talented as we thought he was, he has minor nagging injuries, or he wasn't giving it his best all-out effort.
There are 33 players left at Big League camp.
I'm trying to think of the pitchers remaining who are non-roster invitees. Is it just Abad, Accardo, and Chris Young remaining?
NatsLady said...
Ghost, I understand what you are saying, but having watched Corey Brown (on TV) all spring, he either isn't as talented as we thought he was, he has minor nagging injuries, or he wasn't giving it his best all-out effort.
March 18, 2013 12:13 PM
He started off in ST with a bonehead fielding play throwing behind a runner at 2nd and he took the extra base. Too many strikeouts against AA pitchers.
I just thought he didn't come in ready. Maybe he was injured.
BigCat said....Poor Phillies. Haladay struggling. Oh well. Cliff Lee seems on the downward slope also. Well they still have Hamels and....uh....Lannan as stoppers.
Yea, again, just ask Rollins!!
nats lady -
just sent some more music. hope you're getting your email.
and hope you've got backups of your stuff!!!
tried dropbox?
looking forward to meeting and hearing you and the rest at duffy's on sunday
waddu, got the email, TY. Got backups of the blog stuff and most family photos. Tried to make a full backup but it crashed the computer. Will try again tonight. (Email goes to the "cloud" apparently).
NL -
phew
see you on todays gamer
Unfortunately, Corey Brown, like LaRoche is a slow starter that tends to try to hide serious injuries he acquires in the spring. He risks falling behind Goodwin and Perez on the depth chart ...
And its not like Bernadina has been burning up the WBC with his hitting. He's been pretty pathetic in that category this spring.
As expected Davey has decided to keep both left-handed relievers til the very last cut. In spirt of Rizzo's pronouncements about not needing another lefty reliever beyond Duke. Davey wants one period. He may even want two.
So, there could be some interesting "tweaks" to the roster that might come toward the end of spring and perhaps into the season.
How come no trade to move Snyder?
Don, probably because this was Chris, not Duke, Snyder, and everybody knew he was ticketed to be a free agent in a matter of days. Rizzo can make all the calls he wants; if the answer is, "No thanks," there's not much he can do about it.
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