SB Nation - Bobby Brownlie

Braves Have 16 Minor League Free Agents

cbwilk — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:03:31 -0000

After an outstanding 2008 for Myrtle Beach, Ernesto Mejia missed the majority of 2009.

The list of Six-Year Minor League Free Agents has been released and the Braves have 12 players on that list:

Pitchers: RH Bobby Brownlie, RH Jerome Gamble, LH Mariano Gomez, RH Moises Hernandez, RH Lance Niekro, LH Juan Perez

Catchers: Jose Camarena, Alvin Colina

Infielders: 2B/SS Chris Burke, SS/3B Kody Kirkland, 1B Ernesto Mejia, 3B Antonio Perez

In addition to these players, RHP Jorge Campillo, RHP Buddy Carlyle, RHP Vladimir Nunez, and OF Reid Gorecki were previously announced as Minor League free agents after being removed from the Braves' 40-man roster.

Brownlie was one of the top amateur talents when he was drafted in the first round by the Cubs in 2002 but his career has been sidetracked by a series of injuries. He joined Gwinnett in the middle of the season and had a fairly effective run as a swingman, going 5-2 with a 4.13 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 56.2 innings. If the Braves find they need more depth at the upper level he could be re-signed.

Like Brownlie, Gamble has missed large parts of him Minor League career to injuries, but he's been effective playing for Mississippi and Gwinnett the last two seasons. He spent the majority of 2009 with Mississippi, mostly as a reliever, going 2-1 with a 3.05 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 44.1 innings. Gamble is a good influence on younger players, so it's possible he could return.

More analysis after the jump...

Gomez has the rare distinction of being the first player ever signed out of his native Honduras, inking with the Indians in 1999. 2009 was his first season with the Atlanta organization, the 10th of his career, and the best of his career, as the big lefty was great out of the bullpen for Gwinnett, going 8-4 with a 1.99 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 72.1 innings. The Braves like him and if they can beat out the competition he's very likely to return.

Hernandez was aquired from the Orioles in exchange for allowing Leo Mazzone to become their pitching coach. He missed the entire 2008 season to Tommy John surgery and only pitched 35 innings in 2009. He'll be 26 going into 2010 with only 10 games above A ball in his career, so he seems unlikley to return.

The son of former Brave Joe Niekro and nephew of Braves legend Phil Niekro, the former infielder Lance took his first fulltime try at pitching, employing the family knuckleball, in 2009. He remained in the low level GCL, working a 1-3 record and a 5.61 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP in 33.2 innings. If the Braves liked the progress he made, regarless of the results, they could bring him back and give him a chance to try the knuckler at a higher level.

Perez missed the second half of 2008 for Pittsburgh's AAA team and got a late start in 2009 for Gwinnett, but pitched well in 57 innings, compiling a 2-4 record, 3.47 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. He could be brought back to add AAA depth.

Camarena has been a backup for the majority of his career with Atlanta, playing just 32 games with Mississippi this year, ending with a woeful .424 OPS. But, with the Braves lack of upper level catching depth, he could find himself re-signed.

Colina lent a strong, veteran presence to Gwinnett, sharing time with Clint Sammons at catcher. in 256 plate appearances, he hit .262 with 8 home runs, 42 RBI, and a .766 OPS. Again, with the lack of upper level catching depth, but even more because of the intangibles he brings, he seems very likely to return in 2010.

After being picked up in June, Burke was a solid veteran presence for Gwinnett, playing SS, 2B, and LF for the team while hitting .285 with 3 HR, 32 RBI, 13 SB and a .752 OPS in 309 plate appearances. He showed that isn't washed up, so there could be several teams vying for his services this offseason.

Kirkland was signed to be a backup at Mississippi and despite poor hitting, a .201 average and .572 OPS, he excelled in this role, playing every position on the field except C and LF. He was actually very good in 44 plate appearances for Gwinnett, hitting .289 with a .807 OPS. If the Braves need a backup for the upper levels he could be brought back.

Mejia had one of the best seasons in the Braves' system in 2008, hitting .274 with 47 doubles, 21 home runs, 93 RBI and a .829 OPS. But, after tearing his ACL in Spring Training, he missed most of 2009, collecting just 139 plate appearances. Given his talent, the Braves will be very likely to re-sign him and, due to his recent injury, there probably won't be much competition for his services.

Perez, who was once traded for Lou Pinella, was signed as a backup and didn't show much with the bat in 147 plate appearances for Gwinnett, hitting .190 with a .553 OPS. He seems unlikely to return.

All Assumptions-Are-Dangerous Minor League Free Agent Team

Jeff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:07:19 -0000

Dave at Fangraphs passed along a link to this year's crop of minor league free agents. A popular thing to do with this information is pick out a handful of guys that would make interesting and potentially worthwhile pick-ups. This is not that. This is a full team made up of guys who, years ago, were supposed to go on to do some big big things, only to end up on the fall 2009 list of mlFA's. Consider this just another reminder that you should never ever ever take a prospect's future for granted.*

C: JR House
1B: Ryan Shealy
2B: Josh Barfield
SS: Antonio Perez
3B: Dallas McPherson
LF: Wes Bankston
CF: Joe Borchard
RF: John-Ford Griffin
DH: Josh Phelps

BENCH-C: JD Closser (does Ben Davis still count?)
BENCH-INF: Eric Duncan
BENCH-OF: Dave Krynzel
BENCH-UTIL: Donnie Murphy

SP: Jerome Williams
SP: Greg Miller
SP: Kenny Baugh
SP: Humberto Sanchez
SP: Bobby Brownlie

RP: Jose Capellan
RP: Wes Littleton
RP: Casey Fossum
RP: John Van Benschoten
RP: Chad Orvella
RP: Clint Everts
RP: Andrew Brown

If there were a 26th spot, I'd give it to Dee Brown, but it would just be so damn easy to include him that I had to find an alternative. Also among the free agents are formerly established Major Leaguers like Chris Capuano and Chad Cordero, along with the astonishingly driven Jolbert Cabrera. Jolbert just wants to win. Come on, Yankees. Take the plunge. Win one for Jolbert.

If there were a 27th spot, I'd give it to Mark McGonigle, because, really? McGonigle?

* never take any player's future for granted

Gwinnett Braves Playoff Recap: Gwinnett 8, Scranton WB 5

yondaime4 — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:47:48 -0000

In game 3 Gwinnett managed to get some offense and at the very least take one game in the series.

On the day he was named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year, Jason Heyward was a big factor in the game. He had a 2 run single in the 3rd inning (which saw the Braves score 5). He also walked 3 times and scored 3 runs to go along with a K. Not a bad outing at all. Diory Hernandez also chipped in with 3 hits on the night, with a double 3 RBI.

Bobby Brownlie got the start for Gwinnett but he didn't make it out of the 3rd inning after allowing 4 runs all off of 2 HRs he gave up. The bullpen came in, however, and pitched 6.1 innings allowing only 1 run on 3 hits.

The series will pick back up tomorrow night with Jonny Venters taking the mound for Gwinnett and Zach McAllister toeing the rubber for the Yankees. McAllister has been pretty solid year and the Braves could have a tough time scoring runs against him. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

Gwinnett Braves Playoff Recap: Game 2

yondaime4 — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:09:53 -0000

The Gwinnett Braves fall to 0-2 in the series against Scranton, as they turn around and hit the road for the rest of the series, continuing tomorrow night.

Gwinnett was pretty much shut down on offense for the second straight night, this time by Ivan Nova (granted, that is an awesome name). Nova wasn't really effective in his 12 starts in the International League, but he found ways to get the Braves out. The Scranton bullpen came on and finished us off with 4 Ks in the final 2 innings (though Whelan allowed 2 men to reach base in the 9th he did strike out the side.

Jason Heyward had a hit and a K, and the only Gwinnett hitters with more than one hit were Barbaro Canizares and Diory Hernandez. Also of note is the fact that the Braves have only 1 extra base hit in the series so far. Jo-Jo Reyes pitched 7 innings and he wasn't horrible. His defense allowed one unearned run to score but you have to expect the offense to step up.

Gwinnett has an uphill battle, but a comeback isn't unheard of. Right now I wouldn't be betting on them though.
Bobby Brownlie goes for the Braves and Kei Igawa for Scranton tomorrow night.

Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: 7/31

yondaime4 — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:53:51 -0000

Someone was asking about playoff chances for the various minor league clubs. I'll get into that tonight in the recaps.

Rochester 4, Gwinnett 2

C. Burke 2-4 2B, HR(3), BB
B. Conrad 1-2 2BB

Tim Hudson was scheduled to start this game buy left before throwing a pitch due to apparent groin soreness. As long as his arm didn't fall off I'm cool with it. Out of all our full season teams, Gwinnett has the best chance to make the playoffs. They are currently just 2 games behind Durham for the division lead and lead the league in the wild card. They have been right in the thick of things for most of the season and have a stable pitching staff right now with Bobby Brownlie, John Halama and JoJo Reyes (that sounds weird to say). I honestly think the only way Jason Heyward sees AAA is if the Braves don't call him up to Atlanta and allow him to play with Gwinnett so he can get some playoff experience.

West Tenn 4, Mississippi 5 - 10 Innings

B. Hicks 3-5 2 RBI, BB
J. Heyward 2-4 2B, RBI, BB
F. Freeman 2-5 2B, 2 RBI, K
C. Kimbrel 2IP 2H 0R 1BB 2K

The two headed monster that is Fredson Heyman got it done tonight with 3 RBI and 2 doubles. He just keeps getting it done. Craig Kimbrel made things a little interesting in the 10th when he got an out on a deflection to the 2B and then loaded the bases only the wiggle out of the jam with a pop out to short. Whew. Mississippi really has no chance to make the playoffs. The Southern League decides playoff teams through division winners from each half of the season. The Braves didn't win in the first half and are currently 7 games out. They are streaking recently but Jacksonville has been even better. My guess is Mississippi finishes in second place about 5 games out.

Kinston 2, Myrtle Beach 6 - Game 1 - 7 Innings

C. Miles 3-4 2B, 2 RBI
C. Shehan 2-3 2B, HR(1)

The first game of a double header goes the way of the Pelicans - but without Cody Johnson in the lineup. Chris Shehan stepped up with a big game while filling in as the LF. Some of you may remember that Chris Shehan was my breakout pick for this season. I was very wrong. Myrtle Beach was horrible in the first half of the season this year but finds itself only 2.5 games out of the race in the second half. They are still 16-18 but are in the weaker of the two Carolina League divisions. Whoever gets hot last probably wins this one.

Kinston 0, Myrtle Beach 3 - Game 2 - Final in 9 Innings

C. Shehan 3-3 2 2B, BB
B. Beachy 4IP 1H 0R 2BB 5K
B. Pruneda 2.2IP 1H 2BB, 5K

Chris Shehan continues his mashing for the day as a thrown together group of relievers went out and pitched a two hitter. ~~Too bad the Pelican offense hasn't been able to get anything going either. I will update later.~~ Robert Marcial hit a walk-off, 3-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to give the Pelicans the win!

Asheville 6, Rome 2

A. Milligan 1-4 HR(7), 2K
C. Culver 1-4 2B, RBI, K
D. Francis 5.2IP 9H 5R 3BB 3K

Adam Milligan continues his baseball Jihad. So far he is winning. David Francis hasn't been as good as I had hoped he would be this season. I think I got a little too caught up in his 16 strike out game last season. I think he still has potential but I am going to temper my expectations a little bit. Rome is last in its division and has not chance to make the playoffs without a minor miracle.

Danville @ Bristol - RAIN

Danville is probably the team most likely to make the playoffs. They are leading their division by 3 games and have solid talent on both sides of the ball. I think only promotions could really hurt their chances.

GCL Blue Jays 5, GCL Braves 3 - 8 innings

K. Rose 2-3 2B, BB
J. Linger 2-3 RBI, K
R. Pacheco 4IP 4H 0R 0BB 5K

The GCL Braves are also last in their division and 6 full games out of first (1-9 in their last 10!). I don't see them making the playoffs. I was going to write something about Ronan Pacheco but I realize now I don't really know anything about him other than he had some serious control issues in the DSL last year.

Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: 7/18

yondaime4 — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:26:22 -0000

Gwinnett 10, Scranton WB 2

K.Johnson 2-5 K
C. Burke 2-3 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K
R. Gorecki 2-4 HR(8), 4 RBI, K
B. Brownlie 6IP 3H 2R 2BB 8K

Bobby Brownlie pitched another solid game for Gwinnett. The only runs he allowed were two solo homers in the 4th and 5th innings. Some of us were talking about this a couple weeks back, if you are going to make a mistake, make it when there is no one on base. Outside of his first game for Gwinnett this season, Brownlie has been excellent for the Braves with good peripherals across the board. I am sure he is only there for organizational depth, but if there was some crazy series of events that required use to put him on the roster I wouldn't be so upset with him getting the call. He has just been so bad in the past it scares me a little.

Huntsville 8, Mississippi 5

J. Heyward 2-3 2B, BB
F. Freeman 2-3 2B, HR(1), 4 RBI
JC Boscan 3-4 RBI, K

Well, Jason Heyward and Frederick Freeman both contributed to the offense in this one. Heyward now has a 1.232 OPS in Mississippi and Freeman has 24 doubles between two levels. I don't have much else to say about these guys. Scott Diamond was roughed up for 7 runs in 5.1 innings, most of which came from a 6th inning meltdown that saw him and Jerome Gamble allow 6 runs between them while surrendering 5 XBH.

Winston Salem 6, Myrtle Beach 5 - 11 Innings

C. Johnson 1-4 2B, RBI, BB, 3K
E. Mejia 1-3 2B, RBI, 2 BB, K
G. Rodriguez 2-5 2 RBI, BB, 2K

Cole Rohrbough was roughed up once again, allowing 5 runs in 5.2 innings but also striking out 6. Cole has been pretty much the worst pitcher in our system this year and I really hope he can turn this around. Gerry Rodriguez started in LF tonight and moved to 1B when Ernesto Mejia was pinch run for in the 9th inning. Craig Kimbrel allowed to winning run to score in the top of the 11th when he gave up a lead off double, tossed a wild pitch and then surrendered a sac fly. That is first run he has allowed in 6 outings.

West Virginia 2, Rome 3 - 12 Innings

Z. Spruill 5IP 5H 2R 1BB 7K

I'm not going to give the hitters any love because they didn't get any RBI. The reason for that is all their runs scored on plays involving errors (WV had 5 of them). Zeke Pitched great, though, after giving up 2 runs in the first. He has had his strike out pitch working in the past 3 games, collecting 21 in 17.2IP. Maybe he is finding that early season form again? Another thing I can see looking at his stats is his GB rate has decreased every month starting with 2.23 in April and it is now down to 1.41 this month. Maybe that is something to keep an eye on.

Bristol 2, Danville 8

LV Ware 1-1 RBI, BB, 2 SB(15)
C. Harrilchak 3-4 3 RBI, BB
RSF 3-5 RBI

LV Ware has been crazy-go-nuts since he was demoted to the Appy League. He was obviously overmatched in Rome but he appears to have Danville down pat. He is the owner of a .918 OPS and an awesome 15/16 SB success rate. Also RSF raised his AVG back over .400 in this game.

GCL Blue Jays 13, GCL Braves 4

A.Feliz 1-3 HR(2)
J. Parr 3IP 0H 0R 1BB 5K

You would think if your team started the game with 3 near perfectly pitched innings that you would be alright. No so. James Parr has looked excellent in his 3 outings since coming back. He has only allowed 1 walk in 6 innings along with 9K. I know it is only GCL guys but heck, even major leaguers that come to the GCL to rehab usually give up a couple of hits here and there.

Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: 7/4

yondaime4 — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:36:13 -0000

Norfolk 3, Gwinnett 2

B. Jones 2-3 RBI
B. Canizares 2-3 BB
B. Brownlie 6IP 4H 1R 1BB 3K

A really nice start from the recent pick up Bobby Brownlie, but the normally good Gwinnett bullpen couldn't hold the lead for him. Barbaro Canizares and Brandon Jones were about the only offense the Braves could muster out of any part of the lineup.

Jacksonville 6, Mississippi 8

M. Young 2-4 BB, SB(25)
J. Heyward 2-3 3B, RBI, BB
F. Freeman 1-3 RBI

I find it interesting that the first team Mississippi plays when Jason Heyward and Frederick Freeman get called up is the team that Marlins prospect, Mike Stanton, plays for. Stanton and Heyward are kind of yin and yang to each other. Both young promising OFs but with slightly different toolsets, with Heyward playing the part of the polished hitter and Stanton being the masher who strikes out a ton but has succeeded anyways. Both guys are 19 and in AA (so is Freeman as well). Now that Mississippi has a couple of guys who should help out offensively I wouldn't be surprised to see this team surge, especailly with the strong pitching they have had this season. Also Richard Sullivan has now been moved to Mississippi with Edgar Osuna being placed on the DL and Kala Kaaihue has been released to make room for Frederick Freeman.

Salem 2, Myrtle Beach 3

G. Rodriguez 1-3 BB
M. Fisher 2-4 3 RBI, K
D. Francis 6IP 3H 1R 3BB 7K

I am glad to see Francis pitching well in Myrtle Beach. Heck anywhere at this point. This was probably his best start of the year at any level. Francis has the potential to be one of our top prospect pitchers if he can just get his meltdowns under control.

Rome 4, Lexington 9 - Completed in 5 Innings due to Rain

S. Moody 2-4
M. Kennelly 1-2 2B, 2 RBI
C. Shehan 1-2 HR(2), 2 RBI

Another really bad start for Paul Clemens. He has so much potential but just has not been able to rein it in yet this season. Hopefully he is working on some stuff in his starts and he will explode in the second half of the year. Again, I am really happy to see Matt Kennelly hitting in Rome.

Princeton 3, Danville 1

LV Ware 1-4 2B(6)
B. Oberholtzer 6IP 2H 0R 2BB 6K

This is the first game that RSF has been held hitless this season. Not bad. his Brett Oberholtzer guy has been pretty nasty so far this season as he has only allowed 7 hits in his 15 innings pitched so far. Not bad at all.

GCL Braves 0, GCL Tigers 2

E. Blanco 2-4 K

There wasn't a whole lot going on in this game but I want to draw some attention to 2B Elys Blanco. He is only 20 years old at this point but last year in the DSL he walked 45 times in 51 games against 34K. That is the kind of plate discipline I like to see out of my young players. He doesn't sport tons of power, but he has some really nice speed (we seem to collect these guys) and appears to be able to hit for AVG. We won't know about the power till he gets a little older and starts to fill out some, but don't be surprised if he starts popping up on some lists by season's end.

Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: 6/29

yondaime4 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:04:41 -0000

Louisville 6, Gwinnett 4

J. Schafer 2-5 SB(2), 2K
C. Burke 2-5 2B, RBI
B. Canizares 1-5 HR(9), K

Alright when did we sign Bobby Brownlie? Whatever, he started for the Braves tonight and gave up 6 runs in 4.1 innings. I know our depth has been thin since trades, injuries and promotions have gone through, but man, Bobby Brownlie?

Mississippi 6, West Tenn 3

W. Cabrera 2-4 RBI
JC Boscan 2-5 2 2B, 2 RBI, K
E. Campbell 2-3 3B, 2 RBI, BB
R. Reynoso 7.2IP 6H 2R 2BB 6K

You know I have to wonder what happened to Eric Campbell's power. Say what you want about his attitude, but he has always been able to hit a baseball a long way. Not this year however. Ryne Reynoso just continues to plug along and have a solid season starting to Mississippi. I don't know what kind of future the guy has with the organization but he has pitched well pretty much every where he has been.

Myrtle Beach 4, Kinston 7

F. Freeman 2-5 RBI
J. Heyward 1-3 2B, RBI, BB, K
C. Kimbrel 1.1IP 3H 2R 1BB

Well that didn't last long for Kimbrel. After being utterly dominant for nearly 2 months with Rome he came back to Myrtle Beach and had a solid first outing. This was not solid however, giving up his first runs in almost a month. Frederick Freeman just keeps on hitting and Jason Heyward hasn't been bad in his last few games either. Cody Johnson on the other hand cut his strike outs for the month of June in half from the previous two months but his OPS dropped by nearly 200 points. So what do you do? Find a happy middle ground. He did this last year in the second half and put up great numbers, so lets hope that is what we are seeing here.

Augusta 5, Rome 6

B. Schlehuber 2-5
G. Rodriguez 2-5 2 RBI
M. Kennelly 2-5 RBI
JJ Hoover 6IP 7H 5R 1BB 8K

JJ Hoover came unhinged a little bit in the 3rd inning when his defense allowed a couple runs to score and he hit a batter. Otherwise he was pretty solid. Only 2 of his runs were earned and he is quickly becoming the best pitcher on this roster. I will say that he was absolutely filthy in the All Star game with no one being able to make good contact against him and his breaking pitches just falling out of the zone. He was probably the most impressive pitcher there.

Danville 3, Greenville 4

LV Ware 2-5 K, SB(2)
A. Milligan 2-5 2B, HR(2), 2K
R. Hefflinger 1-4 HR(4), 2K
RSF 2-4 HR(2)
J. Teheran 5IP 2H 3R 1BB 3K

They still put up 11 hits in this game. The Braves have a history of guys in the Appy league putting up big power numbers with Eric Campbell and Cody Johnson being the most recent guys coming to mind, but they have two or three guys here who could crack 10 homers I think. Julio Teheran is looking more like the hyped up pitcher we have been hearing about and he is still only 18 years old (only one of his runs was earned). He did have a wild pitch, a hit batter and a throwing error in this game so we know he is still raw, but his arm is looking good so far. Chris Masters has 14 strike outs in 6.2 innings so far. Those are Kimbrel type numbers.

GCL Braves - Off

Washington Nationals' Starter Shawn Hill Returns To Mound Against Marlins Monday.

Ed Chigliak — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:10:50 -0000

Shawn Hill Returns To Mound Against Marlins, Monday...

May 11th 2007: Shawn Hill is on the mound against the Florida Marlins in RFK Stadium, and he's got a no-hitter through five, and though he's walked two, he's well-nigh untouchable, so when he doesn't come back out for the sixth, you know there's a problem...

The former Montreal Expos' 6th Round pick in the 2000 Draft hasn't made 20 starts in a season since 2004. Hill debuted with the Expos on June 29th of '04 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, (Don't ask), and made 3 starts in the majors, after having started 17 games for Double-A Harrisburg where he went (5-7) with a 3.39 ERA in 87.2 IP, in which he allowed 33 runs, 4 HR's and 20 walks while striking out 53. The next season, Hill would have Tommy John surgery which would cost the right-hander the entire '05 campaign...Hill made 17 starts in 2006 as he rehabbed from the surgery, but was shut down in June when problems recurred...

...After leaving the May 11th '07 game against the Marlins, Hill told the press the bad news, as recounted by AP Sports Writer Howard Fendrich in a Yahoo! Sports Game Recap from the day:

"Shawn HIll, Washington's most effective starter this season, said he's '99 percent sure' he'll go on the disabled list with a sore right elbow that forced him out of the game after five no-hit innings."

...Hill did eventually return to the mound in 2007, but before a late September start, it was announced that the pitcher would once again go under the knife, to, as Washington Post writer Barry Svrluga wrote in an article entitled, "Hill To Miss Final Start, Have Surgery On Right Elbow", "...resolve a nerve problem in his right elbow." In 2008, Hill made 12 starts in which he was (1-5) with a 5.83 ERA between April 19 and June 24 before once again being placed on the DL with what was described as forearm pain.

This time around, Hill didn't even get through Spring Training before Washington Post writer Chico Harlan announced in a March 5th article entitled, "Uh Oh. Shawn Hill. Dr. Andrews", (which continued the haiku-like title-tradition of his predecessor, Mr. Svrluga) that Hill now complained of "forearm discomfort," the recurrence of which in Mr. Harlan's assessment, "threatens to derail his career..." The titular Dr. James Andrews, however, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article entitled, "Hill has right forearm inflammation", had looked at Hill's arm and, "...determined that Hill has no structural damage to his right elbow or forearm."

Fast-forward to this past Friday, the 13th, and MLB.com's Bill Ladson is reporting, in an article entitled, "Hill tosses pain-free bullpen session", that Shawn Hill threw 35 pain-free pitches, and if he felt no ill-effects the next day, as Mr. Ladson wrote:

"Nationals pitching coach Randy St. Claire said Hill is tentatively scheduled to pitch one inning against the Marlins in Jupiter, Florida, on Monday..."

Luckily for Hill...the newest National, Julian Tavarez kept the press busy yesterday with his surprise arrival at Space Coast, (and his questionable explanation for choosing to pitch in DC)...but today it's going to be all about Hill, as the fate of some young starters, (who are developing a following), are riding on the 27-year-old sinker-baller's reconstructed right arm...

Game 16 of Spring Training gets underway at 1:05 pm EST against the Marlins, in Florida's Spring home, Roger Dean Stadium. Shawn Hill vs Anibal Sanchez...

Nationals You Won't See...

Add Justin Maxwell and Josh Towers to the list of the players cut from the Nationals' roster. (ed. note - "Or whatever euphemism they're using these days that's kinder than 'cut'...'reassigned' that's the word I was looking for...")...Maxwell and Towers join Preston Larrison, Bobby Brownlie, Chris Marrero, Matt Whitney, J.D. Martin, catcher Javier Herrera, Destin Hood, Ross Detwiler and Mike O'Connor...who were cut last week, and word is there will be more players sent down before the buses leave Space Coast for Jupiter...

Washington Nationals Cut Ten; Roster Down to 58

Dave at Nats News Network — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:26:39 -0000

Your Washington Nationals made ten cuts this morning to pare the roster to 58 players in the big league camp.

Here's the text of the press release:

The Washington Nationals today re-assigned left-handed pitcher Justin Jones, right-handed pitchers Bobby Brownlie, Preston Larrison and J.D. Martin, catcher Javier Herrera, infielders Chris Marrero and Matt Whitney, and outfielder Destin Hood to minor league camp. The Nationals also optioned left-handed pitcher Mike O’Connor to Triple-A Syracuse and left-handed pitcher Ross Detwiler to Double-A Harrisburg. Nationals Vice President of Baseball Operations and Assistant General Manager Mike Rizzo made this announcement.

After today’s moves, the Nationals’ spring roster stands at 58.

I don't think there are any real surprises here, but the names that merit a second mention are Detwiler, Marrero and the trio of free agent relievers, Brownlie, Larrison and Martin.

Detwiler, long heralded as one of the top prospects in the system, saw the luster fall from his star last year and being included in the first cuts, especially with the recurrance of Hill's injury, has to hurt. He's obviously been leapfrogged by Zimmermann and one has to hope that he goes out and blows people away this season, or he may fade into the realm of "never reached his potential". His GB% was still very good last year, despite his mediocre traditional stats, and he is just 23.

Marrero is younger still--he won't be 21 until July. Part of the problem with the Nationals is that they have so few true prospects to hang their hats on, the ones they do have become household names. It seems that we've been hearing about Marerro for years, and the casual fan might see his name today and get disappointed. But he needs to get a healthy full season in the minors under his belt. Baseball Prospectus includes Manny Ramirez as one of his comparables at this point in his career. He's worth waiting for.

As for the free agent pitchers, I'm sure we haven't heard the last out of any of them for this season. The Nats are probably going to have a revolving door in the bullpen this season, and Brownlie, Larrison and Martin are the kinds of guys that real big league teams stock at AAA to fill in when injuries/attrition/performance suffers on the MLB roster. None of them are going to remind anyone of Goose Gossage, but all are capable of getting big league hitters out if they are used appropriately--and sparingly.