Breaking Down the Non-Roster Invitees: Washington Nationals
By Editorial Staff
The Nationals have a large group of interesting players on the outside looking in this spring. Few of Washington’s NRIs are prospects–only one was born in 1984 or later, so most of these guys are veterans looking to catch back on (or just on) to a big league roster. Let’s look at the candidates.
1B Michael Aubrey—A former top prospect with the Indians, Aubrey went through a ton of injuries, then unexpectedly shot to the majors in 2008. He never really got untracked and has settled in as a B-grade minor league slugger, with a career line of .259/.310/.444 in the bigs and .268/.320/.452 in Triple-A. He spent all of 2010 with the Orioles’ AAA affiliate, showing plenty of power (22 homers in 102 games; .495 SLG), but not much else. He’ll be 29 in April, and it’s tough to see an NL team finding much use for a player confined to first base and lacking an elite bat.
1B Kevin Barker—Barker spent 2010 in the Mexican League, of all places, hitting .291/.416/.510. A longtime minor league masher and veteran of three MLB teams, Barker has a solid approach at the plate but lacks the upper-tier power needed to play first base, with just a .354 career slugging percentage in the majors and .469 in Triple-A. To be fair, he did slug .551 in his last stateside go-round with the Reds’ AAA affiliate in 2009, parlaying that into a decent 9-for-32 performance with Cincinnati. At 35, you have to figure Barker doesn’t get another chance, but there are worse guys to have around as lefty pinch-hit options.
RHP Joe Bisenius—This power pitcher sits at 96 mph and touches 98, but it’s pretty straight and he lacks command. At 28, he made it back to the bigs for the first time since 2007 last year, but the righty’s dealt with a bunch of injuries and probably doesn’t have too many more chances. He’s put up elite minor league strikeout numbers when healthy, and his velocity is clearly still there, but Bisenius needs to refine his command and his hard curveball if he’s going to assume a major bullpen role.
INF Brian Bixler—Bixler has the unenviable combination of below-average power and a career strikeout rate over 40%, so he was simply passed around three organizations in 2010, spending time with three different Triple-A teams. Something seemed to click with the Nats, as Bixler raced to a .340/.400/.456 line with their AAA affiliate, albeit in only 27 games. The power must come or the strikeouts must drop, or else he’s not a viable major leaguer at all, despite his solid defense all over the diamond.
INF Alex Cora—Cora’s never been an offense-first guy, but last year’s .210/.266/.278 was a new level of ineptitude for the career .244/.311/.331 hitter. No longer a plus defender at second or a viable one at short, there’s little reason for him to be around, other than the tiresome “veteran leadership” excuse. Then again, he put up a .371 OBP just two seasons ago, so it can’t hurt to give him a look and see if he’s regained his batting eye.
OF Jeff Frazier—Speaking of batting eyes, Frazier could use one; while he has power and contact skills, they’re undermined by an over-aggressive approach that will likely preclude him from MLB effectiveness. He added pop last year in Triple-A, bashing 25 homers and slugging .493 while maintaining a manageable 18.7% strikeout rate, but mustered just a feeble .306 OBP even with pitchers often pitching around him. At age 28, he desperately needs to develop better pitch recognition. A brief trial with the Tigers last year resulted in a 5-for-23 showing with one walk, no homers and six strikeouts–while that sample is miles away from even resembling conclusiveness, it handily underscores the problems Frazier’s approach may bring when he faces MLB pitchers.
RHP Chad Gaudin—It’s surprising to see Gaudin fall to NRI status, since he’s just 28 and has had plenty of moments of prominence in his eight-year career. Last year was a fairly typical Gaudin season, with two notable differences: he pitched exclusively in relief for the first time since 2006, and he had a giant spike in HR/FB rate. Pitching for Oakland and the Yankees, he allowed 16 homers in 65 1/3 innings after allowing just 14 in 147 1/3 the year prior. That happens; of more worry is the fact that Gaudin’s normally-excellent slider declined last year, posting below-average effectiveness, and way below average at that, for the first time in his career.
RHP J.D. Martin—The soft-tossing Martin is a suitable back-of-the-rotation starter, which is what he’s been for Washington the past two seasons. He’s got significant homer issues, but keeps walks to a minimum. Surprisingly, his mid-80’s fastball and cutter have been the key to his big league effectiveness; his huge curveball has struggled (mainly because he doesn’t command it), and Martin’s changeup has been crushed.
RHP Shairon Martis—If you’re wondering who the one player born in 1984 or later is, it’s Martis, who is just 24. That seems weird, since he made it to Washington in 2008, and Martis is the sort of C-grade prospect who you wouldn’t think would’ve been in the majors at 21. Well, he was, but two years later, he posted a thoroughly mediocre line as a Triple-A rotation rock, failing to see Nationals Park at all in 2010. With a four-pitch mix as pedestrian as they come, Martis doesn’t whiff many, and he doesn’t have the sort of control to be interesting without strikeouts. But, hey, he’s got plenty of Triple-A and big league experience and is only 24, so that counts for something.
RHP Cla Meredith—It’s weird to think that a 27-year-old reliever with a career 3.62 ERA and 3.89 FIP isn’t even on somebody’s 40-man, but it’s understandable with Meredith, a sidearming sinkerballer whose FIP has gotten worse every year since 2006. He doesn’t throw quality strikes like he used to, his already-poor velocity continues to lessen, and Meredith’s very specific approach really isn’t conducive to lots of adjustments. His past glory is worth the NRI slot, but Meredith isn’t likely to do much with it–he had a 6.00 ERA last year in Triple-A.
OF Laynce Nix—At this point, Nix has to be wondering what he has to do to keep a 40-man spot through an entire offseason; after a .239/.291/.476 line with the Reds in 2009, he improved to .291/.350/.455 in 2010. He took a big step last year in correcting the plate discipline issued that have marred his career, and he’s still got the power and defensive ability that made him a hot prospect in the first place. The Nationals should get good mileage out of the 30-year-old should they choose to keep him around.
OF Matt Stairs—Hell. Yes.
OF Jonathan Van Every—This longtime minor leaguer has hit .255/.327/.447 in 52 big league PAs, and brings solid defense to the table. That’s nice; the 40.5% strikeout rate last year in Triple-A is not, and makes Van Every an itinerant fifth outfielder/Triple-A mainstay.