The minor-league regular season is over and it’s time to issue a report cart to Washington Nationals prospect Carter Kieboom.
In his first full professional baseball season, Washington Nationals’ prospect and 2016 first-round pick Carter Kieboom put together a solid year. Even though he battled through an injury midseason, the 19-year-old shortstop offered a preview of his future production.
The majority of Kieboom’s at-bats took place with the Single-A Hagerstown Suns. In those 210 trips to the plate in a Suns’ uniform, Kieboom hit .296/.400/.497 with eight home runs. He added one more home run during his brief stint with the Low-A Auburn Doubledays, giving him a total of nine in 255 plate appearances.
Kieboom’s power this year was a pleasant treat for the Nationals. If not for injuries, he might have blasted 20. This projects well for the future as he’ll undoubtedly hit with above-average power moving forward.
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Other elements of Kieboom’s game worth noting are his command of the strike zone. After fanning 43 times in 155 plate appearances last year, he struck out 42 times this year in exactly 100 fewer opportunities. Kieboom also added an additional 20 walks to his resume for a season total of 32. This helped him earn an overall OBP of .396 on the year, just shy of the often coveted .400 mark. Although, as noted previously, he did accomplish this with Hagerstown where he spent most of 2017.
Defensively, Kieboom looked much better. His fielding percentage went up significantly from 2016, but his range factor dropped. Sometimes this has more to do with opportunities and other players on the field. It’s something to pay attention to next year as Kieboom advances towards the majors.
When will Kieboom reach MLB?
There’s no rush to promote Kieboom to the big leagues. My guess is he spends almost if not all of 2018 with the Double-A Harrisburg Senators. He could potentially finish the year with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, but that’s up to his performance and how quickly the Nationals want to push him.
I don’t see Kieboom staying at shortstop for too long. Based on the way the Nationals lineup defensively right now, a move to second base or third base is more realistic.
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Trea Turner is young and playing well defensively at shortstop. This nixes the possibility of Kieboom moving him away from his natural position. Daniel Murphy is an aging veteran who is a free agent after next season. The Nationals don’t have very many options at second base other than current infield utility-man Wilmer Difo.
As for third base, Anthony Rendon could either end up as a long-term keeper or leave via free agency in a few years. Kieboom will be teammates with him at some point. The 2019 season seems the most likely time when Kieboom finally does taste big league action in some capacity.