Two Nationals Youngsters Make 'Prospect Team of the Week' With Dominant Performances
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How prospects in the Washington Nationals' pipeline perform this season is going to be a major storyline throughout the year.
That's because the new front office is taking stock of who can be franchise cornerstones for them in the future, as their goal is to get this rebuild on track by creating one of the best farm systems across Major League Baseball.
With that in mind, it was a huge development to see Ronny Cruz dominate Single-A competition to start the season. After 14 games, he earned a promotion to High-A Wilmington and is someone to monitor for the rest of the campaign. However, the 19-year-old isn't the only one who has started the season off strong, as two other Nationals farmhands made the "Prospect Team of the Week."
Yeremy Cabrera, Miguel Sime Jr. Named to 'Prospect Team of the Week'
MLB Pipeline handed out these honors, and it was easy to see why both outfielder Yeremy Cabrera and right-handed pitcher Miguel Sime Jr. made this coveted team last week after their dominant performances.
Cabrera, who is Washington's 20th-ranked prospect, was sensational for Single-A Fredericksburg. He went 9-for-18 across five games with two home runs, two doubles, a triple and four RBIs. He also walked seven times compared to striking out five, and he stole six bases.
The 20-year-old was acquired as part of the MacKenzie Gore return package from the Texas Rangers. While Gavin Fien and Devin Fitz-Gerald are the perceived headliners of that deal, Cabrera has been sensational in his own right this season with a Carolina League-leading OPS of 1.223. If he can keep up this performance, then he will find himself becoming a major riser in prospect rankings.
As for Sime, it won't take long for the Nationals to move him up their farm system. He has dominated Single-A competition when it comes to strikeout numbers, which was on full display during his scoreless outing last week when he struck out nine batters across four innings. The 16th-ranked prospect also didn't allow a hit during that start and he only issued one walk, which has been a problem for him early on in this campaign.
While the 18-year-old has been virtually unhittable with only two hits allowed and 18 K's across his three starts this season, he has a 3.24 ERA because he's also walked eight batters in 8 1/3 innings pitched. Hopefully the control he showed in his latest outing is a sign of things to come. Because if he can add that aspect to his game, then he'll be an elite-level prospect.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai