IN FOCUS: NATIONALS
Tyler Watson doesn’t remember seeing any squirrels while he was growing up in Arizona, so when he saw his first one last summer during his assignment to the rookie-level Gulf Coast League, he quickly became enamored.
Watson, a 34th-round pick of the Washington Nationals in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, is pitching for Auburn (N.Y.) in the short-season New York-Penn League, and there are no shortage of squirrels in Upstate New York. So when Watson isn’t on the mound for the Doubledays, chances are he’s out communing with nature.
“I’ve had an affinity for squirrels since I was in Florida,” Watson said. “I told (teammate) Blake Perkins that they always look like someone is out to get them, the way they crawl in the grass. Since then I have liked squirrels so much. My parents gave me a stuffed squirrel — not a real one, a stuffed animal — and Blake and I named him Jimmy. He comes traveling with us wherever we go.”
If Watson keeps pitching the way he has through the first three weeks of this season, then there’s a good chance that Jimmy will be joining him when he moves up to Hagerstown (Md.) of the Class A South Atlantic League. Watson, 19, was 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA through five starts and has a 1.46 Tyler Watson has a 1.46 ERA through 371⁄ career innings.
ERA and a 0.97 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) through 371⁄ career innings.
Watson doesn’t make the list of the Nationals’ top prospects, but that could change this season. Watson was a last-minute signing
by Washington after having all but moved onto the Loyola-Marymount (Calif.) campus to start his freshman year of college.
“I had no clue that I was going pro until two or three days before I signed,” he said. “I got drafted so
low. About a month later, they made me an offer, and I talked to my parents. I said no, and they asked me what my bare minimum would be to sign and they said we’re going to make you a National. It all happened really fast. I had my class schedule set, and I still have my Marymount ID card.
“It was a golden opportunity, so I took it. I’m really happy with the choice I made. I don’t think about what if. I don’t think I would ever change my decision.”
The Nationals are happy with his choice as well. They had him pare down his repertoire from five pitches to three. Watson has removed the splitter and slider for the time being.
“They took away the splitter so I wouldn’t hurt myself,” Watson said. “They wanted me to perfect the curve and change and then add another pitch. I understand. Get those three plus pitches, and eventually down the road I’ll bring back the slider and the splitter when I get a little older.”
Watson said the Nationals have him working more on a slide step and eliminating his high leg kick. It has helped his pickoff move and, he believes, cut down on the number of runners trying to steal on him. Five of six runners attempting to steal on Watson have been successful, including all three this season.
“I’ll probably develop it (the slide step) more as I move forward,” Watson said. “I trust in their decision. They are a great organization.”
And they play in a city that has a sizable squirrel population. uSalem (Va.) right-hander
hit 105 mph on radar guns during a July 13 Class A South Atlantic League start against Wilmington (Del.). He had reached 103 in his previous start. It ranks alongside the 105.1 mph fastball once thrown by New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, which is believed to be one of the fastest recorded pitches in baseball history and recorded by Trackman.
uRound Rock (Texas) third baseman one of the minor leagues’ top power prospects, has seen his production slow a bit. Gallo, who has two 40-homer seasons in the minors, had 16 homers through Sunday and hit one between June 24 and July 14. uEl Paso right fielder
seems to be fulfilling the potential that made him the San Diego Padres’ 13th overall pick in 2013. He was third in the minor leagues in RBI (80), tied for third in homers (22) and 10th in batting (.337) through Sunday.
Counting last season, he was hitting .336 with 28 homers and 104 RBI through 109 Pacific Coast League games. Renfroe hadn’t hit more than 21 homers or driven in 78 runs or hit higher than .272 in either of his two previous full seasons in the minors.