➡️ The Future: The Resurgence of Yohandy Morales

Good Morning, and welcome to The Future.

There is a lot of news around the Washington Nationals Minor leagues, so let's get right to it. Here is what is happening around the Washington Nationals minor leagues for August 19, 2024.

Leading this Morning's Briefing: The Resurgence of Yohandy Morales

The Washington Nationals selected Yohandy Morales as the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft. The team signed him to a $2.6 million contract on July 18, 2023. According to MLB Pipeline, Morales is number nine in the Washington Nationals Prospect Rankings.

Morales finished the 2023 season with 58 hits, 166 at-bats, 32 RBI, 36 strikeouts, a batting average of .39, a slugging percentage of .494, an OPS of .917, and an on-base percentage of .423 across four teams as he worked his way up the Nationals minor league system. Morales finished 2023 with the Harrisburg Senators. During his four games with the Senators starting on September 12. Morales went 4-14 with the Senators and had a batting average of .286, a very promising start to his professional baseball career.

Morales was assigned to the Harrisburg Senators to begin the season and was having a lackluster start to the season, slashing .238/.315/.346 with two homers in 37 games for Harrisburg until he was placed on the 7-day injured list due to an injury due to a thumb injury on May 21, 2024.

After being out of action, Morales had been out of action for nearly three months due to the injury, and now returning to Harrisburg, he has been on fire. In his nine games, he is hitting a .345 batting average, with a slugging percentage of .690, an OPS of 1.176, and an OBP of .487. Which includes three homeruns, eight RBI, seven strikeouts, and ten hits entering yesterday's game.

The bottom line is that since returning from his injury, Morales has been on fire and tearing it up in Double-A. With only a couple of weeks left in the 2024 season, it might make sense to keep him in Harrisburg. Then, hopefully, during the off-season, he can continue his development and preparation and be ready for 2025, starting up in Rochester.

Prospect Watch & Other Notes:

• According to Ernest Dove, a baseball reporter and host of Sportzwire Radio.org, RHP Tyler Stuart is getting promoted to Triple-A Rochester. In the four games he appeared in, Stuart gave up five earned runs (six runs) over 16 hits, striking out 32, and has an ERA of 2.08 over 21.2 innings pitched.
• Washington’s top 2024 draft picks, SS Seaver King and C Caleb Lomavita, have made immediate impacts in their professional debuts, contributing significantly to the team’s two wins over Salem last week. King has tallied four hits in two games, including a triple that kicked off the scoring on Saturday night. Lomavita has also recorded two hits and scored five runs, reaching base in six of nine plate appearances. In MLB Pipeline’s latest post-draft rankings, King and Lomavita are ranked as the Nationals’ fifth and tenth-best prospects, respectively.
• Nationals center fielder Dylan Crews extended his on-base streak to 12 games on Friday night. Since August 3rd, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft and the league’s third-best prospect has been red-hot, hitting .292/.375/.542 with an impressive .917 OPS. Crews finished tonight’s game 1-for-4 with a run scored, a walk, and his eighth stolen base of the season.
  
• Robert Hassell III continues to shine as he works back up to Double-A Harrisburg. On Saturday, he went 2-for-3 with a double, 2 RBI, and a walk. And entered yesterday's game with six hits in 7 games since returning from injury and has three RBI in his last two games.

Rochester Red Wings - Triple-A Affiliate

Rochester Red Wings: 4 - 8 Syracuse Mets
W: Megill (3-0; 3.57 ERA)
L: Rutledge (4-7, 6.87)

The Rochester Red Wings suffered an 8-4 defeat at the hands of the Syracuse Mets on Sunday afternoon. Starting pitcher Jackson Rutledge struggled to find his command, surrendering four runs in 2.1 innings of work. The right-hander walked four batters and gave up a home run, ultimately taking the loss and falling to 4-7 on the season with a 6.87 ERA.

Despite the pitching woes, the Red Wings offense showed some sparks. Trey Lipscomb continued his hot hitting with a three-hit performance, including a double. Since July 1st, the former Tennessee Volunteer has been on fire, batting .371 with a slugging percentage of .657. Joey Gallo added a solo home run to the scoreboard, his sixth of the season with Rochester.

The Red Wings bullpen provided solid relief, with Garvin Alston tossing a career-high four innings, allowing just one run. Offensively, Drew Millas contributed with a triple, his third of the season, tying a career-high. While the Red Wings showed glimpses of offensive potential, the early pitching struggles proved to be too much to overcome.

Up next, the Rochester Red Wings will travel to Lehigh Valley tomorrow to start a series against the IronPigs on Tuesday night.

Harrisburg Senators - Double-A Affiliate

Harrisburg Senators: 9-8 Richmond Flying Squirrels
W: Guasch 2-0; 3.38 ERA
L: Corry 2 - 3; 6.31 ERA

The Harrisburg Senators clinched a series victory over the Richmond Flying Squirrels with a thrilling 9-8 win on Sunday. The contest was shortened to eight innings due to rain. The Senators held a 6-3 lead after six innings, but a five-run outburst by Richmond in the seventh put them ahead. However, Harrisburg responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to secure the victory.

Israel Pineda was the game's hero, delivering a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Senators a 9-8 lead. The win was set up by a strong pitching performance from Kyle Luckham, who struck out six batters in six innings. Offensively, Cody Wilson and Daylen Lile made history with back-to-back home runs in the second inning, the first such occurrence for the Senators this season.

Next Game:

The Senators will begin a new series against the Akron RubberDucks on Tuesday. The first pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. at Canal Park.

Wilmington Blue Rocks - High-A Affiliate

The Wilimington Blue Rocks lost in the series finale yesterday against the Jersey Shore Blueclaws 9-4. Getting the loss for the Blue Rocks was RHP Bryan Caceres, who only pitched 2.2 innings, giving up five runs on eight hits and only striking out one. Catcher Maxwell Romero Jr. hit his ninth home run of the season in the sixth inning against the Blueclaws' RHP Gunner Mayer.

Next, The Wilimington Blue Rocks will travel to New York to face the Hudson Valley Renegades.

Fredericksburg Nationals - Low-A Affiliate

The Fredericksburg Nationals secured a thrilling 11-9 victory over the Salem Red Sox in a back-and-forth Sunday showdown. Both teams combined for 20 runs and 21 hits in a game that showcased offensive firepower.

The lead changed hands multiple times throughout the contest. Salem jumped to an early lead, but the FredNats quickly responded with their rally. The game remained tightly contested, with neither team able to pull away significantly.

Key contributions from Seaver King, Nick Peoples, and Nate Rombach propelled Fredericksburg to a narrow lead. The bullpen held on for the victory, with Anthony Arguelles earning the save.

King delivered an RBI single early in the game, helping to establish the Fredericksburg Nationals' initial lead. Later, his RBI grounder brought in a crucial run to narrow Salem's advantage. However, his most impactful play came in the bottom of the sixth inning when he was hit by a pitch, stole second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and eventually scored to tie the game.

Seaver King was pivotal in the Fredericksburg Nationals' 11-9 win over the Salem Red Sox. His offensive contributions kept the team in the game and ultimately secured the victory.

King's ability to get on base and create scoring opportunities showcased his value as a versatile offensive player. His performance in this game highlights his potential as a key contributor for the Fredericksburg Nationals moving forward.

Up next,

Fredericksburg begins a two-week road trip with a series against the Columbia Fireflies, beginning Tuesday, August 20th.

Join us daily as we deliver a concise and informative roundup of the most important news and developments from the Nationals farm system. We've covered you, from top prospect performances to injury updates, roster moves, and game recaps. From the Fredericksburg Nationals up to the Rochester Red Wings.

The Nats Report already delivers top-notch coverage of the Nationals farm system. We hope that you will find our Morning Briefing enjoyable and that you will walk away every morning up-to-date on the latest happenings around the Nationals minor leagues.

You'll also deepen your knowledge of the Nationals' minor league system and its potential impact on the major league team to impress your fellow Nationals friends and family.

Welcome to The Future...