The Morning Briefing: August 14

Good morning, Washington Nationals fans.

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, August 14. Apologies for there being no Morning Briefing yesterday - I just checked out after finishing the Monday Morning Filibuster (a day late). At least there was no game Monday. Yesterday, however, was quite the day!

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Welcome to the Morning Briefing!

Leading this Morning's Briefing: Two New Debuts

I have been touting Orlando Ribalta as a potential future bullpen weapon in the Monday Morning Filibuster since April, when he was striking out two batters per inning in AA. Yesterday the Nats selected his contract and designated the struggling Jordan Weems for assignment after a rough Sunday outing off of the injured list for shin splints. They also called up Andrés Chaparro, the eleventh-hour trade return piece for Dylan Floro from the Diamondbacks, in place of Harold Ramírez. Chaparro and Ramírez are both right-handed hitters whose best approach to fielding is to hide their gloves, and it made sense to try Chaparro now given that if he was not added to the 40-man roster before the Rule 5 Draft in December, he would be able to leave as a minor league free agent. Ribalta, drafted in the 2019 12th round, is also Rule 5-eligible this winter.

Last Game Out

Usually after an off day the Nats forget how to hit, turning in a lot of quick at-bats with weak contact and getting put on ice pretty early. Yesterday was another matter entirely, as CJ Abrams, James Wood, and Chaparro led the offense to a banner nine-run day by hitting 10 for 13 with six doubles and scoring seven of those nine runs. Chaparro's three doubles in his debut matched a record shared by Nick Evans (2008) and Ben Grieve (1997). He had a couple of rough throws on defense at first base, one of which cost fellow debutante Ribalta a game-ending double play, but he just looks hitterish up there. Big day for Chaparro after eight years in the minor leagues. It was also a big day for Wood, who had the second four-hit game of his young career and was a bit tardy to the postgame press conference because - ever the Maryland boy - he was showing his teammates how to pick crabs.

Nationals Headline of the Day

Not only were Chaparro and Ribalta added to a roster which is gradually shedding more of its journeymen for younger, hopefully more long-term pieces, but the Nats also got good news on José Tena, whose split thumbnail injury, suffered while fielding a ground ball on Sunday against the Angels, will not require a stint on the IL. He is day-to-day.

Down on the Farm

It was a big day in Rochester as well as in Baltimore. Top prospects Brady House and Dylan Crews both went deep (along with Drew Millas and Joey Meneses), Zach Brzykcy (almost certainly the next reliever called up) struck out two batters in his first AAA inning since having Tommy John surgery last spring, and Jackson Rutledge worked 4 2/3 scoreless innings for the Red Wings.

Featured Baseball Story of the Day

MLB Pipeline updated their Top 100 prospect lists and organizational top 30 lists yesterday afternoon. Crews is now the #3 prospect in the sport, and given that Jackson Holliday and Junior Caminero are both back in the majors and will graduate from prospect status in the next few weeks, he should be #1 overall very soon. House remains on the list at #69, and Travis Sykora (pitching tonight in Fredericksburg) checks in at #100. Jarlin Susana just missed and could get on the list as players like Holliday and Caminero graduate.

Former National of the Day

We have a new section starting today! In honor of trade throw-in Chaparro's big debut, let's look at one of Rizzo's greatest trade throw-in heists, Tanner Roark. Originally drafted by Texas in the 25th round in 2008 - a round which no longer exists - out of the University of Illinois, Roark was traded to the Nationals two years later for the final two months of Cristian Guzman's career. Roark seemed like a perfectly decent org guy until 2013, when at age 26 he cut his walk rate nearly in half at AAA and earned a call-up. From mid-2013 through 2018 he pitched in 182 games for the Nationals, starting 141 of them, compiling a 64-54 record with a 3.59 ERA, 1.209 WHIP, and 16.3 bWAR. After 2018 he was traded to the Reds for Tanner Rainey, and pitched for them, the A's, and the Blue Jays through 2021.

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