2019 Hagerstown Suns- The Pitchers

I've already written that I was less than underwhelmed by the position players for the 2019 Hagerstown Suns, but the pitchers do have some players with promise and I think that at least two of them are headed for big things soon.

2018 second rounder Tim Cate was tremendously polished in his 13 Hagerstown starts with a 4-5 record and an ERA of 2.82.
Cate did come from the college ranks (Connecticut) but didn't turn 22 until the season was completed, so for a college player was a little younger for the level.
Cate struck out 73 in 70 innings and only walked 13 before a promotion to High A Potomac where he posted similar numbers (7-4 3.31 ERA 66 SO and 13 BB) in the same thirteen starts.
I love that Cate doesn't walk many and the only caveat is that college pitchers that throw strikes (Especially lefties) can really thrive in low and high A, so Cate will have to prove himself to be more than an advanced college pitcher ahead of young hitters, but I think he's capable of doing well as he progresses.
Cate should start next season at AA Harrisburg.

The Nationals top draft pick in 2019 arrived in August and in six starts (27 innings) Jackson Rutledge struck 31 and allowed only 14 hits and an excellent stint in the Hub City.
Rutledge, a hard-throwing right-hander from San Jacinto junior college, overmatched SAL hitters with four pitches that made me think of the time that Lucas Giolito spent in Hagerstown,
The 6'8 Rutledge turns 21 just before Opening Day and it wouldn't stun me, under the right circumstances, to see him make an appearance on the big club's roster in September.
It would take the perfect draw to have that happen, but even considering it shows how highly I thought of Rutledge.
Rutledge will more than likely start with High A Potomac/Fredericksburg, but if they wanted to challenge Rutledge right away, he could start at AA Harrisburg.

Francys Peguero pitched well, although it didn't show up in his record (2-8), but Peguero finished with a 2.95 ERA and walked only 19 in 91 innings before a promotion to Potomac where he would split time between the rotation and bullpen.
Peguero was a bit old for the SAL (turned 24 in October) and didn't strike out a lot (80) of batters.
The number one stat that I rank highest for a low A pitcher is strikeouts per inning as if pitchers aren't striking out batters there, those numbers generally don't rise as the competition improves.

Joan Adon didn't pitch as well as Peguero by the numbers (3.86 ERA 90 K, 44 BB in 105 innings) other than in the win-loss column (11-3). but he's more of a prospect in my eyes.
Adon spent the entire year with the Suns, starting 21 of his 22 appearances in his first full-season campaign.
Adon only pitched in seven games at short-season Auburn in 2018, all in relief.
Adon didn't turn 21 until late in the season and he has a whip-like arm motion that you see pitchers have lots of success with, but not a lot of long term durability.
Adon didn't strike out as many as you would think a pitcher with his stuff should, but with some refinement and polish, Adon might be the rare pitcher where things click into place at higher levels and suddenly dominates.
I wouldn't bet on this happening, but if you are looking for a dark horse prospect, keep Adon in mind as he starts next season at High A Potomac/Fredericksburg.

Reid Schaller arrived in mid-season to make 12 starts after Tim Cate was promoted and the 2018 third-round selection from Vanderbilt performed reasonably well.
Schaller finished 4-3 with a 3.29 ERA, struck out 47 and walked 22 in 52 innings, but batters hit only.205 against him.
I would have liked to have Schaller strike out more, but he's not a finesse pitcher and Schaller did miss the early portion of the season with an injury, so the reason could have been getting into shape as his strikeouts picked up over his final five starts in which he allowed only four earned runs.
Schaller will turn 23 in April and like Jackson Rutledge will likely start with Potomac/Fredericksburg with a slim chance of beginning with AA Harrisburg,

Jake Irvin was the Nationals 4th round selection in 2018 from Oklahoma (Insert full Keith Jackson voice here) and although you couldn't tell from his won-loss record (4-4 in each half), it was a tale of two seasons for the former Sooner.
Irvin's ERA was over five in the first half and under three in the second with batters hitting forty-five points less against him in the second half as well.
Irvin struck out 113 in 128 innings, which is decent, but not outstanding, but at 6'6 and 220 pounds, Irvin has a chance to fill out a bit which could help the fastball a bit.
Irvin will start in High A Potomac/Fredericksburg in 2020.

Tomas Alastre had his second disappointing season in the Hagerstown rotation finishing with a season almost exactly as 2018 as only his strikeouts improved (37 higher in only four more innings pitched) with another ERA over five in twenty-plus starts.
Alastre still turns only 22 in June, so he's not out of time yet and should return to Hagerstown for a third try at the SAL, but they could start him at High A if they are aggressive with moving others to Harrisburg.

Jackson Stoeckinger was the only other Sun to make ten starts as the Suns' swingman with Stoeckinger making nineteen appearances in relief and leading the team in saves with five.
The 2017 twelfth rounder did improve his statistics from his 2018 campaign in Hagerstown but would have to take a major leap in 2020 to be considered a prospect.

The relievers portion of the post will only discuss players that pitched in at least ten games for the Suns.

Aaron Fletcher established himself as a prospect with a future as a left-handed reliever in a season that saw Fletcher pitch for three teams in the Nationals system before being traded to Seattle.
Fletcher struck out 28 in 28 innings with the Suns with an ERA of 1.61.
Hitters only hit .149 against the former Houston Cougar in his 15 appearances before a promotion to Potomac where his numbers were even better in twelve appearances there.
Fletcher made five appearances for AA Harrisburg before the trade to the Mariners, who assigned him to AA Arkansas.
Fletcher turns 24 over the winter but seems to have a chance to make it in someone's bullpen by 2021.
Fletcher will likely start back at AA Arkansas, although he might have a chance to move to AAA Tacoma with an impressive spring.

As well as Fletcher performed, Matt Cronin was even better after arriving in Hagerstown in July.
Cronin allowed only two earned runs in his twenty-two innings for an ERA of under one and an impressive forty-one strikeouts.
The fourth-rounder from Arkansas did what you would hope a college pitcher would do in the SAL and then some, but even with that consideration, Cronin's numbers were impressive.
Cronin's time reminded me of 2015 when Koda Glover stomped all over the league in his draft year and was pitching for the parent club in the next season.
I wouldn't be stunned if that happened again.

Christian Vann was dominant as well as he finished with an ERA of 1.57 and 28 strikeouts in 28 innings.
Vann did walk 16 and control for a reliever is a mild concern, but the 2018 25th round draft pick was surprising after struggling in the GCL after being drafted.
Vann will start at Potomac/Fredericksburg and could wind up being the closer with the Nationals.

Angel Guillen's ERA wasn't as strong as the players mentioned above, but 3.38 is still pretty good and I loved the K's (73 in 62 innings),
Guillen continued his fine year with seven good games in Potomac.
Guillen should start at High A next season but could be an early callup to AA Harrisburg with a good start.

Ryan Tapani was another swingman for the Suns, pitching 14 games in relief and starting five games/
The son of former big leaguer Kevin, Tapani struck out 73 in 65 innings which is a plus, but he is slight of frame (listed at six foot, but I'd say 5'10), was hit hard in nine games at Potomac after being promoted and turns 26 in June,.
Tapani will likely return to Potomac, where he seems to be organizational soldier material more than a prospect for now.

Jhonatan German pitched well at three places (Hagerstown, Potomac, and Harrisburg) and might have placed his name into relief consideration for the future if he can repeat the numbers again in 2020.
Hitters hit just. 209 against German, but he'll have to pick the strikeouts per inning up at AA Harrisburg in order to reach prospect status.
German turns 25 over the winter, so we'll see.

Chandler Day was a player that I thought would run through the SAL after being drafted from Vanderbilt in the eighth round in 2018.
Instead, Day spent the entire season in Hagerstown, finished with an ERA over four and hitters hit .279 against him and he averaged less than a strikeout per inning.
Day will move to Potomac/Fredericksburg, where he'll have to improve over his Hagerstown term.

2017 tenth rounder Trey Turner's ERA was a bit high at near four, but Turner struck out 35 in 21 innings and hitters only hit. 215 against him.
Turner's issue is control, walking 14 and keeping the ball up in the zone.
The arm is intriguing and I'd like to see Turner given a shot at High A next season.

Two 2016 college draftees were old for the level but pitched well.
Jacob Howell had the lower ERA (2.67 to 3.84), but Ryan Williamson struck out 61 in 61 innings.
Howell was hit hard in a late-season stint with Potomac, while Williamson spent the entire year at the Muni with the Suns.
Both will be 25 next season, so they'll have to perform well for High A Potomac/Fredericksburg to stick around the organization.

Former Michigan State Spartan Alex Troop returned after an injury-shortened 2018 and in eleven games finished with a 2.18 ERA and struck out 34 in 33 innings after making the transition to the bullpen.
Hitters batted under .200 against Troop, so it'll be interesting to keep tabs on him next season.
Troop will turn 24 during the 2020 season, so he'll need to move quickly.

Jared Brasher, a 2017 8th rounder from Samford, pitched well in 18 games (1-1 2.77 ERA) in his second year in Hagerstown but was released in July.
I'm not sure why that happened as his numbers were better than others on the staff and while he was a bit old for the level (24), I didn't see why the release had to happen when it did.

The rest of the pitchers pitched less than ten games, but one worth mentioning was Carson Teel, who pitched three games from the Hagerstown bullpen before a promotion to Potomac.
Teel doesn't miss a ton of bats and his test will come at AA Harrisburg, where he started a playoff game for the Senators. taking the loss in a 12-5 loss to Bowie.