Boxing Challenge

The boxing challenge is short and sweet this week with only two fights on Friday night and on ESPN, but what a fight it should be!

In Philadelphia, two pieces of the four title light heavyweight puzzle will become one in as even a fight as one could sign in boxing today as WBC light heavyweight king  Oleksandr Gvozdyk will face the IBF champion in the division in Artur Beterbiev.

Gvozdyk is facing his first test after knocking out long-time champion Adonis Stevenson out of boxing to win his title, although he did make his first defense in a squash match against Doudou Ngumbu, winning by a fifth-round knockout.
Beterbiev might be the biggest puncher in the division and has made two defenses of his title, the last one being a fifth-round KO of Radijove Kalajdzic in May.
Gvozdyk is the better boxer and better all-around fighter, but Beterbiev has such a huge punch and he simply walks fighters down and punishes them.
There are a few variables in this fight as well.
Both are undefeated and they met in the amateurs with Beterbiev winning by knockout, so who knows if that will come into play in Gvozdyk's psyche'.
And could the severe injuries that Gvozdyk inflicted on Adonis Stevenson affect his ability to finish an opponent, should he have the opportunity to do so?
I can see this going to either man as Gvozdyk can outbox Beterbiev and Beterbiev has been knocked a few times, so a knockout is very possible.
However, I can also see Beterbiev landing his clubbing and destructive shots that slow Gvozdyk and stop him in the middle to late rounds.
No matter your choice, this one is a fight that I am very excited about and hopefully, Ohio State will have Northwestern safely tucked away in one of those cash-grab Friday games in the Big Ten so that I can enjoy the fight.

The co-feature will see veteran welterweight Luis Collazo returning against undefeated Kudratillo Abdukakhorov.
The 38-year-old Collazo has won three in a row since his 2015 loss to Keith Thurman, where he had to retire after badly hurting Thurman, while Abdukakhorov is undefeated, but Collazo will be a huge leap in quality for Abdukakhorov, so it'll be interesting to see how he deals with that.
The winner could be line for WBO champion Terence Crawford next year unless Top Rank can find the big fight that Crawford has been looking for.

Unification WBC-IBF Light Heavyweight Titles 12 Rds
Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs Artur Beterbiev
R.L: Gvozdyk Unanimous Decision
TRS: Beterbiev KO 10

Welterweights. 12 Rds
Luis Collazo vs Kudratillo Abdukakhorov
Both: Abdukakhorov Unanimous Decision

PPM

The PPM is back with the full slate of football predictions and with Ohio State stuck on Friday in the Big Ten give us the check game of the week, the PPM arrives a bit early!

Last Week: 10-3
Overall: 63-24

College
Ohio State over Northwestern 45-13
Boise State over BYU 31-21
Houston over Connecticut 35-16
Texas Tech over Iowa State 30-27
LSU over Mississippi State 42-20
Washington over Oregon 27-26
N.C. State over Boston College 20-16
Central Michigan over Bowling Green 32-24
Middle Tennessee State over North Texas 28-25
Georgia Southern over Coastal Carolina 45-35

Games of the Week
Utah over Arizona State 23-17
Penn State over Michigan 24-14

NFL
Saints over Bears 21-17

Game of the Week
Seahawks over Ravens 34-24

Devils finally breakthrough, defeat Rangers 5-2

The New Jersey Devils finally broke through as the final team in the National Hockey League to taste victory as they defeated the New York Rangers 5-2 at the Rock.

Devils goals to Blake Coleman (3),
Nikita Gusev (3), Kyle Palmieri, (3 power play), Miles Wood (1), and P.K. Subban (1 empty net).
Mackenzie Blackwood finished with 29 saves in net for the Devils in victory.
The Devils will host Vancouver on Saturday afternoon at one o'clock.

Hell Raisers

1) It's a miracle!
The Devils scored on the power play when Kyle Palmieri popped in a second-period goal after a faceoff win.
The power play had been punchless all season and even though Palmieri's goal was the only score in seven attempts, it's still nice to be off the goose-egg for the season.

2) Jack Hughes didn't score his first goal, but he did score his first point when his attempted redirection of a Matt Tennyson shot smacked off the rump of Miles Wood and into the net past Alexandar Georgiev.
Hughes is going to have his struggles, but I have a feeling that once he gets rolling, the points will come in bunches.

3) Nikita Gusev is a defensive liability and it seems that every time I wonder about those problems, Gusev pulls something out on the offensive end that makes me think he's worth it.
In the third period and in the Rangers zone, Gusev stripped the buck from the Rangers big free-agent addition Artemi Panarin and looked to be setting up for a pass.
The Rangers thought so as well and attempted to take away the pass, but in one motion without stopping, Gusev swiped the puck between the legs of Alexandar Georgiev,
As the old TV show Facts of Life once sang- sometimes you take the good with the bad.

4) I hadn't noted it as it occurred after the loss to Florida, but the Devils sent assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald down to the bench to assist John Hynes.
Fitzgerald (I would assume) will work with the special teams and as noted above, New Jersey scored their first power play goal of the season, but the Devils also shut down the Rangers power play, keeping them off the board in six chances.
That's all well and good, but I still have a suspicion that Fitzgerald is also evaluating the coaching staff to be prepared if a change will be in order sometime during the season.
Fitzgerald might even be a dark horse to become the full-time coach if the team would make that change.

5) Taylor Hall didn't appear on the scoresheet except for six minutes (two were given for a lost challenge) in penalties, but his hit on Adam Fox not only sent Hall to the box but Fox to the locker room.
Hall didn't seem to make especially hard contact with Fox's head, but he did hit him high and left his feet to do so and that's a call that officials will make almost every time.

6) You won't see the name Matt Tennyson often on scoresheets, but Tennyson finished the game with two assists despite not really doing much offensively to earn them.
Tennyson did intercept a Ranger pass to earn the secondary assist on Blake Coleman's goal and it was his shot that wound up bouncing off Miles Wood and into the net.
It's always pretty nice when guys that rarely score or are journeymen reach the points sheet.

7) I thought Mackenzie Blackwood played well in net.
Blackwood may not have been spectacular, but he stopped what he needed to (in other words, no soft goals) and was as good as he had to be.
In my opinion, one of the top storylines of the Devils season is this- Can Mackenzie Blackwood show enough to be considered the Devils goaltender of the future?
Cory Schneider still has two years remaining on his contract, so it's not an emergency to replace Schneider now, but a line of succession would be a good idea.

8) Pavel Zacha played well without a point, but he almost had one with Alexandar Georgiev needing to make a nice save against him.
Zacha is developing into a solid two-way player and if he can get his offensive game going, Zacha will be a dangerous player.
It's funny that entering the 2015 draft, Zacha's defense was what was questioned most and in the NHL the opposite has proven to be the case.

I tell ya' Herbie

I tell ya' Herbie is back with some weekly thoughts on the college football world.

I tell ya' Herbie:
                          Officiating is often blamed for losses at every level of football, but at times blame is more than warranted.
Take last week's game between Texas Tech and Baylor at the home of the Bears in Waco.
The visiting underdog Red Raiders have battled the Bears to overtime with Baylor getting the ball first.

Baylor's center snaps the ball off his own rump and the ball falls to the turf, which Texas Tech recovers,
This would have given Tech a huge advantage as they would only have to kick a field goal to win the game, but instead, the referee ruled the play dead with an illegal snap penalty on Baylor.
This is a mistake as if the snap is continuous, it cannot be a dead ball.
Baylor would win the game 33-30 in double overtime.
Who knows what Tech would have done with their possession, but they had a lot going for them if the referee would have made the correct call.
But, Texas Tech did receive one of those apologies from the league, so I guess that makes it OK...

I tell ya' Herbie:
                         There were a few games of importance that were high scoring and exciting last Saturday with LSU's win over Florida and Oklahoma topping Texas, but those games were seen on national television for anyone to watch that chose to do so, but the game of the day was exiled to the new ACC Network that many fans don't have.
Wake Forest entered the game undefeated and ranked and hosted 3-2 Louisville.
In a game that saw each team move up and down the field and seemingly scoring with every possession, Louisville dropped the Demon Deacons 62-59 and the really interesting part?
It ended in regulation.
Usually, college football's overtime ends in an inflated crazy score (one of the reasons that I prefer the NFL version that uses the entire field), but a score like that in regulation?
It was a rare time that I felt like I missed out on an ACC game worth watching!

I tell ya' Herbie:
                          Another interesting note was from the television aspect as CBS, which has first call on SEC games, chose top-ranked Alabama's game vs 24th ranked Texas A&M over the battle between 5th ranked LSU and 7th rated Florida.
The Tigers and Gators game was given to ESPN with the second choice of SEC games and the Worldwide Leader was rewarded with their highest-rated game of the last two seasons.
Even though the Aggies were ranked, they were a sizable underdog and the LSU-Florida game was one that fans were excited about seeing, so the CBS decision had to be about the Saban factor or maybe even the Texas market, but even before the ratings were in, it seemed that CBS had chosen the wrong game.

I tell ya' Herbie:
                           South Carolina's upset of Georgia between the hedges could have a major impact on the four team playoff when that time comes, but the Gamecocks aren't finished with having a say on the bigger bowls and it's not only for their season-ending game against Clemson.
South Carolina hosts Appalachian State on November 9th and with the Mountaineers now ranked at 24th, Appalachian State's visit to Columbia stands as the largest roadblock for an undefeated season.
Appalachian State defeated Louisiana-Lafayette last week in a rematch of last year's Sun Belt title game and looks to be too much for the remainder of their schedule, barring a slip-up until visiting South Carolina or their Sun Belt title game opponent.
Here is where that could get interesting. If Boise State loses one game, would the title committee in deciding who gets the group of five bid, take an undefeated Appalachian State over a one loss Broncos or a one loss American champion?
It's interesting to think about as if Applachian State defeats South Carolina, they would have two Power Five victories over South Carolina and North Carolina, which would be more than Boise State or any potential American champion except Temple, who holds wins over Maryland and Georgia Tech.
Would that be enough to put a Sun Belt team in?

I tell ya' Herbie:
                          We wrap with another note on Friday football from the Big Ten or as we call it- Cash Grab Friday.
Despite being unpopular with the schools as well as their fan base, the Big Ten is still collecting dollars from their television partners and this Friday, they gave FS1, who televises their games, one of their bigger fish in the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Between a national fan base, their number four ranking and the talented Justin Fields, FS1 had to be salivating for the Ohio State appearance, but as so often happens when you do things only for money, things go awry.
The Wednesday rainout of game four of the ALCS, shoved games four and five to Thursday and Friday, which was originally planned to be a travel day now had a scheduled game.
With Fox starting a relationship with the WWE and it's Smackdown program, Fox didn't want to bump the McMahon gang, so they reluctantly needed to place the ALCS on FS1 and bump the Ohio State-Northwestern to the Fox-affiliated, but lesser carried Big Ten network.
I'd feel bad for these parties, if they weren't so greedy to start with.

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.

Browns dump Austin Corbett

The worst pick of the John Dorsey era is finally in the books and off the roster as the Cleveland Browns have realized that where you were drafted only gives you exalted status for so long before you actually have to prove that you can play on the field.

After giving Austin Corbett a chance to play tackle, guard, center and maybe even replacing Swagger as the dog that runs out on the field (Swagger actually is being replaced by another dog at the next home game, no word on whether being a dog of a draft pick qualified Corbett for that position), John Dorsey finally realized that if Austin Corbett couldn't make the active roster each week for an offensive line that won't remind anyone of the 1975 Cardinals, continuing to carry him because he was a high draft pick was no longer feasible.
The surprising part was finding someone willing to give anything for him and Dorsey found someone in the Los Angeles Rams, who sent the Browns their fifth-round pick in 2021 for Corbett.

I realize a fifth-round pick two years now isn't much for a player that was the first pick in the second round only a year ago, but considering what Austin Corbett delivered on the field, a fifth-rounder that isn't a conditional pick is more than I expected to bring back for Corbett.
Of course, they did trade with the Los Angeles Rams, who apparently are being run by the ghost of George Allen considering how they are sending draft picks all over the league. so that could have been a factor in getting a Corbett trade finalized.

Austin Corbett was drafted to be a tackle on either side, the Browns virtually handed him the right guard job after trading Kevin Zeitler and he couldn't come close to winning it, which forced the Browns to go with journeyman Eric Kush and trade for Wyatt Teller from Buffalo and finally made him the backup center and hope he could perhaps replace J.C. Tretter, if the Browns can't sign Tretter, who has been the best lineman this season for them, at center.
Corbett couldn't do that either and as bad as both tackles (Greg Robinson and Chris Hubbard) have been, the neon light is flashing when the Browns are bringing in every lineman that is looking for a job down to Torso Bob to attempt to shore up the offensive line and yet the name Austin Corbett was never mentioned as a possible solution.

Players don't always live up to expectations and general managers miss on draft picks.
But this was a big miss and had Dorsey not connected on a home run with Nick Chubb a few picks later in the second round, the misstep with Corbett would have loomed larger and been an even larger topic of conversation with the fans and Cleveland media.
Meanwhile, the 2018 draft that we were dazzled by just a year ago, doesn't look nearly as strong,
Baker Mayfield has been generally bad at quarterback and Denzel Ward continues to be hampered by injuries on one corner.
Corbett has been traded and even though Nick Chubb has been great at running back, Chad Thomas is playing this year but has been nothing special, Antonio Callaway had a drug suspension with the now-infamous dropped TD at San Francisco and Genard Avery looked to be a day three steal last season, but he hasn't been active once this season and appears to be a bad fit for the Steve Wilks defensive system.
What appeared to be a draft to remember for years to come, has changed to one filled with questions other than Nick Chubb in six games.
Those questions can be answered easily for some (Denzel Ward getting healthy), possibly for others (Baker Mayfield dealing with the " book" defenses have on him, Antonio Callaway improving on and off the field) and with more difficulty for others (Chad Thomas breaking out of the defensive line rotation and Genard Avery getting on the field at all), but they can be answered.
The answer on Austin Corbett though is clear- he was a huge bust.

2019 Hagerstown Suns-The Hitters

The 2019 Hagerstown Suns once again were a non-factor in each of the South Atlantic League's two halves, but the low A affiliate of the Washington Nationals did provide a few interesting prospects to follow as they rise through the system.
The problem is that all most of those were on the mound and very few at the plate, so this is not going to be the most upbeat post for the Nationals and Suns fan to read.
However, hang in there, because in the second part of the series when I write about the pitchers there are many more that perhaps could hold a chance at prospect status over the next few seasons.

K.J. Harrison was obtained from Milwaukee late in the 2018 season in a trade and as a college player (Oregon State) and a 3rd round pick in 2017, Harrison being assigned to low A for the second year was a surprise to many.
Harrison's sixteen games in Hagerstown showed that he was far above the level as he hit over .400 with two homers before a deserved promotion to High A Potomac.
Harrison didn't hit as well there with 11 homers to go with a .244 average.
Harrison struck out 98 times, but I did like the 51 walks.
I'd think Harrison would start at AA Harrisburg, but a return to Potomac/Fredericksburg is possible with a hoped-for fast start to move him quickly to AA.

My favorite prospect with the bat was 6'5 third baseman Drew Mendoza, who was the Nationals third-rounder this season from Florida State.
Mendoza hit .264 with four homers in 201 at-bats after skipping short-season Auburn and being assigned straight to the Suns.
Mendoza played a little at first and might wind up at first in the long term, but his average would have been higher, if not for a two-week slump in August.
Mendoza does have to work on contact as he struck out in 57 of his 201 at-bats, but I think he'll hit for power and looks the part of a possible breakout performer next season.
Mendoza is likely to start next season at High A.

Gilbert Lara was the other half of the 2018 trade to arrive from the Brewers with K.J.Harrison and like Harrison, I was surprised to see him in Hagerstown.
Lara didn't hit for average (.249) in his 81 games at Hagerstown before receiving the call to High A Potomac but did hit nine homers to show some pop and he hit four more in his 50 games or so with the P-Nats.
Lara played mostly shortstop for the Suns, but played some third as well and is now listed as a third baseman on his MILB webpage.
Lara still will be only 22 to start next season, but I have a feeling next year will be a pivotal season for him and it should start back at High A Potomac/Fredericksburg.

Nineteen-year-old catcher Israel Pineda was the highest-rated young prospect entering the season with the Suns, but he missed a chunk of time and in his 101 games, he struggled to a .217 average with over 100 strikeouts.
The good news for the Venezuelan was his seven homers, but the Nationals likely expected more after an excellent 2018 with Auburn.
I would return him to Hagerstown, considering his age, but he may go to High A by default unless the Nationals acquire a journeyman to catch there.

The final player that I found interesting was 2019 sixth-round shortstop Jackson Cluff from Brigham Young, who like Drew Mendoza, skipped Auburn to go straight to Hagerstown.
Cluff's average wasn't great at .229, but the interesting part was the power with eighteen extra-base hits with five homers and five triples.
Cluff could return to the Suns or possibly start in High A, where at 23 he's a better fit for the Nationals.

Outfielder Jacob Rhinesmith made the SAL all-star team (as did Gilbert Lara) but never received a callup to High A.
Rhinesmith's season was a tale of two halves as he hit over .300 in the first but with only one homer.
The power improved in the second as he hit nine longballs, but his average dipped to a mere .229.
Rhinesmith finished at .264 and his ten homers, 64 RBI all led the team (he was also second in steals with 18), but he'll turn 24 in May and I'm not sure if he rises above AA unless he shows more next season when he starts in High A.

That's about all as far as even moderate prospects to watch.
I'm keeping the players in the next tier to those that played more than 20 games in Hagerstown which only eliminates Gage Canning, who was promoted to Potomac after ten games.

Outfielder Justin Connell played the second-most games in Hagerstown but hit only .249 and three homers in 120 games.
Connell played the season at 20 years old, so he's not without hope to develop.

Third baseman Cole Daily hit a punchless .251 with just nine extra-base hits (all doubles) in 71 games.

Utilityman Phil Caulfield hit four homers in 35 games and might be one of those players that the Nationals can use as a fill-in player at any level of the system.
Caufield will be 25 to start next season, so he'd have to surprise in 2020 to reach prospect status.

Kyle Marinconz fits the same profile as Caulfield except he's a year younger and played over 100 games for the Suns.
Marinconz finished with an average of .247 with five homers on the year.

Omar Meregildo missed most of April and was promoted to Potomac after 29 games.
I mentioned Meregildo last season as someone to watch after a somewhat interesting 2018, but his combined numbers of .230 and eight homers have cooled my interest a bit.
Meregildo's still only 22 and I wouldn't write him off yet, but he'll have to pick up the pace next season where he could return to High A or even possibly try AA in Harrisburg if the Nationals feel racy.

Cody Wilson hit only .215 with five homers in 77 games and struck out roughly a third of the time.
Wilson did lead the team in steals, so he might have a chance to stick around as a journeyman minor leaguer.

The same could be said of Armond Upshaw, who hit the same .215 in 62 games and stole 18 bases in his second tour of Hagerstown duty.

Infielder Trey Vickers hit .204 in 83 games with three homers.

Two more young Venezuelan players struggled in small sample sizes.
Nineteen-year-old outfielder Ricardo Mendez struggled to a .194 average in 23 games without a homer.

Infielder Jose Sanchez hit a paltry .181 with only two doubles in 37 games before an injury.
Sanchez was returned to Auburn after he recovered.

Catchers Nic Perkins and Tyler Cropley in 100 combined games, didn't hit a homer between them and hit around the Mendoza Line (Perkins .209 Cropley .187).
Both will play next season at 24 and are organizational soldier types.

First baseman Jamori Blash began the season as the starter but hit only .190 with two homers in 21 games before being assigned to the team's Florida base and wasn't heard from after that.

Juan Pascal hit .181 in 23 games with all of his hits (13) singles.
Pascal can play second or third but has now had 2 short stints with the Suns, not hitting well in either.

I'll work on the pitchers later this week and there are some players that are worth keeping tabs on.