Minor League Monday

Columbus Clippers

Yurendell Eithel de Caster – The Nats Blog last saw Yurendell ripping up double A Harrisburg. A former Olympian for the Netherlands, de Caster has never been able to crack the bigs for a consistent stay despite incredible versatility (plays first, second, third and outfield) and solid production. After an initial stumble upon his promotion to Columbus, de Caster has rebounded and is again making his case for a big league promotion. Since his move to Columbus de Caster has batted .321 with 3 homers, 16 RBI’s, and 39 total bases. It’s going to be hard for the Nats to promote him because the Major League club is so crowded right now. The only chance he has to come up before the rosters expand is if Willie Harris or Mackowiak falter and Dimitri Young’s rehab slows. It would still be nice to see though, for “Yunny.”

Harrisburg Senators

Jordan Zimmerman- The Nationals top pitching prospect earned a promotion from single A Potomac after just 5 appearances where he went 3-1 with a 1.65 ERA, 31/8 K/BB ratio, a .167 average against and yes, even 1 save. Since his promotion Jordan has continued to produce but now at a higher level. In 12 innings of work Zimmerman has a 2.92 ERA with 12 K’s and only four walks. Opponents are only hitting .200 against him and he has a 1-1 record. If Jordan continues this development we may get to see him make an appearance in Nats Park by the late summer. It’s another bright future for a Zimmerman in Washington.

Potomac Nationals

Adrian Alaniz – The Nats drafted Alaniz in the eighth round last year out of the University of Texas at Austin. At 24 Alaniz is getting a little old to be in single A but is currently doing everything in his power to pitch his way out of it. In seven starts for Potomac, Alaniz has a 4-0 record with a 2.19 ERA. He has 35 K’s with only 14 walks in 37 innings. Not only has he pitched well overall, but he has shown improvement, allowing only 3 earned runs in his last 23 innings of work. He is a four year college guy, so his age is forgivable if he shows quick improvement and maturity, which Alaniz has, expect him to get a promotion real soon.