No. 18 prospect homers in playoff defeat
Here’s a look at the top performances of the past week by Nationals prospects in the Minor Leagues:
Saturday, Sept. 7: Barrera homers, Senators eliminated
Tres Barrera, the Nationals’ No. 18 prospect, went 1-for-4 with a solo home run on Saturday for Double-A Harrisburg, but the Senators still fell short, losing 12-5 to Bowie, and were eliminated from the Eastern League playoffs. No. 2 prospect Luis Garcia (No. 76 in MLB) also went 1-for-4 with a single and an RBI. Harrisburg won Game 2 of the series on Thursday to even it up at one game apiece, but dropped Games 3 and 4. Harrisburg was the only remaining affiliate of the Nationals still in play this September, so their loss ends the Minor League season for Washington. Saturday's prospect stats »
Friday, Sept. 6: Garcia notches three hits
Luis Garcia stayed hot at the plate for Double-A Harrisburg on Friday, picking up three hits and driving in a run in a losing effort for the Senators in the Eastern League division series matchup against Bowie. The 19-year-old, one of the youngest players at his level, has hits and RBIs in each of the three games Harrisburg has played in the series, a continuation of his strong finish to the regular season. The Nationals’ No. 2 prospect had multiple hits in five of his final nine regular season games and hit three of his four home runs during August. Friday's prospect stats »
Thursday, Sept. 5: Garcia helps Harrisburg in win
Luis Garcia went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two walks on Thursday to help Harrisburg to a 5-4 win over Bowie in 12 innings. The win ties up their Eastern League division series at one game apiece. Garcia, the Nationals’ No. 2 prospect and the No. 76 prospect in Major League Baseball, also reached base three times in the series opener with a hit and two walks. This season with Double-A Harrisburg, the talented 19-year-old hit .257 with four home runs and a .617 OPS over 129 games, but he’s come up big for the Senators early in the playoffs. Thursday's prospect stats »
Wednesday, Sept. 4: Garcia reaches base three times
Luis Garcia went 1-for-3 with two walks and an RBI single on Wednesday for Double-A Harrisburg, who dropped Game 1 of their Eastern League Division Series to Bowie. The two sides face each other again in Bowie on Thursday before the series returns to Harrisburg for the rest of the best-of-five. Garcia, the club’s No. 2 prospect and the No. 76 overall prospect in baseball, hit .257 with a .617 OPS over 129 regular-season games this year, down from a .298 average and .742 OPS split between Class A and Class A Advanced in 2018. Wednesday's prospect stats »
Monday, Sept. 2: Lara homers in two-hit game
Gilbert Lara launched his 13th home run of the season in a 2-for-5 performance and has more than doubled his previous career high of five, set in 2018. This power bump has also seen the Nationals’ No. 25 prospect set a career high with 68 RBIs. Between Class A Hagerstown and Class A Advanced Potomac, Lara has hit .242 with a .655 OPS. Still just 21 years old, there’s still plenty of time for Lara to draw even more power from his 6-foot-4 frame as he advances through the Nationals’ system. Monday's prospect stats »
Sunday, Sept. 1: Raquet spins gem for Potomac
In his final start this season, Nick Raquet put it all together. The Nationals’ No. 29 prospect struck out a career-high 11 batters and allowed just four hits in six scoreless innings as Class A Advanced Potomac blanked Frederick, 2-0. He recorded six groundouts without issuing a walk in the stellar outing, throwing 63 of 91 pitches for strikes. Raquet, a 23-year-old left-hander, struggled early in the season but dominated down the stretch, going 6-1 with a 2.82 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 54 1/3 frames over his final 10 starts.