This was a long time coming, but the Nationals finally promoted outfielder Yeremy Cabrera to High-A after a red hot start to the season. The outfielder was repeating Low-A to start the season, and it was clear pretty early on that he was too good for the level. Cabrera posted a crazy 1.114 OPS in 30 games this season.
Cabrera was seen by most to be the fifth piece in the MacKenzie Gore trade. He was a glove first outfielder with intriguing offensive traits. However, he has had a power explosion to start the season. After hitting 8 homers in 102 games last year, Cabrera has 7 in just 30 this season. Cabrera pummeled Low-A pitching, and got a much deserved promotion.
Now that he is in Wilmington, the real test begins for Cabrera. The thing I will be watching is his strikeout rate. He has some swing and miss in his game, even this season. Cabrera struck out nearly 25% of the time this season, but I think part of that was due to selling out for power. Last season, he only struck out 19% of the time.
Trading off some contact for impact is something that has worked for Cabrera to start the season. However, now that he is facing better pitching, Cabrera will need to keep that strikeout rate under control. Wilmington can be a tough place to hit, but guys like Devin Fitz-Gerald, Ronny Cruz and Ethan Petry are showing it is not impossible.
Yeremy Cabrera has been one of the best power/speed guys in all of minor league baseball this year. There are just over 30 players with at least 15 steals in the minors, and few of them have the type of pop that Cabrera does. When he really gets a hold of one, his swing looks a little bit like Juan Soto’s.
Obviously Cabrera is not Juan Soto. When Soto was at Cabrera’s age, he was winning World Series. I am excited to see how Cabrera fares in Wilmington. If he picks up where he left off with the Fred Nats, his prospect status could really take off. Cabrera has the speed and the glove, now he needs to show his bat is for real at a level that is more appropriate.
The Nats will actually have an interesting decision when it comes to Cabrera this offseason. Despite only being 20, Cabrera will be Rule 5 eligible this offseason. Cabrera was only signed for $10,000 dollars, so he moved slowly through the DSL and Rookie Ball. Now, he is a real prospect and it could create a dilemma for the Nats.
Cabrera is still pretty far from the big leagues, so he would be kind of like a wasted 40 man roster spot. However, it would be a big risk to not add him. Teams would love to pick up a talented player like Cabrera for free. I am not sure if they would be able to roster a guy that young and that raw for an entire season though.
If Cabrera stumbles a bit in High-A, it would probably be safe not to protect him. However, if he keeps hitting and is knocking on the door of Double-A, the Nats might have to protect him. This dilemma adds another layer of intrigue for Cabrera.
All of this context, as well as the fact Cabrera was dominating made it odd that he was not promoted. Now that promotion has finally happened. If Cabrera keeps hitting, he could start moving quite quickly. His secondary tools give him a high floor and his power potential gives him a high ceiling.
Cabrera got the promotion today, but he is not the only guy who the Nats should consider moving up. There have been a ton of prospects who are hitting the crap out of the ball right now. This gives Paul Toboni a fun problem. He has to decide which guys to promote and which to let marinate a little longer.
There was a post the other day which had promotion candidates at every level. Cabrera was their pick for Low-A, but the other three on the list are also deserving of promotions as well. Ethan Petry, Seaver King and Yohandy Morales have all been dominating at their respective levels.
I think Petry and King are pretty obvious promotion candidates. Petry is a polished SEC bat who is dominating in High-A with a .905 OPS. Given the level of competition he faced in college and his production in the minors, it feels like Petry is prepared for Double-A. This move would also open up more playing time for Cabrera, as Petry has been playing mostly in the outfield this season.
Seaver King has been one of the biggest stories on the farm right now. The former 10th overall pick had a brutal first season as a pro. However, he has bounced back in a huge way. King has a .987 OPS in 29 games this year at Harrisburg.
It is worth noting that King left the game on Friday and did not play the next two games. Hopefully that injury is not too serious, and he can start playing again soon. Assuming the injury is not serious, he is an easy promotion candidate. Triple-A Rochester has mostly been playing Trey Lipscomb at shortstop lately, so there is an easy path to playing time here. King also looks ready for the level.
I am really enjoying the fact that the Nats have so many players who deserve a promotion right now. That has not been the case in previous years. This just speaks to the improved depth across the organization. There are also lesser known guys like Jack Moroknek and TJ White who have also made strong pushes to be promoted.
While Yeremy Cabrera was the guy who got moved up the ladder today, he is just one of many players on the farm performing. There are so many exciting players in this system that is just suddenly bursting with talent. I cannot remember a time when the Nats farm system was this fun.
