With the success of the big league club, we have not talked a ton about the farm system lately. Having things to be happy about at the big league level is always a good thing, but I wanted to shine a light on three prospects who absolutely crushed the ball in May. Abimelec Ortiz, Ethan Petry and Devin Fitz-Gerald all showed their impressive combination of hitting ability and power this month.
The first player I want to discuss is Ethan Petry. In previous years, I feel like we would be talking way
more about Petry. The slugger has put up massive numbers in Wilmington, which is a tough place to hit. However, he has been overshadowed by some other prospects with more well rounded skillsets.
Despite being a bat first prospect, Petry is still someone we need to pay attention to. He is hitting .310 with a .962 OPS and 9 home runs in 38 games this season. Interestingly, Petry posted nearly identical OPS numbers in April and May, with a .960 OPS in April and a .961 mark in May. However, he went about it in very different ways. In April, he relied on getting on base, while this month, he has been a true slugger. I prefer the slugger version of Petry.
In April, he only hit 3 homers, but that number doubled to 6 in May. Power will be the carrying tool for Petry, so I prefer him getting to his numbers with home runs and impact, rather than BABIP luck and walks. He has shown power to all fields, and has also been more than a power hitter, as you can see with his batting average.
The second round pick from South Carolina has split time between the outfield and first base. Most project him to be a first baseman long term, but Keith Law has mentioned that Petry has been better than expected as a defensive outfielder. Law had Petry as one of his honorable mentions for his top 50 prospect list, which shows how much his stock has risen. We knew Petry had power, but I am most impressed with how the rest of his game is rounding out.
Petry’s teammate Devin Fitz-Gerald is not known as a power hitter, but has been hitting a ton of home runs this year. Fitz-Gerald is one of those bats who is a contact hitter, who also happens to have power. His exit velocities don’t pop off the page like Petry’s, but he has a knack for pulling the ball in the air.
At 5’10 185 pounds, Fitz-Gerald does not look like a power hitter, but already has 12 homers on the season, including 9 in May. There was a stretch in the middle of the month where it felt like DFG was hitting a homer every game. From May 5th to May 16th, Fitz-Gerald hit 8 homers.
That crazy run helped him become a consensus top 100 prospect across the industry. I think Fitz-Gerald’s stock will get even higher as he gets closer to the majors. The bat is special, and it will carry him to the big leagues. He projects as a second baseman with the ability to hit for average and power.
Fitz-Gerald has been compared to Kevin McGonigle on multiple occasions, and it is hard to not see the similarities. Both are smaller guys with a natural ability to hit. McGonigle is slightly more contact oriented, while Fitz-Gerald may have more power. However, they have similar body types and approaches at the plate.
The last player to discuss here has been doing his damage recently. Abimelec Ortiz’s insane finish to the month has been a joy to watch. In May, Ortiz hit .313 with a 1.132 OPS and 9 homers. This past week, he hit 3 homers and almost hit .500 to earn himself International League player of the week honors.
In April, Ortiz showed a strong approach, and took plenty of walks. However, the big slugger only hit 1 homer. This month he has been more aggressive, and it has led to a power frenzy. From May 20th to May 27th, Ortiz hit 7 homers in 6 games. Like Petry and Fitz-Gerald, Ortiz is not just a home run or strike out player.
This season, Ortiz’s strikeout rate is below 20%. He also does a nice job pulling the ball in the air as well. That is why I think Ortiz will need less of an adaptation period to the MLB compared to his teammate Yohandy Morales, whose raw numbers are slightly better.
The Nats farm is in such a great spot, especially offensively. They have added so much offensive talent in the past 12 months. None of the guys I wrote about today were in the organization a year ago. Petry was selected in the draft, while Ortiz and Fitz-Gerald came over in the MacKenzie Gore trade.
Now, they are part of a loaded position player group. Between those three, Eli Willits, Ronny Cruz, Seaver King, Coy James and more, the Nats farm has incredible hitting depth. The Nats lineup is already elite, but they have more talent coming through the system. This Nationals offense should be electric for years to come.
