Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

All eyes turn to hurlers Sykora, Susana in Nats camp

March 11, 2025

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Last year in Spring Training, Nationals manager Dave Martinez named the section of young hitting prospects in big league camp led by James Wood and Dylan Crews "Hope Row." While Robert Hassell III and Brady House are still prospects, Wood has graduated and Crews will

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Last year in Spring Training, Nationals manager Dave Martinez named the section of young hitting prospects in big league camp led by James Wood and Dylan Crews "Hope Row." While Robert Hassell III and Brady House are still prospects, Wood has graduated and Crews will come off prospect lists in the early stages of the 2025 season, so it might be time for the Nationals to hold a naming contest for the next wave of baby Nats.

Only this time, it might be arms.

Once Crews does graduate, the top two prospects on the Nationals' Top 30 will not just be pitchers. They'll be two huge (6-foot-6 huge) right-handers who hit triple digits with their fastballs in Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana. The duo finished second and third in the Minors among those with at least 80 innings pitched in K/9 rate. Sykora, the Nats' third-round pick in 2023 who got $2.6 million to sign, finished second among all those pitchers' xFIP as well in his first full season of A ball. Susana, acquired from the Padres in the 2022 Juan Soto blockbuster, topped 100 innings for the first time and got sharper as his year went on. The organization clearly has something cooking on the pitching development side of the ledger right now.

"The big thing is in between starts, the preparation, their bullpen days after their start, focusing on what went right, what went wrong, kind of a tuneup for that next start," Nationals farm director Eddie Longosz said.

Sykora's preparation is already reaching legendary status as he's long been fastidious about journaling and learning about his craft. The Nats' player development staff is trying to make sure all of the organization's arms are on the same level, even if each hurler does things a little differently.

"It's teaching them the same type of purpose," Longosz said. "That was the big thing with Susana especially, those in-between starts looking at counts where he threw pitches or when he got behind, what was his strategy going into that. And the pitching coaches did a really excellent job harnessing that on those off days. It's all about preparation for all these guys."

That also includes relative newcomer Alex Clemmey, now No. 6 on the club's Top 30. The Nationals got the left-hander from the Guardians in the Lane Thomas deal at last year's Trade Deadline, and like the other two, he misses a ton of bats. There's lots of room for improvement in terms of his ability to throw strikes, getting ahead early and not running deep counts, but there were some early signs of encouragement at the start of his first Spring Training with his new club.

He certainly fit right in immediately when he got to Single-A Fredericksburg. As another high school arm from the 2023 Draft, he and Sykora fell in sync with each other almost immediately.

"A lot of them know each other from the high school circuits and growing up and doing all the travel ball," Longosz said. "But the second Clemmey got in there, they were like two peas in a pod, inseparable. I think they feed off each other. They can rag and tease each other, but they are also learning from each other. That's huge, them being the same age, coming up together, going through everything together."

📩 SUBSCRIBE TO THE BASEBALL TRAVELER NEWSLETTER

Camp standout: Brad Lord

Not everyone in this next wave of pitching -- "Hurler Hall?" -- was an early-round pick or a big trade acquisition. Lord joined the Nationals in 2022 as a senior taken in the 18th round of the Draft. He likely didn't set off any prospect alarms with his first full season across two levels of A-ball in 2023 other than his ability to fill up the strike zone.

Then came his breakout in 2024, splitting nearly all of the season between the top two levels of the Minors, making 25 starts and amassing nearly 130 very effective innings. Now he's the No. 23 prospect in the system and has been making a good impression in big league camp, allowing just one earned run (two total) in 7 1/3 relief innings. It's a small sample in shorter stints, but his velocity has taken a nice step forward, from averaging around 92-93 mph in 2024 to sitting 95-96 in Grapefruit League action.

"He's a strike machine, gets ahead with a four-seamer and two-seamer," Longosz said. "The secondaries are good but he just fools with the fastball. He can sink it, he can run it. He was a great starter last year. He came out of nowhere."

Breakout candidate: Yoel Tejeda

Speaking of late-round college arms who could join that crop of pitching moving up -- "Velocity Rising?" -- keep an eye on Tejeda, their pick in Round 14 of last year's Draft, who got a bit over slot ($225,000) as a Draft-eligible sophomore out of Florida State. He actually started at rival Florida as a freshman, then moved to the Seminoles for the 2024 season, and he didn't pitch frequently, or well, at either. But he's 6-foot-8 with some big stuff, an arm without a ton of mileage or reps (42 1/3 IP in college total). Perhaps he's a bit of a lottery ticket, but the Nationals like the numbers they've drawn.

"He's a big guy with a tough angle," Longosz said. "There's velocity, deception and movement. It's an ugly at-bat, a tough look for a hitter. We're curious how he progresses.

"We want him to start; the stuff is too good to not try it out first. You want to give him the best chance to start before changing it. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work."

Something to prove: Armando Cruz

When the 2020-21 international signing period finally opened in January 2021, the Nationals went all in to sign Cruz for $3.9 million, which at the time was tied for the largest bonus given on the international market by the organization. Outside of some signs of life offensively when he made his U.S. debut in 2022, he's yet to gain any traction with the bat. He spent parts of three seasons with Single-A Fredericksburg and brings a career .572 OPS into the 2025 season.

It should be noted that he will be just 21 for all of the upcoming season and he has a relatively high floor because he can really defend up the middle, so it's not like this is some kind of make or break year for the infielder. This spring there have been a few glimmers of hope.

"He looks stronger," said Longosz, who thought Cruz will likely begin the year with High-A Wilmington, where he finished the 2024 season, while playing both shortstop and second. "I think he's really locked in on his swing and controlling the zone, not chasing, working on the heart of the zone. I think this is a year it will click."

Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLBPipeline.com. Follow him on Facebook and @JonathanMayo, and listen to him on the weekly MLB Pipeline Podcast.

Rainiers Name Rylee Pay Team Broadcaster

January 29, 2025

TACOMA, WA – The Tacoma Rainiers announced today that Rylee Pay will be the new radio broadcaster for the team. Prior to getting hired by Tacoma, Pay was formerly the Play-by-Play Broadcaster and Media Relations Assistant for the Portland Sea Dogs, Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. She also

Tacoma Adds Six Games to 2025 Home Schedule

January 17, 2025

TACOMA, WA – Today, Major League Baseball announced that the Tacoma Rainiers will add six home games to their original 2025 schedule. Tacoma and Sacramento were originally scheduled to play a six-game series from June 10-15 on the road at Sutter Health Park. That series has since been changed from

John Russell Returns to Manage Tacoma in 2025

January 13, 2025

TACOMA, WA – Today, the Seattle Mariners announced Tacoma’s 2025 coaching staff, with all four major coaches returning. For the third consecutive season, John Russell will return to manage the Tacoma Rainiers in 2025. The 64-year-old has led Tacoma to a 159-141 record the past two seasons, including a first-place

Tacoma Rainiers Broadcaster Announces Retirement

November 20, 2024

TACOMA, WA – Long-time radio broadcaster for the Tacoma Rainiers, Mike Curto, has announced he is retiring at the end of the 2024 calendar year. Curto was the voice of the Rainiers for 26 years (25 seasons) after being hired in 1999 and was a minor league broadcaster for 31

Michael Huie Named Triple-A Groundskeeper of the Year

November 12, 2024

TACOMA, WA – Today, Minor League Baseball named Tacoma Rainiers’ Director of Field Operations Michael Huie the Pacific Coast League and Triple-A Groundskeeper of the Year for the 2024 season. Huie was given the award over nine other PCL teams and 29 other Triple-A teams, bringing home the award for

Jason Vosler Named PCL All-Star

October 2, 2024

TACOMA, WA – Today, Minor League Baseball announced Triple-A Awards and All-Star teams, with Jason Vosler being named a Pacific Coast League All-Star. He was the lone member of the Tacoma Rainiers to be named a PCL All-Star. Vosler fell short in his bid for PCL Most Valuable Player, as

Tacoma Wins Season Finale

September 22, 2024

TACOMA, WA – The Tacoma Rainiers (82-68) came back with three runs in the eighth inning to beat the Round Rock Express (71-77) by a score of 6-4 in their final game of the season, Sunday at Cheney Stadium. Tacoma got in front in the first with an RBI single

September 22 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers vs. Round Rock Express

September 22, 2024

TACOMA RAINIERS (81-68) vs. ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (71-76) Sunday, September 22 • 1:35 PM • Cheney Stadium • Tacoma, WA LHP Rob Kaminsky (1-0, 8.14) vs. RHP Adrian Sampson (8-10, 5.71)

Rainiers Set PCL Record in Shutout Win

September 22, 2024

TACOMA, WA – The Tacoma Rainiers (81-68) stole their 282nd base of the season, setting a new PCL record for most stolen bases in a single season in their 8-0 victory over the Round Rock Express (71-76), Saturday at Cheney Stadium. Samad Taylor scored in the first on a wild

September 21 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers vs. Round Rock Express

September 21, 2024

TACOMA RAINIERS (80-68) vs. ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (71-75) Saturday, September 21 • 6:05 PM • Cheney Stadium • Tacoma, WA RHP Casey Lawrence (10-11, 6.13) vs. LHP Avery Weems (0-1, 11.57)

Express Win in Extras

September 21, 2024

TACOMA, WA – The Tacoma Rainiers (80-68) lost by a score of 4-3 in extras to the Round Rock Express (71-75), Friday at Cheney Stadium. Round Rock opened the scoring in the second inning on a two-out double from Kellen Strahm, taking a 1-0 lead. They extended their lead to

September 20 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers vs. Round Rock Express

September 20, 2024

TACOMA RAINIERS (80-67) vs. ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (70-75) Friday, September 20 • 7:05 PM • Cheney Stadium • Tacoma, WA RHP Blas Castano (5-4, 5.24) vs. LHP Jacob Latz (0-0, 2.45)

Rainiers Earn 80th Win

September 20, 2024

TACOMA, WA – The Tacoma Rainiers (80-67) won their 80th game of the season, beating the Round Rock Express (70-75) by a score of 11-4, Thursday at Cheney Stadium. Jason Vosler gave Tacoma a 2-0 lead in the first inning with his 29th home run of the year. The Rainiers

September 19 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers vs. Round Rock Express

September 19, 2024

TACOMA RAINIERS (79-67) vs. ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (70-74) Thursday, September 19 • 7:05 PM • Cheney Stadium • Tacoma, WA RHP Michael Mariot (9-7, 5.94) vs. RHP Peter Solomon (6-4, 6.27)

Express Even Series

September 19, 2024

TACOMA, WA – The Tacoma Rainiers (79-67) were eliminated from playoff contention, losing to the Round Rock Express (70-74) by a score of 14-5, Wednesday at Cheney Stadium. Round Rock jumped in front with a three-run home run from Trevor Hauver and an RBI single from Jax Biggers, taking a

September 18 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers vs. Round Rock Express

September 18, 2024

TACOMA RAINIERS (79-66) vs. ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (69-74) Wednesday, September 18 • 6:05 PM • Cheney Stadium • Tacoma, WA RHP Nick Payero (0-0, 1.80) vs. RHP Ryan Garcia (2-3, 3.08)

Rainiers Walk Off Express in Opener

September 18, 2024

TACOMA, WA – The Tacoma Rainiers (79-66) won a back-and-forth game against the Round Rock Express (69-74) by a score of 14-12 in extras, Tuesday at Cheney Stadium. Tacoma took an early 2-0 lead in the first on singles from Jason Vosler and Jake Slaughter, but Round Rock immediately answered

September 17 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers vs. Round Rock Express

September 17, 2024

TACOMA RAINIERS (78-66) vs. ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (69-73) Tuesday, September 17 • 6:05 PM • Cheney Stadium • Tacoma, WA LHP Rob Kaminsky (1-0, 6.98) vs. RHP Adrian Sampson (8-10, 5.57)

Rainiers Lose Final Road Game of Season

September 15, 2024

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – The Tacoma Rainiers (78-66) lost the series finale to the Oklahoma City Baseball Club (75-69) by a score of 6-4, Sunday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Jason Vosler got Tacoma on the board in the first inning, using an RBI single to make it 1-0. They doubled

September 15 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers @ Oklahoma City Baseball Club

September 15, 2024

TACOMA RAINIERS (78-65) @ OKLAHOMA CITY BASEBALL CLUB (74-69) Sunday, September 15 • 12:05 PM PT • Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark • Oklahoma City, OK RHP Casey Lawrence (10-10, 6.08) vs. RHP Tony Gonsolin (0-0, 0.00)

Oklahoma City Takes Series Lead

September 14, 2024

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – The Tacoma Rainiers (78-65) lost by a score of 9-3 to the Oklahoma City Baseball Club (74-69), Saturday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Oklahoma City jumped in front with a solo home run from Dalton Rushing in the first inning, but Tacoma answered in the second on

September 14 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers @ Oklahoma City Baseball Club

September 14, 2024

TACOMA RAINIERS (78-64) @ OKLAHOMA CITY BASEBALL CLUB (73-69) Saturday, September 14 • 4:05 PM PT • Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark • Oklahoma City, OK RHP Blas Castano (5-3, 4.68) vs. RHP Carlos Duran (0-0, -.--)

Rainiers Even Series with Comeback

September 14, 2024

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – The Tacoma Rainiers (78-64) evened the series, beating the Oklahoma City Baseball Club (73-69) by a score of 10-5, Friday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Ryan Ward opened the scoring in the first inning with a three-run home run, his 30th of the season. Kobe Kato drew

September 13 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers @ Oklahoma City Baseball Club

September 13, 2024

TACOMA RAINIERS (77-64) @ OKLAHOMA CITY BASEBALL CLUB (73-68) Friday, September 13 • 5:05 PM PT • Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark • Oklahoma City, OK RHP Michael Mariot (8-7, 5.89) vs. RHP Tanner Dodson (3-3, 3.36)

Late Comeback Gives Rainiers Win

September 13, 2024

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – The Tacoma Rainiers (77-64) scored seven late runs to beat the Oklahoma City Baseball Club (73-68) by a score of 8-3, Thursday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Tyler Locklear started the scoring in the third inning with an RBI single to give Tacoma a 1-0 lead. It