Kieboom vs Noll

[NatsWright]

Why is Jake Noll never called up?  He's hitting .325, 9 hr and 41 rbi's in AAA.  Much better than Kieboom. Seems like he's worth a shot at least, I don't get it.

[varoadking]

He's not on the 40 man roster, is he?

[imref]

Why is Jake Noll never called up?  He's hitting .325, 9 hr and 41 rbi's in AAA.  Much better than Kieboom. Seems like he's worth a shot at least, I don't get it.

Not on the 40-man and a mediocre fielder. He probably takes Harrison's spot if Harrison is traded.

[Smithian]

I think Jake Noll's ceiling is decent backup. But I do think he should be up here as a backup, not Jordy Mercer.

Kieboom still conceivably has some potential. He should be playing everyday, wherever that is.

[UMDNats]

if you watched noll when he made the opening day roster last year or whenever it was you know why he was DFA'd and has never been called back up

[imref]

I think Jake Noll's ceiling is decent backup. But I do think he should be up here as a backup, not Jordy Mercer.

Kieboom still conceivably has some potential. He should be playing everyday, wherever that is.

Mercer is a better fielder (I think, haven't checked stats) and hit pretty well off the bench this year.

[Slateman]

He's not on the 40 man roster, is he?

I just assume its this. After the deadline, they can call him up and hopefully send Kieboom down.

[welch]

Nats probably should have put Noll on the 40-man before this. I don't remember his fielding, and I don't remember if he has the arm for 3B.

Maybe Kieboom has some magic that causes him to hit, after all this failure, but not likely.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

TBH, I think Kieboom gets a 2 month trial starting as soon as Harrison is traded.  If Garcia didn't need reps at SS, I'd like to see both Kieboom and Garcia at 2d and 3d the rest of the way.  We have to figure out what we have.  That probably blocks Noll, especially with RZ on the roster.  Bell and Harrison get traded, then there's room for Noll.

[Section214]

I get why Mercer was on the roster when we were "contending", but just DFA him now please. Kieboom and Noll should be getting regular ABs while we try to figure out if either guy can be part of the future. I still believe in Kieboom and want to see him in a large sample size.

[Smithian]

I get why Mercer was on the roster when we were "contending", but just DFA him now please. Kieboom and Noll should be getting regular ABs while we try to figure out if either guy can be part of the future. I still believe in Kieboom and want to see him in a large sample size.

I agree with this.

Give Kieboom regular at bats or keep him in AAA. We know Noll is at best a backup, but I'd rather watch a 27 year old off the bench than a 34 year old.

[welch]

Maybe there's hope for Kieboom

As he rounded the bases late Monday night, Nationals third baseman Carter Kieboom hardly telegraphed his emotions.

He had homered in a major-league game for the first time since his first call-up in April 2019 and for just the third time in 196 plate appearances spread across the last three seasons. His two-run, 423-foot shot landed halfway up the seating area in left-field at Nationals Park. But exuberance might not have been well-received with his team still trailing by one run in the ninth inning of an eventual loss to the Phillies. So he kept his expression blank as he trotted home, his celebratory acts limited to a simple toss of the bat and a handshake with interim third base coach Henry Blanco.

Still, the significance of the moment didn’t escape Kieboom. Before he added another hit and walk to his season ledger in his team’s 5-4 loss to the Phillies on Tuesday night, Kieboom referred to the home run as “the best swing I’ve taken in a very long time.”

Accessing some of the power that had made him a highly regarded prospect as he entered his 20s, but which had not shown up in the major leagues, had something to do with his assessment. But Kieboom took more satisfaction in the work he did leading up to that at-bat against new Phillies closer Ian Kennedy.

In the early innings on Monday, Kieboom noticed the Phillies pitched him like everyone else, going heavy with fastballs on the inner third of the plate. He tried to circumvent their approach by starting his swing a tick earlier. Then he shortened his swing. The approach worked in his favor. He ambushed José Alvarado’s first-pitch 100 mph sinker and hit a broken-bat single up the middle in the seventh inning. Kennedy didn’t start Kieboom with a heater inside his next time up. The veteran pitcher opened the at-bat with a fastball well off the outside edge of the plate. He dotted the next on the outside corner of the zone. Then he threw the inside fastball that Kieboom squared up for a home run.

“Alvarado came in and I knew they were going to throw another heater in,” Kieboom said. “I told myself, ‘Whatever you do, you’re not going to be late.’ I choked up and I broke my bat. But I was early on it. And I was like, ‘Wow, that was really good.’ And I took the same approach for the next guy. Kennedy came in and it loosened up a little bit, and it was perfect. They went away a couple of times. I know it’s a matter of time before they come back inside again. That’s just what they do. And I was ready for it.”

These are the type of adjustments Kieboom will need to continue to make as he auditions, yet again, for another shot at an Opening Day job. It’s too early in his current stint to know if he is poised to break out during the final months of the season. But he has shown some progress with seven hits in his last 19 at-bats.

“He’s got a little bit more confidence,” manager Dave Martinez said. “He’s attacking the baseball. This is what we saw of him coming up in the minor leagues and a few spring trainings ago. He’s being a lot more aggressive in the strike zone, which is nice. And he’s hitting the ball to all fields.”

[Slateman]

Kieboom and Garcia simply need to play every day until the end of the season. Nats need to know what they have and the players need to know what they need to work on.

[Natsinpwc]

Kieboom and Garcia simply need to play every day until the end of the season. Nats need to know what they have and the players need to know what they need to work on.

^ This. 

[Monarch]

^ This.

^This. This.

[Smithian]

Maybe there's hope for Kieboom

Garcia and Kieboom should be playing every day. Garcia is really struggling at the plate but, like Kieboom, the potential is there.

Noll can play the four corner positions and 2B. He should be given a cup of coffee right now to see if he can fill a role as a utility player off the bench. Players develop, and he is currently smashing in AAA. If he doesn't get called up before end of season, then I am going to wonder if there is a reason an average fan would not know about. This is a lost season. See if his adjustments can pay off in the majors.