Post article today about Henry:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/11/08/cole-henry-nationals-prospect/An excerpt:
Whatever the case, the 22-year-old has thrived so far for Surprise, ranking second in the Fall League with 23 strikeouts through Sunday. Elbow soreness limited him to 43 innings with the high-Class A Wilmington Blue Rocks in 2021. In them, though, he posted a 1.88 ERA, struck out 63 batters and walked 11. The Nationals sent Henry to Fall League because they wanted to see him pitch more, plain and simple. And all he’s done is improve his spot in the organization’s plans.
“The hitters here, man, these are really good lineups,” Henry said. “There are no easy outs, really. But what’s working for me is just both fastballs, four-seam and two-seam, two-seams in and four-seams up or away. Beyond that, mixing in my change-up and curveball. Just keeping it simple and throwing strikes.”
Baseball America recently ranked Henry, a second-round pick in 2020, as the Nationals’ sixth-best prospect. Other arms in the mix are Cade Cavalli (ranked second), Andry Lara (fifth), Joan Adon (seventh), Gerardo Carrillo (eighth) and Jackson Rutledge (ninth). Then there’s Josiah Gray, 23, who arrived in the Max Scherzer-Trea Turner trade and pitched for Washington in August and September.
Two National League scouts at Fall League said Henry is only behind Cavalli in “pure stuff” among the Nationals’ young pitchers. The scouts talked under the condition of anonymity because their employers do not allow them to speak publicly about other team’s players. Rutledge, who is on Surprise’s staff with Henry, is in that discussion, too, but coming off an injury-filled year. Henry’s stock is rising fastest.
His four-seam fastball typically sits in the mid-90s. Mark Scialabba, the Nationals’ assistant general manager in charge of player development, called Henry’s change-up his “most consistent off-speed pitch.” On Friday, Scialabba predicted that Henry’s change-up could be a swing-and-miss weapon against righties and lefties down the line. Drew Millas, a minor league catcher for the Nationals, has also been impressed.
“Cole’s fastball command is always going to be there, and that’s huge,” Millas said. “That may fluctuate with the two-seamer at times, just because it has so much run to it. But he’s a really dynamic pitcher.”
“With two fastballs, he can consistently change eye levels,” Scialabba explained. “He controls both pitches and can mirror well with his change-up, keeping hitters guessing. It allows him to throw to all quadrants of the zone.”
