Author Topic: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B  (Read 3119 times)

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Online JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #25: September 04, 2022, 04:11:23 PM »
Several
kieboom, maybe, antuna, I doubt it.  I guess both could be hid as utility guys, so maybe, but Antuna played himself out of the infield.  I don't see a team rostering him as an outfielder.

Online Slateman

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #26: September 04, 2022, 05:15:52 PM »
kieboom, maybe, antuna, I doubt it.  I guess both could be hid as utility guys, so maybe, but Antuna played himself out of the infield.  I don't see a team rostering him as an outfielder.
Plenty of bad teams will keep him on the 40 man.

Not sure why we're talking about this. No reason to not keep him.

Online JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #27: September 04, 2022, 06:18:06 PM »
Plenty of bad teams will keep him on the 40 man.

Not sure why we're talking about this. No reason to not keep him.
Alu or Antuna?  I mean, it's an Alu thread.  We got on this side track because we were talking about why call up Barrera instead of adding Alu to the 40 man and calling him up now.

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #28: September 04, 2022, 06:40:09 PM »
Alu or Antuna?  I mean, it's an Alu thread.  We got on this side track because we were talking about why call up Barrera instead of adding Alu to the 40 man and calling him up now.
Antuna. Alu is 25 and slugging .399 in Triple A. Why would he get called up? Nats already have Vargas

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #29: September 07, 2022, 10:51:05 PM »
3-5, 2HR tonight. .272 BA, .770 OPS on the season

Offline Smithian

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #30: September 12, 2022, 09:45:41 AM »
This kid is red hot. 2-4 with a homer last night, bringing his September line to .361/.400/.778. Overall line in Rochester is .285/.342/.491.

I was thinking we really needed to acquire a stopgap this offseason for 3B. His and Vargas's play has dissuaded me of that opinion. I'm fine going into spring training giving Carter Kieboom another chance with Vargas first on deck and Jake Alu in Rochester ready to go.

Offline welch

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #31: September 12, 2022, 05:28:46 PM »
Kieboom either shows something right off the bat, or gets stashed in Rochester until...

So far, Vargas has shown he can field. Kieboom has never shown that. Not at SS in 2019 and not at 3B ever since. My hunch is that Vargas and Alu will battle for 3B, but that's just a hunch.

Offline Section214

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #32: September 14, 2022, 08:56:26 AM »
Another HR last night. .284/.340/.503 with 9 HR and 10 2B in 47 G at AAA. At this point, it's silly he is not up in the bigs getting a shot. He will certainly be in the mix next spring with Kieboom with Vargas as security.

Offline Smithian

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #33: September 14, 2022, 11:23:44 AM »
Another HR last night. .284/.340/.503 with 9 HR and 10 2B in 47 G at AAA. At this point, it's silly he is not up in the bigs getting a shot. He will certainly be in the mix next spring with Kieboom with Vargas as security.
This is one of the few cases where I'm fine with them slowing a guy down. Let's see how AAA pitchers adjust in the short time left this season. Then bring him as an invitee to Spring Training.

I'm fine with an infield of Voit/Meneses, Garcia, Abrams, and Vargas. Since they need to see how real Vargas is, there aren't any wasted ABs in that group.

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #34: September 14, 2022, 11:32:35 AM »
It will be interesting to see what they do with Vargas, and he ends up blocking Alu or Kieboom. He's certainly earned consideration for next year, though i'd imagine primarily as the bench IF with Kieboom and Alu getting first look at 3B.

Offline Smithian

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #35: September 14, 2022, 11:53:38 AM »
It will be interesting to see what they do with Vargas, and he ends up blocking Alu or Kieboom. He's certainly earned consideration for next year, though i'd imagine primarily as the bench IF with Kieboom and Alu getting first look at 3B.
I think Vargas is eventually going to be who we thought he is: a glove first utility player.

If he proves us wrong and through 20 games next season has a solid slash line to go along with the glove, I don't think Alu is the type of prospect you're worried about "blocking." He plays multiple positions. Just call him up and let him find his spots.

Offline welch

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #36: September 14, 2022, 11:57:49 AM »
More likely to "block" Kieboom, who has never shown that he can hit or field in the majors.

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #37: September 14, 2022, 12:39:55 PM »
It will be interesting to see what they do with Vargas, and he ends up blocking Alu or Kieboom. He's certainly earned consideration for next year, though i'd imagine primarily as the bench IF with Kieboom and Alu getting first look at 3B.
Vargas is arb eligible, FWIW.  I am assuming they bring him back in sort of the Cesar Hernandez kind of role where he's could be a utility guy but is capable of starting if a rookie can't win the job from him.  I'm guessing they go into the spring with the expectation that Kieboom starts and Alu is in AAA, but would be flexible enough to let Vargas start for a couple weeks then call up Alu if Kieboom is still hurt or bombs in the spring.

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #38: September 19, 2022, 11:28:54 AM »
4-6, HR (#10), 3B, two singles yesterday.

Offline welch

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #39: September 19, 2022, 12:01:32 PM »
Kieboom has never shown that he can play 3B or hit major league pitching. Vargas should own the job, with Alu in Rochester and Kieboom getting a chance in Spring Training. It looks like the Nats have given Kieboom so many chances because he was a 1st rounder. Otherwise, he would be in Rochester and would be one of the next to be DFA'd.

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #40: September 21, 2022, 01:30:24 AM »
2-4 with a double tonight. So far in September: .388 / .408 / .761, 6HR, 2BB, 12Ks, 1SB in 67ABs

Looking like quite a find for a 24th round draft pick.

Offline welch

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #41: September 21, 2022, 09:53:27 AM »
Alu hits and he fields. Kieboom cannot do either. Alu should be first up if Vargas slips next season.

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #42: September 21, 2022, 10:09:34 AM »
Alu hits and he fields. Kieboom cannot do either. Alu should be first up if Vargas slips next season.

Alu should get a shot in ST

Offline Elvir Ovcina

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #43: September 21, 2022, 03:25:38 PM »
Kieboom has never shown that he can play 3B or hit major league pitching. Vargas should own the job, with Alu in Rochester and Kieboom getting a chance in Spring Training. It looks like the Nats have given Kieboom so many chances because he was a 1st rounder. Otherwise, he would be in Rochester and would be one of the next to be DFA'd.

To be fair, Kieboom gets more shots in part because he was so young when he came up.  Despite having been around a while and flopping, he's still younger than Alu. 

That said, it's time to give Alu a shot on an equal basis with Kieboom.  I wouldn't expect too much from either of them, but Alu has at least earned a shot.

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #47: November 15, 2022, 05:40:37 PM »
added to the 40-man


Online JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #49: January 20, 2023, 08:27:02 AM »
IS he really not among our top 30 prospects?  I don't see him on the index.

At any rate, in going through Dave Syzmb.... ZiPS projections and write up for the team on the source that Elvir hates, there's an awful lot of love for him (https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2023-zips-projections-washington-nationals/):

Quote
ZiPS still sees CJ Abrams as risky and is just about out of hope for Carter Kieboom. There’s a bright spot in the form of Jake Alu, who destroyed pitchers in the high minors, even when you take the 2022 helium out of those numbers in the form of a translation. ZiPS doesn’t see him being a near-star offensive player, but the probabilistic measure I use had him as one of the best defensive minor league players; he’s listed as +5 runs at third base, and if ZiPS had been as confident about the translated defense estimate as it is about MLB defensive measures, the projection would actually be +12. Meneses gets a better projection than similar veteran surprise Frank Schwindel got after 2021, and ZiPS sees Alex Call as a legitimate stopgap corner outfielder of the Anthony Santander variety. Abrams, along with Keibert Ruiz and Luis García, has significant upside, and it wouldn’t take much to see any of these projections blow up in a positive way with some real steps forwards from these youngsters.

If anyone has a BP projection, I'd be curious what they say.  Alu seems to be a guy scouts may like less than more number focused analytics would.  I haven't seen that sort of split since the late 00's. FG had him #16 before the draft and the Soto trade, so figure they'll have him not much worse than #20-23 at least after Green, Bennett, Hassell, Wood, and Susana less any graduations.