Author Topic: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B  (Read 3115 times)

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Offline Smithian

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #50: January 20, 2023, 10:17:53 AM »
Jake Alu is 25. Prospect rankings seem to go haywire weird about players who go to college, get drafted, and progress normally but not rapidly through the minors.

Who's the better prospect? Jake Alu who hit it hard in Harrisburg and in Rochester, but will be 26 by Easter? Or Brady House who hit it hard for only half a season in Low-A but is 19?

I'd say House is the better prospect, but is the berth so wide that Brady House is a Top 5 prospect in the system and Jake Alu is missing in some Top 30 rankings?

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #51: January 20, 2023, 10:34:58 AM »
we still don't know if House still exists. My contention is that he was a hologram.

Online Slateman

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #52: January 20, 2023, 02:42:45 PM »
Jake Alu is 25. Prospect rankings seem to go haywire weird about players who go to college, get drafted, and progress normally but not rapidly through the minors.

Who's the better prospect? Jake Alu who hit it hard in Harrisburg and in Rochester, but will be 26 by Easter? Or Brady House who hit it hard for only half a season in Low-A but is 19?

I'd say House is the better prospect, but is the berth so wide that Brady House is a Top 5 prospect in the system and Jake Alu is missing in some Top 30 rankings?
I think the issue is that no one believes Alu's power surge is legit. He wasnt a slugger in college. He slugged some in Hugh A, but then it dropped off in both his stints in Double A.

Then all of the sudden, he posts a .553 slugging in a 59 game sample at Triple A. Like maybe he found a weight training routine that finally kicked in, but it seems really unlikely that is sustainable.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #53: January 20, 2023, 03:13:16 PM »
I think the issue is that no one believes Alu's power surge is legit. He wasnt a slugger in college. He slugged some in Hugh A, but then it dropped off in both his stints in Double A.

Then all of the sudden, he posts a .553 slugging in a 59 game sample at Triple A. Like maybe he found a weight training routine that finally kicked in, but it seems really unlikely that is sustainable.
his iso was fine in A+ in 2021, and good in all of 2022, AA  and AAA. Could he have changed from 2019 to 2021&22? Not farfetched, but for it would require us to acknowledge our farm staff might not be incompetent. wOBA of .360+ at A+ and all of 2022

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #54: January 30, 2023, 02:58:10 PM »
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/01/30/jake-alu-nationals-minor-league/

Discusses power surge last year.  Attributes it to some deliberate decisions like laying off high pitches while in AA.  Those were never a contact problem but just ones he did not drive.  After promotion to AAA, had to readjust as pitchers were smart enough to know he was laying off high strikes.  Was able to do so. Also discusses how, during 2020, he used the long shut down to do extra work on his core and hips, so he was able to build a nice base onto which he added upper body strength without losing flexibility. Much more usable strength now, which probably also helped the power surge.

Quote
When Alu, 25, started reading his own scouting report last season, he realized his “blue area,” or his weakness, was up in the strike zone on fastballs with high spin rates. He had no trouble making contact with the pitch, but the result often was weak contact, and he couldn’t drive the ball.

“Instead of working on that pitch and trying to hit that, I just didn’t swing at it,” Alu said recently. “And then if a pitcher throws it three times in a row, tip your cap to him. That’s hard enough to do. That’s what I worked on. It’s not very complex. … It’s just putting [the reports] into use and getting your reps out and getting enough at-bats.”
...
“Things started changing because [Class AAA] pitchers started pitching to my weaknesses rather than their strengths, I noticed,” Alu said. “That was an adjustment on its own, and it kind of drove me away from my approach. It kind of took me back a few steps — I had to regress and kind of see: ‘This is what’s going on; this is what they’re doing. Stick to your approach.’ And then it started turning around again.”

It look Alu about two weeks before he started to regain his plate discipline. In just 59 games with Rochester, he had 11 homers, 45 RBI and a .329 batting average.

This offseason he worked with his trainer to maintain the build, add speed, and strengthen his right shoulder.  Has been in West Palm this month.

IDK - sounds like this kid is pretty serious about integrating data and working on weaknesses. As the article says, has a lot of guys presumed in front of him at 3rd - Candy, Vargas, Kieboom - so liekly Rochester candidate for the start of the year. Just nice to see a guy with the focus to improve and to identify what needs to be worked on.  I'm of the school of thought that  sometimes it's the guys with fewer gifted tools but with an intelligent diligent approach who make for good major leaguers.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #55: March 14, 2023, 11:33:21 AM »
https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/jake-alu-jeremy-de-la-rosa-sent-down-to-minor-league-camp

Nats want him to get time every day at 3rd, 2nd, and LF. Davey sees a call up sometime this year. The need to get time for Downs and Valera limited the time Alu could get in camp.

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“It was tough,” manager Dave Martinez said. “The reality is, I think we want to get him just to play every day.”

The Nationals’ plan is for Alu to play third base, second base and left field the remainder of camp. Martinez emphasized to him that final decisions have not been made, and the team will monitor his performance in the coming weeks in Florida. MLB Pipeline projects his big league debut as this season.

“I like him,” Martinez said. “I think this guy swings the bat well, he plays the game the right way. … Somewhere along the line this year, he’ll help us.”

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #56: March 31, 2023, 05:02:58 PM »
Starting the season on the IL

Online Natsinpwc

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #57: April 08, 2023, 05:34:14 PM »
Why is Jake Alu playing at Wilmington?

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #58: April 08, 2023, 05:58:42 PM »
Why is Jake Alu playing at Wilmington?

Injury rehab I assume. Might not want him in the cold of Rochester

Online Natsinpwc

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #59: April 08, 2023, 06:10:40 PM »
Injury rehab I assume. Might not want him in the cold of Rochester
Looks like it will be into the low 40s by the time they finish the games in Aberdeen. 1 for 2 so far.

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #60: April 13, 2023, 09:58:55 PM »
started at 3B in Rochester tonight and went 3-4

Offline Senatorswin

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #61: April 14, 2023, 03:09:16 PM »
started at 3B in Rochester tonight and went 3-4

At some point results should supersede unrealized potential.

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #62: May 17, 2023, 12:11:40 AM »
returned with a bang tonight, 3-5, 2B

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #63: May 24, 2023, 08:43:59 AM »
a triple shy of the cycle last night.

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #64: June 04, 2023, 10:44:22 PM »
Activated from the 7 day IL

Offline welch

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #65: June 05, 2023, 03:56:15 PM »
He played 2B in place of the injured Darren Baker a day or so ago. OF before that. Nats seem to be giving Carter Kieboom every chance to show something at 3B.

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #66: June 29, 2023, 01:51:19 PM »
we really need to get him up here:

June: .381   / .421 / .512, 84ABs. HR and 6SBs


Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #67: June 29, 2023, 02:13:11 PM »
we really need to get him up here:

June: .381   / .421 / .512, 84ABs. HR and 6SBs


if he keeps it up for another month, you'll see him when Jeimer is traded at the deadline. Heck, if Jeimer were traded tonight, Alu would be starting at 3rd Friday.

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #68: June 29, 2023, 10:59:10 PM »
3-4, HR tonight

Online Slateman

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #69: June 30, 2023, 07:17:55 AM »
if he keeps it up for another month, you'll see him when Jeimer is traded at the deadline. Heck, if Jeimer were traded tonight, Alu would be starting at 3rd Friday.
I dont see why we cant put him in LF tonight

Offline imref

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Jake Alu, 3B
« Reply #70: August 01, 2023, 04:40:38 PM »
Going to close this as I assume he gets the rest of the year to see if he can stick in the bigs.