Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats’ prospect Alex Clemmey on time and development…

As Washington Nationals’ Common Supervisor and President of Baseball Ops Mike Rizzo defined it after he traded a year-plus of crew management of Lane Thomas to the Guardians for 3 prospects on the commerce deadline this previous summer time, the deal got here throughout his desk and he determined to make the commerce with Cleveland after they provided the proper of return for Thomas.

“I feel that on this explicit state of affairs we acquired a participant that we thought we acquired market worth in return, and that was the explanation we pulled the set off,” Rizzo defined.

“When you may headline it with the upside 19-year-old [Alex] Clemme, and [23-year-old José] Tena, and [19-year-old Rafael] Ramirez, [Jr.], I feel that was — the excess worth of these guys and the affect that they may have, and the upside that all of them have, I believed was a very good return for a extremely good participant in Lane Thomas.”

Rizzo broke down the package deal from the Guardians.

“You get a left-handed pitcher with the upside and the pedigree of Clemme,” Rizzo continued, “and we thought Tena was a very good pickup for us, and Ramirez, Jr. is a man that we’re going to have an interest seeing him develop, so we thought that we acquired essentially the most impactful prospects again that we might.”

Clemme, the “headliner” of the return in Rizzo’s thoughts, is a 2023 2nd Spherical decide by the Guardians out of Bishop Hendricken Excessive College in Warwick, Rhode Island, who moved from Class-A Lynchburg, VA in Cleveland’s system to the Class-A affiliate in Fredericksburg, VA when he joined Washington’s group (whereas the golf equipment had been taking part in one another). He went on to win the Carolina League Championship together with his new membership, posting a mixed 4.58 ERA with 63 walks and 123 Ks in 25 begins and 92 1⁄3 innings pitched within the common season earlier than making two begins within the postseason.

The run he and his membership went on within the Nationals’ system was an important alternative for him to check himself and carry out in an environment he hadn’t skilled earlier than.

“It was an important run. We had an important end to the yr,” Clemmey instructed MLB Community Radio’s Grant Paulsen on his Minors and Majors present this previous weekend.

“Performed in some actually high-leverage video games and had been in a position to come out with the win.

“Pitching in a playoff ambiance, first yr being in professional ball, was actually cool. I by no means actually had that have popping out of a highschool as an alternative of going to school, you recognize, in order that was undoubtedly fascinating. It was enjoyable to compete in entrance of followers which can be loyal to their crew.”

It was an important alternative to discover ways to pitch in that sort of atmosphere.

“These high-leverage conditions [are] the place you study essentially the most, you recognize?” he stated.

“It’s the place you develop and mature as a baseball participant and as an individual. It’s a puzzle, proper? And also you’ve acquired to place all these items collectively to go on the market and achieve success in these conditions.”

Of the largest developments in his sport in his first year-plus as a professional, which embody improved command, and a change from a “slurvy curve to a tough curve-slider,” or as he defined additional, a “curve/slurve to a real, true slider,” Clemme stated he’s gained a whole lot of confidence since he was drafted, and realized he does have swing and miss stuff that performs.

“I feel the arrogance sort of comes from inside, proper?” he requested rhetorically.

“It’s all of the arduous work you place in when nobody is watching off the sphere.

“On a regular basis you research your self, research video, research all these various things to essentially sort of put issues into perspective.”

“I actually simply became a pitcher.”

Getting the walks down and enhancing his command total had been large steps in his improvement as nicely.

“If you happen to look from yr to yr and the event that I’ve had, with clearly the management and all the things like that, it’s dramatically modified each single yr, proper?” Clemme instructed Paulsen. “I feel to begin with it comes with time and improvement and actually getting used to my physique that I’m in the end placing myself in. I used to be 17-18 on the time [when drafted]. I’m nonetheless going by means of phases, proper? I’m nonetheless studying to make use of my physique, what place my physique most closely fits in down the slope and on the mound…”

“It’s fairly loopy to see the place I’ve include command and that facet. There have been some video games the place I used to be actually, actually honed in and sort of placing the ball mainly wherever I wished. Earlier within the yr a few of these video games had been arduous to seek out, however I feel it simply comes with time and improvement.”

MLB.com’s Pipeline scouts, who’ve the lefty ranked sixth total within the Nationals’ system, as the highest left-handed prospect in his new group, wrote of their scouting report on the 6’6” southpaw that Clemme is, “… going to wish time to refine his repertoire and improve his management and command, however his upside as a possible frontline starter might make it definitely worth the wait.”

Time and improvement as Clemme stated.

How would he describe himself as a pitcher proper now and break down his personal repertoire, Clemme stated he was a, “basic, tall, prolonged lefty.”

“Fastball within the mid-to-upper 90s, 95-97, get it as much as 98-99 typically. Wipeout slider. Actually good changeup. Slider was the sort of the go-to this yr when among the fastball command and among the motion profiles and shapes had been slightly inconsistent, so undoubtedly used the slider quite a bit behind within the rely. That was sort of the go-to 2-0, 3-0, 3-1, 3-2. Clearly with two strikes I preferred to make use of the heater quite a bit when it was having a good condition and having that good vertical motion up within the zone late, so yeah, I feel undoubtedly behind within the rely utilizing the slider quite a bit, forward within the rely with the fastball.

“The changeup is a extremely good pitch to begin to righties clearly earlier within the rely, and you recognize, taking part in a slider, back-footer.”

“4-seam fastball, in direction of the tip of the yr sort of combined in a two-seam slightly bit as soon as I acquired to the Nationals and noticed some inconsistent shapes with the four-seam.”

With just some months within the Nationals’ participant improvement system, Clemme stated he didn’t have sufficient time together with his new membership to check and distinction their completely different approaches to improvement, however he didn’t say he was excited to get going with the Nats’ employees subsequent spring.

“From what I’ve seen, the Nationals are doing an important job with improvement. I do know they’re on the uprise with all the brand new analytical and expertise and issues like that, so I’m super-excited to get to work with them and for this offseason and Spring Coaching going into the yr.”

“From what it appears, from my perspective clearly sort of being from the surface wanting in, just lately … clearly getting traded there, it looks as if they’re on an enormous rise and the come-up with the analytical, and all that completely different expertise.

“It looks as if they’ve acquired a whole lot of nice pitching minds and pitching strategists there to assist.”