The Washington Nationals have an abundance of outfield talent.
The team’s top prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No.2 overall prospect James Wood has shown some flashes since his call up on July 1st.
The club’s No.2 prospect Dylan Crews is playing well after his call up to Triple-A. The club’s No.10 prospect Robert Hassell III is doing some really nice things with Double-A Harrisburg.
While all that’s fine and dandy inquiring minds and Nats fans wanna know what’s going on with 2022 No.5 overall pick Elijah Green.
The supremely talented 20-year-old has been stuck in Single-A for nearly two seasons, and the main reason is high strikeout rate.
Green has struggled to become a consistent contact hitter striking out at the rate of (46.2 of his late appearances). In fact last season he struck out 139 times and batted .239, this season he’s batting .189 with 153 strikeouts thus far this season, but all is not lost for Green.
Green Has The Tools: Needs To Improve Contact
The high strikeout numbers are definitely alarming but, if you factor in his balls in play minus homers and strikeouts he batted a gaudy (.407).
This season, he’s seen his power numbers increase from five homers to nine and his extra-base hits have increased from seven to nine. And once again if you take out homers and strikeouts he’s batting a solid (.316).
That tells you everything you need to know, Green must become better with contact.
Speaking with reporters about his approach at the plate in mid-July, Green said:
“Right now, just trying to work on pitch selection. Just trying to get my pitches that I want to swing at and know the pitches that I crush. So I’m just trying to get to that point.”
Nationals Brass Knew This Could Happen
When the Nationals drafted Green, team brass knew all about his troubles at the plate as it pertains to strikeouts. Fredericksburg manager Jake Lowery told reporters this about Green in July.
“When we drafted him he had some swing-and-miss, but the power potential, the body, the size, those are the things that you can’t teach.
And for him to make contact, as cliche as it sounds, is something that we’re working on:
His intent with it, the atmosphere that we’re putting him in. and his work behind the scenes, his due diligence behind the scenes to do it and to try it is off the charts.”
When Green make contact good things happen as evidenced by his combined average of (.361) over two seasons. His power is also still there, and that was never more evident than his Mother’s Day homer that clocked at 116 MPH, the hardest homer hit by a FredNat player this season.
Green Will Get There
Green’s struggles hasn’t caused the Nationals organization to sour on him. If anything his determination and desire to figure this out has seemingly made team brass even bigger believers in his ability.
It also doesn’t hurt to be the son of a former NFL Pro Bowl tight end who just so happened to play with Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis with the Baltimore Ravens.
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