One of the fun stories of the Nationals' big win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night was the three-hit performance from Andrès Chaparro in his MLB debut after playing 627 games in the minor leagues over the course of eight seasons.
"It was exciting to see Chappy get to the big leagues after a long minor league career," said Washington general manager Mike Rizzo during his weekly appearance Wednesday with 106.7 The Fan's The Sports Junkies, which is presented exclusively by our partners at MainStreet Bank — Cheer Local. Bank Local. Put Our Team in Your Office. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
Chaparro came to the Washington organization in a trade for Dylan Floro with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but he "wasn't your typical prospect type of guy, but our scouts really liked him," the GM said.
"We identified him as a bat that could fit for us long-term," Rizzo said. "He can really swing it, we like his approach at the plate, he's got a short swing, a high leg kick but he gets his foot down in time, he's really in good position to hit. He has something that we don't have a lot of in the lineup and that's power.
"He's a bat-first type of guy who can play third, first and DH. To me he's mostly a first baseman and DH, but a right-handed bat with some pop. It was kinda an unconventional route that we took to acquire him, wasn't your typical prospect type of guy at the trade deadline, but we really enthralled with the bat and see some possibilities of this guy being a real type of hitter that could help us."
In 105 games across Triple-A this campaign, the 25-year-old has 27 doubles and 23 home runs with 85 RBI while batting .328 with a .977 OPS.
With that being said, why did it take all of those games at the minor league for him across two organizations – Arizona and the New York Yankees before that – to reach the majors?
"All developments are not linear," Rizzo said. "Opportunity and what team are you with? And what's the setup of that team? Are you blocked by people?"
But the one thing Chappy could do throughout his career, the GM continued, is hit. "I always say if you can really hit and you've got some power, people will find a place for you," he said.
On James Wood's continued hot-streak
Wood bumped his average up to .283 and OPS to .819 with a four-hit night in Baltimore and continued to prove he is ready to stick around the big leagues.
"The thrilling to see him getting better each day," Rizzo told the Junkies. "He's bringing a major league routine to the ballpark every day, getting better in left field. The bat was pretty foolproof in the minor leagues and he's already made some adjustments with his swing and his approach at the plate.
"Not only the results and the performance on the field, when he hits the ball it's hit as hard as anybody in the game. His exit velocity are elite, the ball sounds different coming off his bat than a lot of other players. We're thrilled with where he's at as a player and as a big leaguer. And we're just watching in wonderment that this guy is just scratching the surface of what he can be at the end of the day."
Over his last 12 games, Wood is batting .386 (17-for-44) with two doubles, two triples, two home runs and 10 RBI for a 1.130 OPS and posting seven walks to 12 strikeouts.
Update on Dylan Crews
We'll he soon join Chappy and Wood in Washington?
"He's getting it together at the Triple-A level," Rizzo said, adding, "I actually thought he was a more efficient hitter at the Triple-A level than the Double-A level because of the automated strike zone, so it's something that we planned on him going to Triple-A, getting that walk rate up and that strikeout rate down, which has happened and I think he's swinging the bat really well, playing great in the outfield, we've got him playing in centerfield and in right field in anticipation that's where he'll play when he gets to Washington in the big leagues.
"We've got a plan in place for him, we've got high hopes for him."
In 41 games with Triple-A Rochester, the 22-year-old is batting .263 with an .814 OPS and has 10 doubles, three triples and seven home runs. He has walked 16 times with just 32 strikeouts.
On Victor Robles' resurgence with Seattle
In 43 games since he was picked up by the Mariners after he was DFA'd by Washington this season, the 27-year-old has slashed .292/.360/.434 for a .794 OPS (132 OPS+) and recently signed a two-year, $9.75 million extension.
"Happy as can be that things are working out in Seattle," Rizzo said about the guy he signed for the Nationals. "Glad to see that he's gonna make some money and signed that extension to take care of his family in the future. All positives. I don't have a negative thing to say about Vic. And he always played with his hair on fire for us and was a good guy in the clubhouse, good teammate.
"Feeling comfortable in his new situation, is terrific and when you struggle at your original home and get to a new place, I think that you maybe embrace that and appreciate that feeling a little bit more. Wish Vic nothing but the best, unless we're playing him and then to have a good season and see if he can get into the playoffs again.