Nationals call up RHP Reynaldo Lopez, No. 5 prospect in system
By Ted Fleming
Lopez was also ranked the No. 92 prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America and No. 75 by BaseballProspectus.com.
The Washington Nationals announced today via a release that they have selected the contract of promising right-hander Reynaldo Lopez from the Syracuse Chiefs, the club’s Triple-A affiliate.
Lopez began the season ranked the organization’s No. 5 prospect according to the MLB Pipeline, as well as being ranked in the top 100 in baseball by Baseball America and BaseballProspectus.com, although BA advanced him 44 spots to No. 48 in their 2016 mid-season update.
Originally signed for just $17,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2012, the 22-year old has a three-pitch repertoire that includes an “electric fastball” to go with a curve and change. This season his 109 strikeouts was tied for ninth among all Minor League hurlers and fifth in strikeouts-per-nine-innings (11.23).
Lopez represented the Nationals in the 2016 Sirius/XM All-Star Futures Game in San Diego, and one of his pitches clocked in at 99 mph.
In 58 minor league contests, Lopez is 18-17 with a 3.15 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, but has struck out 286 in 285.1 innings. He spent the entire 2015 season at Class-A Potomac where he set personal highs in starts (19), innings (99.0) and strikeouts (94). Baseball America ranked him the fourth best prospect in the Carolina League when the season concluded.
The Nationals announced that Lopez will make his Major League debut tonight when they open a series against the Dodgers in Washington. He will face veteran lefty Scott Kazmir (78-4, 4.52 ERA) and will become the first Dominican pitcher signed and developed by the Nationals since the team moved to the Nation’s Capital from Montreal.
The team also announced that they have placed LHP Sammy Solis on the 15-day disabled list with right knee inflammation, retroactive to July 8 and claimed RHP Abel de Los Santos from the Reds.
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