Notes and quotes on the long list of the Nationals’ minor league free agents this winter…
Carter Kieboom, a 2016 1st Round pick by Washington, who debuted in the majors in 2019, played for the Naranjeros de Hermosillo in the Mexico Pacific Winter League this past winter, which Nationals’ GM and President Ops Mike Rizzo told reporters last December really impressed him.
“The fact that he went and played winter ball showed me a lot,” Rizzo explained.
“Because a lot of players in his situation, with his service-time, they don’t want to do that. But we thought it was important for him to do it, to catch up on at-bats that he missed over the last couple years. So that impressed me, and my reports from there is that it’s a league where you will learn how to hit the breaking ball, or you will go home. So, I think that the last look I thought he was hitting around .280 with a couple home runs and playing third and second base. I think that’s all positive factors for him going into Spring Training.”
Kieboom missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but got to the majors again in ‘23, hitting .209 in 27 games and 94 plate appearances, which left him with a .199/.297/.301 line, nine doubles, 12 home runs over 133 games and 508 PAs in four seasons in the majors.
Highly-ranked, and well-regarded, Kieboom made his way up to the majors, but struggled in the big leagues, and hasn’t yet been able to put it together.
This past March, Kieboom was removed from the club’s 40-Man roster, cleared waivers, and was assigned to Triple-A Rochester.
“He missed some time with injuries, and I believe he’s still playing a little bit of catch-up,” manager Davey Martinez said, as quoted by MASN’s Mark Zuckerman, in explaining the decision:
“I know this is kind of disappointing for him, but he’s still got a uniform on, and he’s got to perform. I want him to go down there and really show us that he’s going to put the work in and get himself ready. And if he’s called upon, he’s going to come up here and help us win.”
Kieboom was never called upon this past season. On the year, he put up a .265/.365/.386 line, 16 doubles, and 17 HRs in 91 games and 359 PAs.
He became a minor league free agent this week, joining Joey Meneses, 2018 1st Round pick Mason Denaburg, 2018 2nd Round pick Tim Cate, catcher Israel Pineda, and more.
Washington Post writer Andrew Golden shared a list compiled by Baseball America on X (formerly known as Twitter):
Here’s the Nationals’ list of minor league free agents, compiled by @BaseballAmerica: pic.twitter.com/Wlxql9ppLB
— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) November 7, 2024