Reds Jeremy Hermida and Nationals Matt Antonelli Primed For Returns To MLB

Quite often, I find myself watching triple-A games over in Gwinnett wondering “how was this player EVER considered a guy?” In the case of Jeremy Hermida and Matt Antonelli, I left the park wondering how both were not carving out roles on a big league bench somewhere?

For the Nationals organization, 26-year old Matt Antonelli has posted a line of .299/.382/.427 while seeing time at second base, third base, shortstop and left field over the past month in Syracuse. In person, the former first rounder and top-50 overall prospect for the San Diego Padres showed a short, line drive swing and good athleticism after dismal showings in 2008 and 2009, followed by a 2010 season lost to injury.

And while Antonelli’s career hasn’t turned out as he had hoped, Washington is certainly showcasing his versatility which could still lead to a long career as a utility player at the big league level. The only drawback is he’s a fringe at best defender at shortstop which is alright when up or down by 10 runs, but not really viable over a period of time.

Jeremy Hermida, the former 11th overall pick and fourth ranked prospect per Baseball America is showing signs of life after a breakout 2007 in which many believed he’d be a superstar at this point in his career. From 2008-2011, Hermida accumulated 1300+ plate appearances posting a .708 OPS. For a corner outfielder, that’s just not getting it done and Hermida paid the price with his big league job.

A few nights ago, I was in attendance to see Hermida go 4-5 including a home run which smacked the chain link fence behind the right field fence and came back into the field of play. And while the hit was officially ruled a double, every scout I was sitting near saw the ball clear the outfield wall. I saw the same thing.

And while I didn’t love the rhythm of Hermida’s pre-swing load, I certainly can’t argue the results. With a .319/.402/.500 line, he’s showing renewed patience and power at the triple-A level. there are lesser outfielders who woke up this morning with big league jobs on half the teams in baseball.

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