23-year old righty starting pitcher Brad Meyers wasn’t considered much of a prospect when this season started but things have changed based on his pitching. Meyers has pitched in 17 games (16 starts) in A+AA ball this season and he is 7-2 with a 1.48 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. He has only allowed 76 hits in 97 innings this season and he absolutely pounds the strike zone as he has only walked 22 batters this season. The Nationals have nothing to lose if they give Meyers a chance at some point during the 2009 season.

With the problems the Nationals have been having with the starting rotation they should give 26-year old righty J.D. Martin a chance. Martin has pitched in 15 games (14 starts) in AAA-ball this season and he is 8-2 with a 2.14 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. Martin has only allowed 68 hits in 84 innings in AAA while only walking 9 batters which is pretty darn good. Martin used to be one of the better prospects in the Indians’ minor league system so the Nationals should give him a look.

The Nationals have sent 22-year old righty starting pitcher Shairon Martis to the minors. This move doesn’t make much sense as the rebuilding Nationals should stick with their younger pitchers right now. Martis started 15 games for the Nationals before his demotion and he was 5-3 with a 5.25 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Martis will be back later in the season.

The Nationals have recalled 25-year old righty starting pitcher Marco Estrada to replace the departed Luis Ayala on the pitching staff. It’s uncertain at this time whether he will work out of the rotation or in the bullpen. He has started 25 games combined in AA+AAA ball and he has a 9-6 record with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. It was smart to reward Estrada for pitching well in the minors and he will get his big chance to show what he can do in the majors the rest of this season.

19-year old lefty swinging outfielder Michael Burgess was the #4 prospect in the Nationals’ farm system heading into this season according to the Baseball America Prospect Handbook and he’s showing why this season. Burgess has played in 88 games in A-Ball this season and he is 84 for 316 (.266 avg, .888 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 18 homers, 56 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Burgess does have some holes in his swing however as he has whiffed 108 times in only 316 at bats this season. If he improves his plate discipline he will likely be a impact player in the majors in the near future.