Player Profile – Josh Whitesell
Born: April 14, 1982 in Durham, NC
Height: 6’ 3” / Weight: 220
College: Loyola Marymount University (CA)
Drafted in the 6th Round of the 2003 First Year Player Draft
Does Josh Whitesell have a future with the Washington Nationals organization? Where will he be playing next season? These are two of the biggest questions I had to find answers for while preparing my Player Profile on Whitesell.
Something I know from watching him play the past two years in Harrisburg is he has tremendous talent and continues to improve his overall game. I’m a fan of Josh and really enjoyed watching him play. He has always been nice to the fans, displayed good sportsmanship and liked by the team.
In 2005 at High-A, Potomac, Whitesell batted .293, 18 homeruns, 32 doubles and 66 RBI’s. He was also voted to the Carolina League Mid-Season All Star team. Based on his stats at Potomac he earned a promotion to AA, Harrisburg Senators for the 2006 season.
Josh entered the 2006 season as one of the Nationals top prospects at First Base. The Eastern League is considered a strong pitching league, Whitesell’s average slip to .263 with 19 homeruns, 11 doubles and 56 RBI’s. He only walked only 53 times compared to 74 times the previous season. He had a long swing and holes in his swing which was exploited by good pitching. Good pitching combined with faults in his swing lead to a high strike out total (125). He also became known for his weak defense and was frequently substituted for in late innings of close games.
Josh returned to Harrisburg for the 2007 season. When I saw him on ‘Press Night’ he looked as though he lost 20 pounds and increased muscle mass. Basically he looked lean and ready to play.
Looks were not deceiving. Josh posted career highs in homeruns (21), RBI’s (74), Stolen bases (6), Walks (87) and on base percentage (.425). He also lowered his strikeout total by 18. Even though he had a career year at the plate, I think his biggest improvement came on the defensive end. I do not remember him being substituted in late innings of games. He appeared to be more comfortable defensively.
Josh received several honors for his 2007 performance:
- Eastern League Mid-Season All Star
- Baseball America: Eastern League “Best Tools”, Best Defensive First Baseman
- Baseball America Best Strike-Zone Discipline (Nationals Minor Leagues)
- Nationals Double-A Player of the Month for May
- Sennators Season Ending Awards (voted on by team and staff): Team MVP
- Added to the Washington Nationals 40-Man Roster
As I stated at the beginning of this profile, there were two big questions that I was trying to answer. Writing about his stats was the easy part, trying to figure out Josh’s future with the Nats and where he will play next season was the hard part.
I believe he has the ability to contribute at the big league level next season. Do the Nats have room for him? Without trading either Dmitri Young (who was just signed to a long-term contract) or Nick Johnson, I don’t think they do. Kory Casto has also been playing First base in the Arizona Fall League and might see action there next season. Josh might receive a spring invite but I don’t think he will be on the opening day roster.
Will Josh be assigned to Triple-A, Columbus Clippers? This seems the most likely place for him. How much playing time will he get with Larry Broadway being there? Will the Nats trade Broadway to make room for Whitesell? I wish this would happen as I feel Josh has a brighter future, is younger then Broadway and has more to offer to the organization.
There is the possibility that Whitesell might be traded. He is coming off a career season so his trade value is higher then Young (who is not so young, 34), Casto (had a bad season) or Broadway. I’m not sure the Nationals should trade him at this point.
My personal opinion is give Whitesell an invite to spring training. Keep him around longer then a few weeks and see what he can do with big league pitching. If he does well, give him the opportunity to make the team. He has shown the willingness to work hard, improve the flaws in his game and put up good numbers. Josh deserves a shot.
