Ryan Zimmerman hitting for Team USA
*Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, Washington Nationals
After the Nationals signed first-round pick Ryan Zimmerman this spring, they sent him to Savannah of the Sally League to get his feet wet in pro ball. He jumped in feet-first, going 8-for-17 (.471) in 4 games, with 2 doubles, a triple, and 2 homers. Obviously the Sally League was not a challenge, so they quickly moved him up to Harrisburg in the Double-A Eastern League. Zimmerman's transition from college ball to Double-A has gone very well: .296/.343/.496 in 34 games, including 13 doubles already and 4 homers in 125 at-bats. His strike zone judgment hasn't been great: he's drawn only 8 walks, but his strikeouts (22) aren't out of bounds, and he showed good discipline in college. I think this is just a normal transitional phase, and you can't argue with a .296/.343/.496 mark, in Double-A, two months out of college. In short, Zimmerman is living up to expectations, and looks like an excellent investment at this point. The doubles are a sign of additional home run power to come.
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