Josh Whitesell, 1B, Potomac Nationals (Washington Nationals)
Whitesell was drafted by the Expos in the sixth round in 2003, out of Loyola Marymount. His '04 season was adequate: .250/.352/.453 with 16 homers in the Sally League. He boosted his production this year, hitting .293/.416/.524 in the Carolina League, with 32 doubles, 18 homers, and 74 walks. I like his combination of patience and increasing power. A negative is his strikeout rate: he whiffed 125 times in 113 games. Some scouts think that Whitesell is too passive, letting hittable pitches go by in a quest for a perfect fastball down the middle to kill. He boosted his batting average 43 points this year, but we'll have to see how much that will carry forward at higher levels. Nevertheless, Whitesell has an intriguing power bat, similar to fellow Nationals first base prospect Larry Broadway.
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