Nationals secure rights to Godwin

By Jim Callis
March 22, 2005

Tyrell Godwin is coming off a mediocre season in Double-A, so after taking him in the major league Rule 5 draft in December, Washington was going to have a difficult time keeping him on its active roster all season. Now thanks to a Tuesday trade with Toronto, the Nationals won't have to. They sent lefthander Aaron Wideman to the Blue Jays for the full rights to Godwin, allowing them to send him down to the minors as they see fit.

Godwin, 25, signed as a third-round pick out of North Carolina in 2001. Previously, the Yankees had drafted him in the first round out of high school in 1997 and the Rangers had taken him in the supplemental first round after his junior season with the Tar Heels in 2000. Godwin, who originally attended North Carolina on a football scholarship, is a gifted athlete but hasn't been able to translate his physical skills into baseball production. He does make good use of his speed, but his strength hasn't resulted in much power and his iffy plate discipline undermines him at the plate. Defensively, he's a solid center fielder with an average arm. Last season, he hit .253/.326/.355 with six homers, 40 RBIs and 42 steals at Double-A New Hampshire. His career totals are .278/.351/.375 with 10 homers, 117 RBIs and 87 steals in 344 pro games.

Wideman, 19, was an 11th-round pick from an Ontario high school in 2003. Interestingly, the Jays didn't sign a single prep player out of that draft. He's a finesse lefty, very polished for a Canadian high schooler. Though he's just 5-foot-11, he does a fine job of keeping his high-80s fastball down in the strike zone. Last year at short-season Vermont, Wideman went 3-1, 1.81 in 10 starts. He also had a 38-13 strikeout-walk ratio in 45 innings while holding hitters to a .173 average with no homers. He has gone 5-5, 1.91 in 20 games over two pro seasons.