Nationals Area Code Roster

The Nationals unveiled their 2016 team to represent the Southeast region at the Area Code Baseball Games in Long Beach, Calif., on Aug. 6-10. Standouts from last year’s Southeast team included MLB draft picks Bo Bichette, Jesus Luzardo and Joe Rizzo.

This year’s roster has some depth on the mound and in the infield. Lefthanded pitchers Jake Eder and Hugh Fisher have both shown promising fastballs and athleticism so far this summer. Matt Golda is one of the better pure defenders in the class, but has been fire and ice offensively. Mark Vientos has a quick righthanded bat with power potential. Jeremy Arocho has shown some of the best infield hands in the class, though it remains a question whether or not he has the arm strength for shortstop. Jeter Downs and Tanner Morris are also intriguing.

Christian Robinson and Xavier Edwards are some of the younger players on the team. Robinson, who was originally a 2018 prospect, reclassified for this year’s class this past spring. He has shown promise with all of his tools, though his feel for the bat may be his most exciting attribute, and will be closely monitored in Long Beach. Edwards is a 2018 prospect, and stood out at the 2015 Area Code Underclass Games. He lacks ideal size at 5-foot-9, but he’s shown game instincts that far exceed his age and height.

The Nationals are well-represented behind the plate. MJ Melendez, the son of new Florida International head coach Mervyl Melendez, has a very strong arm, though he continues to iron out the mechanics of his transfer and release. Tyler Solomon is a 6-foot-4 catcher, and showed intriguing game power at this year’s Metropolitan Baseball Classic.

Name	Pos	Yr	B	T	Ht	Wt	High School	City	State
Jordan Anderson	OF	2017	R	R	6’1	190	James Clemens	Madison	AL
Jeremy Arocho	INF	2017	S	R	5’10	160	Old Mill	Glen Burnie	MD
Justin Connell	INF	2017	R	R	6’0	182	Charles Flanagan	Pembroke Pines	FL
Matt Cooper	INF	2017	R	R	6’3	210	Norfolk Academy	Virginia Beach	VA
Zach Daniels	OF	2017	R	R	6’1	186	Eagles Landing Christian	Stockbridge	GA
Pat DeMarco	OF	2017	R	R	5’11	205	Winder-Barrow	Winder	GA
Jeter Downs	INF	2017	R	R	6’0	180	SLAM Charter	Miami	FL
Jake Eder	LHP	2017	L	L	6’4	210	Atlantic	Ocean Ridge	FL
Xavier Edwards	INF	2018	S	R	5’9	180	Trinity Christian Academy	Wellington	FL
Hugh Fisher	LHP	2017	R	L	6’5	180	Briarcrest Christian	Eads	TN
Matt Golda	INF	2017	R	R	6’0	182	Inspiration Academy	Bradenton	FL
Kody Gratkowski	INF	2017	R	R	6’1	180	Fairhope	Fairhope	AL
Cody Greenhill	RHP	2017	R	R	6’4	210	Russellville	Russellville	AL
Beau Hanna	C	2017	R	R	6’1	210	Winder-Barrow	Winder	GA
Mason Hickman	RHP	2017	R	R	6’6	229	Pope John Paul II	Hendersonville	TN
Bryce Jarvis	RHP	2017	L	R	6’2	170	Brentwood Academy	Franklin	TN
Levi Kelly	RHP	2018	R	R	6’4	210	IMG Academy	Cape Coral	FL
Brandon McCabe	RHP	2017	R	R	6’2	190	Trinith Christian Academy	Boynton Beach	FL
MJ Melendez	C	2017	L	R	6’1	175	St James	Montgomery	AL
Tanner Morris	INF	2017	L	R	6’2	190	Miller	Crozet	VA
Joseph Perez	RHP	2017	R	R	6’3	205	Archbishop Edward McCarthy	Pembroke Pines	FL
Shane Roberts	RHP	2017	R	R	6’1	165	William Dwyer	Jupiter	FL
Christian Robinson	OF	2017	L	L	6’2	208	Viera	Melbourne	FL
Deandre Shelton	INF	2017	S	R	5’10	185	West Orange	Winter Garden	FL
Blaine Smith	RHP/INF	2017	S	R	6’0	175	Bessemer Academy	Bessemer	AL
Tyler Solomon	C	2017	S	R	6’4	215	Battlefield	Haymarket	VA
Jason Swan	OF/INF	2017	R	R	6’1	178	Atlantic Coast	Jacksonville	FL
Bubba Thompson	OF	2017	R	R	6’2	175	McGill-Toolen Catholic	Theodore	AL
Mark Vientos	INF	2017	R	R	6’4	190	Charles Flanagan	Pembroke Pines	FL
Jose Visaez	RHP	2017	R	R	6’3	200	University Christian Academy	Jacksonville	FL
Ryan Weathers	LHP	2018	R	L	6’1	195	Lorette	Loretto	TN