The Nationals this afternoon selected the contract of right-hander Steven Fuentes, adding him to the 40-man roster for the first time. Fuentes has been with the organization since 2013 when he signed as an undrafted free agent out of Panama.
The 23-year-old went a combined 6-5 with a 2.23 ERA in 23 games (11 starts) in 2019 for high Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg. He struck out 89 batters in 80 2/3 innings and recorded one save. He made all 11 starts for the Senators.
Fuentes spent the 2020 season at the alternate training site and just completed participation in fall instructional league workouts and games.
"He is kind of a sinker, slider guy," said Nats pitching coordinator Brad Holman in September. "Turns his changeup over a little bit, so it's got the same sinking action as his fastball. Gets a lot of ground balls, which is kind of a lost art nowadays. He's really good at it. I'm a really big fan of ground balls and sinkerball style of pitching. I know nowadays the swing-and-miss is glorified, but there's something to be said for getting an out in one pitch."
Fuentes is rated as the No. 26 Nats prospect by MLBPipeline.com. The Nats 40-man will be at 30 on Sunday when right-hander Joe Ross officially rejoins the club after opting out this most recent season due to the global pandemic.