Quick rise continues for reliever Koda Glover, who jumps to Triple-A Syracuse

Right-hander Koda Glover made his second jump of the season today when the Nationals announced his promotion from Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A Syracuse.

How quickly has he moved up? Consider Glover was selected by the Nationals in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft. He was picked in the eighth round out of Oklahoma State.

nats park flag.jpgThe Nationals signed Glover on June 15, 2015 and he was assigned to short-season Single-A Auburn. Last July 8, he moved to low Single-A Hagerstown. Glover began this season at high Single-A Potomac. Just 24 days later, Glover moved to Harrisburg. Now he is a member of the Syracuse Chiefs.

The 23-year-old did not allow an earned run in seven appearances with two saves for the P-Nats. While with Harrisburg, Glover pitched in 17 games, going 2-0 with four saves and a 3.22 ERA. He struck out 29 hitters in 22 1/3 innings with just seven walks.

Nationals assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel Doug Harris said Glover earned this promotion.

"Koda's skill set put him in position for the next challenge," Harris said via text message. "His stuff has been documented. He improved his fastball command and leverage in Harrisburg. Also, he did a nice job throwing his secondary stuff for strikes. He'll get a chance to see more mature hitters in the International League."

Hagerstown manager Patrick Anderson said during spring training that Glover's stuff had been lethal, ranging from mid-90's to touching the high 90's in mph. He also had gained confidence in an important breaking ball.

"He threw a fastball, slider, changeup - all quality pitches," Anderson said. "He throws the ball 93 to 98, 99 mph. He has a really big arm. He really can bring it pretty good. This is what he showed us last year when he came in.

"He started throwing a curveball. He threw one of them last year and he threw couple of them during his bullpen. He threw bullpen the other day and looked really, really sharp. He's really intriguing."

Closer has been a hot topic for the Nationals recently. Glover is a good example of the depth at that spot the Nationals might like to showcase in the years to come.




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