Could Lucas Giolito skip high Single-A next season? (Renda named AFL All-Star)

In the past, the Nationals have leapfrogged high Single-A Potomac for prospects such as outfielders Bryce Harper and Brian Goodwin.

But top pitching talent has usually made a stop in Woodbridge, Va. A new crop of top pitching prospects appear to be headed to Prince Williams County next season.

The question is: Will they stop in Potomac and if so, how long will they pitch for the high Single-A club?

Right-hander Lucas Giolito, the highest-rated Nationals pitching prospect, dominated the South Atlantic League at low Single-A Hagerstown. In only 98 innings, Giolito racked up 110 strikeouts (12th in the league), 10 wins and a 2.20 ERA in 20 starts.

The Nationals paced his innings. The 20-year-old Giolito did not start a game from mid-May to early June as they watched his pitch count a year and a half removed from Tommy John surgery.

Giolito also attended instructional league after the season. It is very likely that Giolito would start at Potomac from the beginning of the season, even though he would very likely hold his own at Double-A.

"I think he's gifted enough to skip high Class A," said Jim Callis, senior writer for MLBPipeline.com. "But when you look at how carefully the Nationals have handled him, and how deep their big league rotation is, I bet they send him to Potomac for at least a little while."

There could be an opportunity to give Giolito a nibble at Double-A to see how he fares, but the Nationals are being extremely careful with him. From talking with Giolito and listening to scouts, I believe the showcase hurler can throw mid-to-high 90s all the time, even though he has appeared to temper those pitches as times just to be slightly conservative.

Makeup wise, the way Giolito acts and carries himself, he could pitch at the upper levels now. But because he is young and still needs some secondary pitch and game situation refinement, there is absolutely no reason to push him. But he is close to having pitching coaches Franklin Bravo at Potoamc and Chris Michalik at Harrisburg get a shot at coaching him during the season.

Here are how some of the pitchers who could make the jump from Hagerstown to Potomac fared in 2014:

* Right-hander Nick Pivetta won a team-high 13 games (third in the league) with 132 1/3 innings pitched.

* Right-hander Jake Johansen made 29 appearances, including 18 starts, and recorded 89 strikeouts with a 5-6 record.

* Right-hander Austin Voth made 13 starts and earned four wins with a 2.45 ERA. He has already been promoted to Double-A Harrisburg.

* Dominican right-hander Reynaldo Lopez finished the season on a surge, going 5-1 with a 0.63 ERA in nine starts after being called up from short-season Single-A Auburn.

* Right-hander Wirkin Estevez made eight minor league starts in 2014 as he battled some injuries, going 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA for the Gulf Coast League Nats and making five starts for the Suns.

* Right-hander Wander Suero finished the season starting for the Suns after getting some work at Potomac. He made 17 appearances and six starts for Hagerstown, compiling a solid 2.13 ERA.

* Left-hander Hector Silvestre finished the season with Potomac after his promotion in late July, and compiled 7-9 record in 24 starts for two teams during the season, including 4.21 ERA and 70 strikeouts.

By the way, Asheville had five starters with 142 innings or more, demonstrating a different philosophy in getting their prospects game ready. Only Delmarva had two or more pitchers with at least 130 innings logged in South Atlantic League play.

Johansen (100 2/3) was the only other Hagerstown hurler to go above triple digits in innings pitched for the season.

Note: Mesa Solar Sox second baseman Tony Renda has been named to the East Division All-Stars for Saturday's Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game.

Despite a slow start at the plate, Renda has been hitting the ball hard, but sometimes right at people. He has hit .205 (9-for-44) with two doubles, one triple, one stolen base, six runs and five RBIs in 12 games. The 23-year-old Cal-Berkeley product is ranked No. 17 on MLB.com's list of Nationals top prospects.