When the Washington Nationals called up Wilmer Difo in May to replace Jayson Werth on the roster, it was a bit of a surprise. At the time, the 23-year-old middle infield prospect had just 56 plate appearances above A+ ball. While Difo emerged last season at Hagerstown and is expected to become a big league regular within the next couple of seasons, he seemed to be an odd fit for a couple of reasons.
- His lack of experience in the high minors figured to hinder his ability to make an impact off the bench at the big league level
- He's at a stage of his development where you'd rather he be playing every day in AA than riding the pine and getting sporadic playing time in the majors
Still, the Nats went with Difo over Matt den Dekker or Brian Goodwin back in May.