Infielder/outfielder Nick Senzel has signed with the Tecolotes De Los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League, reports Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. Senzel is represented by the Boras Corporation.
Senzel, 30 in June, was once a notable prospect but he wasn’t able to take advantage of his major league opportunities. The Reds selected him with the second overall pick in the 2016 draft and he posted huge numbers in the minors, slashing .314/.390/.513 over the 2016-18 seasons. Baseball America ranked him as Cincinnati’s top prospect and one of the ten best league-wide from 2017 to 2019.
That got him plenty of big league chances, which he never was able to capitalize on. The Reds gave him fairly regular playing time from 2019 through 2023. Injuries limited him to just 23 games in 2020 and 36 in 2021 but he got into at least 104 contests in the other three seasons of that stretch.
By the end of the 2023 campaign, he had 1,366 big league plate appearances but just 33 home runs, a 7.6% walk rate and a .239/.302/.369 slash line. His 76 wRC+ in that span indicates he was 24% worse than league average on the whole. An infielder as a prospect, the Reds had moved him around and given him some outfield time to improve his versatility, but it didn’t matter much with that lackluster offensive performance and he didn’t get strong defensive grades anywhere either.
Going into 2024, the Reds moved on. They declined to tender him a contract for that season, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a $3MM salary, sending Senzel to free agency instead. He signed a $2MM deal with the Nationals with the plan of Senzel taking over as the everyday third baseman in Washington.
Unfortunately, he broke his thumb prior to the game on Opening Day and missed the first couple of weeks. He returned in mid-April and then slashed .209/.303/.359 in 64 games as a Nat. He was designated for assignment in early July. He then signed with the White Sox but hit just .100/.129/.133 in ten games for them. He was designated for assignment and back in free agency before the end of August. He remained unsigned until now.
It seems as though Senzel didn’t get a major league offer from any club, which isn’t surprising based on his numbers. He’ll instead head to Mexico to join the Tecolotes and see if he can turn things around. Based on his past prospect pedigree, teams will surely keep an eye on him to see if his results improve. If that comes to pass, perhaps he could return to affiliated ball down the line.
La Flama Blanca
LMAO! I came down to the comments to find this. I was not disappointed.
It’s such a shame he had that stint with vertigo. That really hurt his development. Great guy hope he can make a comeback
The pandemic season happening when he was 25 also didn’t help, as it destroyed many a good ball players development in majors and minors
Tecolotes = male owls
Senzel becomes an owl
Because it’s too easy for fans to get negative if their team name was the Bùhos.
So you’re saying they give a hoot?
A bigger bust than Dolly Parton and Mae West put together.
I agree he had injuries in a regular basis and couldn’t really stay on the field . It was not surprising to me that he broke his thumb prior to the start of the season with Washington . Just his way of being unlucky
He wasn’t a bust. He wasn’t as successful as expected, but he still played 6 seasons in the majors. There are plenty of high draft picks that never did that much.
He was a bust…he only played 6 six seasons because of his pedigree as the #2 overall pick. Guy had a career -3.0 WAR..that’s hard to do unless teams are giving you some type of benefit of the doubt which he was. Lesser draft picks would never have gotten that type of leash.
Make sure to eat at
La Unica Nick!
Good job Scott!
15 years / 400,000,000 pesos
Deferred
“El listo de disablo”
wonder how many folks paid thousands for his rookie cards ,,,,,
What a downfall from Senzel.
If he can’t make it with the White Sox, hard to think he’ll make it anywhere.
Finally Senzel lands with an appropriate team…
If I recall, he had an excellent ST back in 2019 when still with the Reds, but yet he was sent down. Later, he was recalled ñ, moved to CF and then the injuries started to pile up. Had the Reds let him developed in his natural 3B or 2B positions things may have gone in the right direction for him.
Possibly, but some guys have peaked at the draft too. I don’t think the Reds develop much. Generational talents are one thing, but overall their prospects’ development hits a plateau when they hit AAA. They don’t seem to get better with experience, or the growth is minimal. That’s probably true for a lot of players on other clubs but the Reds and Pirates seem to have way more misses than hits in drafts, disproportional to the league. But every blind squirrel finds a nut every so often. Elly and Skenes are exceptions to the rule.
How much does a guy like Senzel (former MLB player, former top prospect, still 29) get in the Mexican League? Roughly speaking. Do they approach six figures? If not, he would be better served just playing in AAA.