Washington Nationals Top 31 Prospects

Top Prospects Series

Below is an evaluation of the prospects within the farm system of the Washington Nationals. Scouting stories have been compiled with data offered by trade sources in addition to my very own observations. This is the third yr we’re delineating between two anticipated aid roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see within the “position” column under: MIRP for multi-inning aid pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning aid pitchers. The ETAs listed usually correspond to the yr a participant must be added to the 40-man roster to keep away from being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Manual changes are made the place they appear acceptable, however I exploit that as a rule of thumb.

A fast overview of what FV (Future Value) means could be discovered right here. A a lot deeper overview could be discovered right here.

All of the ranked prospects under additionally seem on The Board, a useful resource the location provides that includes sortable scouting data for each group. It has extra particulars (and up to date TrackMan information from numerous sources) than this text and integrates each workforce’s listing so readers can evaluate prospects throughout farm methods. It could be discovered right here.

Other Prospects of Note

Grouped by kind and listed so as of desire inside every class.

Catching Depth
Dashyll Tejeda, OF
Carlos Batista, OF
Nathaniel Ochoa Leyva, SS

Tejeda, 17, is a projectable, tightly-wound righty-hitting outfielder with above-average bat velocity. Batista, 17, can also be a speedy outfielder, however he has much less bodily projection. Ochoa Leyva was a 2022 highschool draftee from Canada who received a bit of over $300,000 to show professional relatively than go to Alabama and play for Brad Bohannon. He’s a well-rounded assortment of 40-grade instruments with a shot to develop right into a bunch of 50s.

Stalled Out
Tommy Romero, RHP
Matt Cronin, LHP
Joel Peguero, RHP
Andry Lara, RHP
Evan Lee, LHP
Mason Denaburg, RHP
Gerardo Carrillo, RHP

This complete group has been on the primary part of the listing up to now however is both damage or struggling proper now. Romero and Cronin have driving upshot fastballs that punch above their weight, however neither is throwing strikes proper now. Peguero, 26, is the other. He sits within the mid-90s however continues to be fairly hittable. He was a minor league free agent signal who spent the majority of his early profession with the Rays. Lara is the youngest of this group at age 20. His velo is down this yr, sitting nearer to 92-93 mph than the mid-90s we noticed at peak. Lee appeared like a rock strong lefty center reliever after 2021, however he’s had a rockier go of it since then, and the 25-year previous is strolling a batter per inning with Harrisburg proper now. Denaburg and Carrillo have been each large acquisitions, Denaburg as a well-known highschool prospect and Carrillo as a hard-throwing a part of the Turner/Scherzer commerce. Denaburg is wholesome however wild proper now, whereas Carrillo has handled many accidents, and when he’s been wholesome the final two seasons, he’s solely been sitting 92-94.

Can You Be a Piece?
Jacob Young, OF
Paul Witt, C
Lucius Fox, SS
Johnathon Thomas, CF
Sammy Infante, 3B
Roismar Quintana, OF

Young has a really compact swing and is making a ton of contact and stealing a great deal of bases proper now, however he’s solely taking part in protection within the corners and must be a really particular contact hitter to profile there with so little energy. He was Washington’s 2022 seventh rounder out of Florida. Witt was a 2020 undrafted signee who performed shortstop at VCU. He has moved behind the plate this yr and is crushing the decrease ranges with the bat as he tries to search out his footing defensively. Fox is barely taking part in the center infield spots now. The days of hoping he’d be a speedy tremendous utilityman who suits as that man on a roster are most likely over; he’s simply an upper-level shortstop substitute at this level. Thomas, a 2022 nineteenth rounder from Texas Southern, can actually fly and go get it in middle subject, and he brings a optimistic clubhouse vibe together with his cleats and glove. Infante (by way of the draft) and Quintana (by way of worldwide free company) every signed for about $1 million bucks as amateurs and are hanging out quite a bit for nook guys in A-ball.

Relief Shot
Tyler Schoff, RHP
Luke Young, RHP
Michael Cuevas, RHP
Riley Cornelio, RHP
Marquis Grissom Jr., RHP

Schoff, 24, signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2021 draft and has now missed a ton of bats together with his cutter and curveball by High-A. He might use a pitch that strikes arm-side. Young signed out of Midland JC (TX) for $250,000 because the Nats’ 2022 eleventh rounder. He has a driving low-to-mid-90s fastball and a supply that factors to the bullpen. Cuevas, 21, was a 2019 highschool draftee who’s now with Harrisburg. He solely sits 90 mph, however he’s able to lacking bats together with his slider and changeup. Cornelio (TCU) and Grissom (Georgia Tech) are each latest draftees from large faculty applications who’ve a plus secondary pitch (Cornelio’s breaker, Grissom’s changeup) and, like Cuevas, would profit from an eventual transfer to the bullpen if it means they’ll throw more durable.

System Overview

You can’t gauge the tempo and high quality of Washington’s rebuild by wanting on the farm system alone as a result of so lots of the items they acquired are already within the large leagues. CJ Abrams is struggling and hasn’t gotten any stronger. McKenzie Gore continues to be a bit walk-prone however his strikeouts are up. Josiah Gray has develop into a cutter-oriented groundball man. Keibert Ruiz is doing a bizarre Willians Astudillo impression on offense. It’s far too early to really assess any of that group, particularly Abrams, who was injured and rushed earlier than he was traded. This system has a handful of potential cornerstones in Wood, House, Green (when you like — I clearly have one foot out the door already), and possibly Vaquero. That’s extra younger hitters with gigantic ceilings than the standard org, however in most different respects, the Nationals system is a bit of south of the typical farm. Adding the second and fortieth general decide within the coming draft ought to push them simply north of the MLB median.

On final yr’s Nationals listing, I griped about how slowly they have been selling their prospects and opined that I assumed they have been making roster selections more durable on themselves by slow-playing related guys who demanded 40-man consideration. They appear to have altered their strategy to promotions, as they’ve already run just a few guys up a degree in 2023, with Jackson Rutledge’s Double-A project additionally a giant indication that issues have shifted right here. Just combing year-over-year pitch information exhibits the org has been extra apt to present their pitchers a second breaking ball this season. This hasn’t been one of many orgs the place random late spherical/undrafted arms pop in a giant means after they’re within the system, however there are abruptly just a few examples led by Brzykcy, Willingham, and Schoff. An irregular chunk of the pitchers on this org have been impacted by harm over the last yr or so — by my rely, seven of the pitchers on the primary part of the listing have been dinged for the reason that begin of 2022.