THIRD BASE

Brady House (Nationals #4 Prospect)

In 2021, Brady House was selected in the first round of the MLB Draft with the 11th pick. House has spent four years in the Nationals organization but is only 21 years old. He has been playing in Spring Training this season and is hitting 0.357 with 14 at-bats. Last year, House started the season in Harrisburg and, at the beginning of July, was promoted to AAA Rochester. Before House reported to the Red Wings, he was selected for the MLB Futures game for the second year in a row. House finished the season in Rochester and had 224 at-bats for the Red Wings. He posted a 0.250 batting average and had an on-base percentage of 0.280 and a 0.655 OPS, along with 10 doubles, six home runs, and 32 RBIs. One of the areas that he needs to improve is his low walk rate of 3% and high strikeout rate of 29%. If House becomes more patient at the plate, learns the strike zone better, and can be more selective at not chasing pitches out of the strike zone, his offensive numbers will improve drastically. In his first at-bat this spring, House drew a walk when he only had seven walks last year, and in 16 plate appearances this Spring, he has drawn two walks and has struck out only once. That’s a very positive sign. He’s only 21 and still learning and developing. His defense at third base is very strong; he has an excellent arm and consistently makes strong throws to first to retire batters.

PREDICTION FOR 2025: Brady House will probably start in Rochester. This extra time in Rochester will allow him to improve his offensive metrics. I would look for a possible promotion to Washington later in the season, where he would become the future third baseman for several years in Washington.

THIRD BASE

Trey Lipscomb(Nationals #16 Prospect)

Trey Lipscomb was drafted in the third round of the 2022 draft by the Nationals. 2023 was a breakout year for Trey both offensively and defensively. Lipscomb won the Minor League Defensive Player of the Year award and the Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove award for third baseman. Last year, Lipscomb had a great spring training and was slated to start the year in Rochester, but an Opening Day injury to Nick Senzel gave him an opportunity to be in the opening day lineup in Washington, and he got a hit in his first at-bat. Lipscomb is a versatile infielder who, last year, played every infield position in Rochester. He was even getting some time at first base towards the end of the season.

Lipscomb is competing for a position on the Opening Day roster this year, possibly as a utility infielder. He is an aggressive hitter who chases some pitches out of the strike zone. In 2023, he struck out 29% of the time but reduced that to 18% last year, which shows improvement in recognizing good pitches. He hit for a 0.283 batting average in Rochester with a 0.346 on-base percentage. Whether he’s in Rochester or Washington, he’s a good player to have on your team because he can play so many positions and has sound defensive fundamentals.

PREDICTION FOR 2025: Trey Lipscomb is getting more time to play shortstop this Spring, which makes me think he’s competing for a utility position with Nasim Nunez for one of the final spots on the Washington roster.

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