Good Morning Washington Nationals Fans,

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, January 15, 2024.

Welcome to the Morning Briefing. I am back for another edition, breaking down the latest Nationals news.

Leading today’s Morning Briefing: Nats sign two international amateurs

The Nationals signed two international amateur prospects on signing day, outfielder Victor Hurtado and third baseman Angel Feliz for $2.8M and $1.7M respectively. That leaves about $784,000 in international signing bonus pool space left for additional signings for the class.

FanGraphs is by far the highest on Hurtado, ranking him as the fifth-best player in this class, and has Angel Feliz as their 40th-best prospect in the top 50. MLB Pipeline has Hurtado and Feliz at 20 and 23 respectively in their top 50 ranking.

Scouts describe Hurtado as having a projectable frame with a nice left-handed swing that generates loft. Additional strength and bat speed will be the key for him to jump into the next tier of prospects as he has already shown strong zone awareness.

Feliz is a shortstop currently, but will definitely move to third base in professional ball. The question is really how good are his tools? With the lack of scouting by the industry, the public sphere will not really know what kind of player the Nationals snagged until he makes his state-side debut.

Most agreements are made years in advance of the signing day, with players locked in with the teams on verbal agreements. With how far away these two are from the big leagues, Feliz is 17 and Hurtado is still just 16 years old, their scouting reports will vary a ton until they make their professional debut in the DSL, and will not further solidify until they make their state-side debut.

If I had to guess where they will land within prospect rankings, Hurtado debuts somewhere in the teens on most lists, while Feliz at most is in the back five or so spots on a top 30 ranking. Maybe it’s just prospect fatigue, but I think he’s higher up than someone like T.J. White or Armando Cruz on my personal list.

Click here for the latest off-season headlines, rumors, trades, and more.

Around MLB

The San Francisco Giants signed right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks to a four-year, $44M deal. While he has bounced around between starting and relief roles in the majors, the Giants indicated to Hicks that they want him to prepare to be in the Opening Day rotation. Hicks, a true flamethrower, has struggled in the rotation in the majors. Still, the Giants are a team much better known for player development, especially on the pitching front, and if they can help Hicks figure things out, he will be a stalwart in that rotation as long as he is healthy.

ICYMI: Latest articles on the Nats Report

Even though it is the offseason, we have been extremely busy producing a lot of great content here on the Nats Report. Here are just a couple of the articles that we have published recently that you might have missed:

• Podcast: In the Clubhouse (2024 Minor League Outlook)
• How does Dylan Floro’s signing with the Nationals impact the team’s 2024 outlook?
• Perspective: Juan Soto to Nats isn’t as Crazy as you Think
• Perspective: When is Enough, Enough?
• How can the Nats’ offense improve in 2024?

We are working on a lot of great Nationals-themed content all off-season so make sure that you are following us on all the major social media channels for the latest.

Featured Story of the Day

Juan Soto sets an arbitration record with $31M deal via ESPN

If you haven’t already, please consider supporting this publication with a paid subscription so you don’t miss a thing:

The Nats Report is an independent reader-supported project with both free and paid subscriptions and not affiliated with the Washington Nationals.

Those who opt for the paid edition are providing vital assistance to bolster our independent coverage of the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball.