The Nats Report 2024 Preseason Prospect Rankings
Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Nats Report Preseason Prospect Rankings. The Nats Report delivers the most up-to-date news and analysis on the Washington Nationals. We plan to unveil our prospect rankings each year just before the start of Spring Training.
This list is a compilation of our writer’s lists of the top 30 prospects. If you’d like to read a deep dive on each player, you can read about the first 15 players here and the last 15 players here.
Pos: OF | Age: 21 | Bats: L | Throws: R | Level: Double-A Harrisburg
James Wood is a power-hitting outfielder who has one of the highest ceilings in the sport. His height led to more strikeouts than his skills indicate, but his bat-to-ball skills are still more middle-of-the-pack than elite. At his best, Wood is a solid center fielder who hits 40+ home runs a year. At his worst, he’s a plus defensive corner outfielder with power but strikes out just enough to prevent him from being in the conversation as one of the best at his position.
Pos: OF | Age: 22 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: Double-A Harrisburg
The second overall pick in 2023, Dylan Crews had a small hiccup in his pro debut, but still remains one of the top prospects in baseball. His upside is not as high as some other prospects in this system, but Crews currently has one of the highest floors in the minors. Expect him to roam the outfield for many years whenever he makes his major league debut.
Pos: SP | Age: 25 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: MLB
Cade Cavalli missed all of 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Before his injury, Cavalli was one of the most electric pitching prospects in baseball. He should be back on the mound at some point this summer, but 2025 will be his first normal year.
- Brady House
Pos: 3B | Age: 21 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: Double-A Harrisburg
The former first-round pick had his first healthy professional season in 2023. The transition to third base has largely been successful, and Brady House looks like he could be a franchise cornerstone at the hot corner. While he has huge power upside, there is a concerning amount of swing and miss in his game. The Nationals will finally let him try to play every day in 2024, setting House to debut sometime late in August 2025.
Pos: 3B | Age: 22 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: Double-A Harrisburg
The second round pick in 2023 out of the University of Miami, Yohandy Morales was a potential first-round talent that dropped to the Nationals in the second round. He flew through the minors last year and moving to first base could further accelerate his timeline, especially if Joey Meneses’s struggles continue.
Pos: OF | Age: 19 | Bats: S | Throws: R | Level: Low-A Fredericksburg
The Nationals used most of their signing pool to land the Cuban native in the 2022 international amateur signing class. The outfielder is yet to grow into his power, but he is already ahead of schedule, reaching stateside baseball in his age-18 season. If he continues to hit for no power, he is going to slide down these rankings. But the moment he hits for power the Nationals have a top 100 prospect on their hands.
- Jackson Rutledge
Pos: SP | Age: 25 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: MLB
The former first-rounder made his debut last season, allowing a 6.75 ERA in four starts. Now that Jackson Rutledge is in the majors, the key for him to stick is figuring out how to get out big league hitters. Improving his command will go a long way, but making meaningful changes to his pitch usage is what will make Rutledge a valuable member of a contending Nationals rotation.
Pos: SP | Age: 23 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Level: High-A Wilmington
A second round pick in the 2022 draft underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2023 season. He will now miss his age-23 season and will not be ready in time for the 2025 season either. When healthy, Bennett would offer upside as a solid back-of-the-rotation left-handed starter. Once he is healthy, the biggest challenge will be building up his arm to handle a major league workload.
- Travis Sykora
Pos: SP | Age: 20 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: Florida Complex
The Nationals took Travis Sykora in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft. The prep right-hander touched triple digits in high school and throws a splitter that is by far his next-best pitch. He has yet to make his professional debut, but when he does, it will likely be in a complex game this summer. With stuff like his, there is front-of-the-rotation potential, but developing a third pitch and not knowing how his arm handles a professional workload keep him from being ranked above some of the arms ahead of him.
- Daylen Lile
Pos: OF | Age: 21 | Bats: L | Throws: R | Level: High-A Wilmington
The young outfielder dominated Fredericksburg this season to the tune of .291/.381/.510 and earned a promotion to Wilmington. Once Daylen Lile got to Wilmington, he struggled, albeit in a small 40-game sample. Arm strength and power are the two tools that are holding him back from being ranked higher, but if he can tap into more game power he could join Wood and Crews to form a dominant young outfield. Depending on how the major league outfield shakes out, Lile could start the season in Harrisburg, but Wilmington is the more likely option.
- Robert Hassell III
Pos: OF | Age: 22 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Level: Double-A Harrisburg
To say 2023 did not go Robert Hassell III’s way would be an understatement. After being acquired in the Juan Soto trade, Hassell struggled a bit and then broke his hamate, ending his 2022 season. In 2023, he continued to trend backward, hitting .221/.324/.321 over 545 plate appearances. An interesting thing to watch in 2024 is his strikeout rate. While his strikeout rate skyrocketed to 31.9 percent, his bat-to-ball skills did not deteriorate to the point where that seems sustainable. Another issue is, he’s lost a lot of game power. The easiest fix would be to lower his groundball rate, which was over 54 percent this season.
Pos: OF | Age: 20 Bats: R: | Throws: R | Level: Low-A Fredericksburg
Elijah Green has the highest upside in this system. He is one of the fastest players in the system and has power that goes toe to toe with the likes of James Wood. So why is he ranked at 12? Plain and simple, he struck out in 41.6 percent of his plate appearances in 2023. The list of someone doing that and becoming a major leaguer is no one. But there is always a first, and if anyone can do it it is Elijah Green.
Victor Hurtado
Pos: OF | Age: 16 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Level: Dominican Complex
This year's big international free agent signing, Victor Hurtado carries a ton of upside. The 16-year-old D.R. native is credited with a pretty swing that generates lift. In their writeup on him, FanGraphs said his throwing from the outfield is reminiscent of future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki.
Pos: SP | Age: 23 | Bats: R | Throws: L | Level: Double-A Harrisburg
DJ Herz came over with Kevin Made in the Jeimer Candelario trade last trade deadline. The left-handed has one of the better changeups in all of the minors, and his funky delivery provides additional deception. Herz is going to strike out a ton of batters, but his command will determine whether that’s in the rotation or the bullpen.
Pos: RP | Age: 24 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: AAA
Zach Brzykcy missed all of last season with Tommy John surgery. Prior to getting hurt, Brzykcy was one of the only big breakout stories we have seen from this system in recent years. He will return sometime this summer and will be fast-tracked to the majors once he is healthy.
Pos: SP | Age: 24 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: Double-A Harrisburg
The list of players who rebounded from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is short. The hope is that with less wear and tear on his arm compared to players like Strasburg and Harvey, he recovers better. Because of age and injury history, it would not be a shock if he worked exclusively as a reliever in 2024.
Pos: OF | Age: 24 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: MLB
Jacob Young shocked many with his astronomic climb in 2023, going from High-A to the majors in one season. He is a strong defender in center and a plus baserunner, making him a valuable fourth outfielder on a contender. If he hits as well as he did in 2023, there is a good chance he is the Opening Day center fielder.
Pos: SP | Age: 20 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: Low-A Fredericksburg
Much of the hype around Jarlin Susana has worn off after a rough 2023 campaign. In his age-19 season, his strikeout rate dropped and his walk rate went up. On the bright side, this is only his age-20 season, but he needs to take a step forward if he wants to be a meaningful contributor on a contending roster.
Pos: C | Age: 26 | Bats: S | Throws: R | Level: MLB
Drew Millas suffers from the unfortunate situation that only two catchers are carried on most active rosters. He has good zone awareness and is a plus defender behind the dish. Expect him to compete for the backup catcher position in 2024, but Millas does not have the luxury of potentially moving to first base like his competition.
Pos: INF | Age: 24 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: Double-A Harrisburg
The Nationals’ best defensive minor leaguer in 2024, Trey Lipscomb comes with a high floor thanks to his defensive versatility. The former third round pick lifts the ball well, but his lack of zone awareness contributed to a 4.9 percent walk rate last season. The most likely outcome is Lipscomb comes up and is a versatile bench bat and a short-side platoon option for the Nats.
Pos: OF | Age: 23 Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: Double-A Harrisburg
Like many of the other college 2023 draftees, Andrew Pinckney flew through the minors to Double-A Harrisburg last season and he will likely begin his season there again. It’ll be interesting to see what he looks like under a larger sample size. He offers a ton of speed and a decent amount of power, but not quite enough to overcome a poor hit tool. His scouting report is reminiscent of Lane Thomas, albeit with a tad bit more power and a worse hit tool for Pinckney.
Pos: SS | Age: 23 | Bats: S | Throws: R | Level: MLB
Picked in the Rule 5 draft, Nasim Nuñez is a quality defender up the middle. With good bat-to-ball skills, a quality eye at the plate, and a good baserunner, Nuñez profiles as the perfect bench candidate. He does not have much game power, in part because of his tendency to hit the ball on the ground.
Kevin Made
Pos: SS | Age: 21 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: High-A Wilmington
The other half of the Jeimer Candelario trade, Kevin Made was trending downward before even being acquired. He has a high floor thanks to his great defense and elite arm, but if he cannot hit then he will begin to look more and more like minor-league filler. Like Nuñez, Made does not hit for much power, but that is more tied to a lack of strength. On the bright side, Made is still just 21 years old, giving him a few more years to get stronger before he becomes a non-prospect.
Pos: SP | Age: 24 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Level: Triple-A Rochester
The left-handed starter has staved off a potential bullpen role for this long, but that time may soon be coming to an end. The Nationals added him to the 40-man roster this winter, adding hope that he can become a left-handed bullpen option in the near future. When he gets that shot, look for him to throw a low to mid-90s fastball that pairs well with his curveball.
Pos: OF | Age: 22 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Level: High-A Wilmington
There is a lot to unpack with Jeremy De La Rosa. He whiffs a ton, swinging and missing over 18 percent of the time in Wilmington this year, but he still walked a good amount. The problem is that he played in one of the more power-suppressing environments in the minors in 2023, with his calling card being his power. I don’t know how much stock to put into his .685 OPS last season, he is better than that, but until the whiffs go down he’s likely not a major league contributor.
Pos: 3B | Age: 17 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: Dominican Complex
The other big name in the Nationals 2024 international amateur signing class, Angel Feliz has the largest variance on this list. A shortstop as an amateur, he is guaranteed to make a move to third base once he makes his professional debut. There is a general lack of data around Feliz, an issue with many international signings. MLB Pipeline credits him with plus bat speed and good zone awareness, two of the more important tools in order to become a solid major leaguer. Expect Feliz to either be higher on this list next year or off of it completely.
Pos: SP | Age: 21 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: High-A Wilmington
Andry Lara was a top-six prospect in the Nationals system as recently as 2022 but now is practically an afterthought when looking to the future. Part of that is a testament to how much of an overhaul and additional talent has joined the organization. In 98.1 innings last year, Lara allowed a 4.58 ERA and struck out just 15.1 percent of the batters he faced. He keeps the ball on the ground, but not enough to overcome that strikeout rate. Thankfully, he is still just 21, so he has plenty of time to get his prospect status back on track.
Pos: C | Age: 24 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: Double-A Harrisburg
2023 was largely a lost season for Israel Pineda, who managed only 153 plate appearances this season. He has been jumped internally by Millas, so at best, Pineda plays himself into being traded or as a third-string catcher behind one of the two current backups. Even when healthy, Pineda did not look particularly good at the plate, hitting .153/.215/.214 in 107 plate appearances at Double-A.
Pos: 2B | Age: 25 | Bats: L | Throws: R | Level: Triple-A Rochester
Son of the Hall of Fame manager, Darren Baker has been better than you’d expect from a 10th-round selection. He plays second base and left field exclusively but does not have the power that would be required from a corner outfielder. As a left-handed, light-hitting second baseman, there is not much of a role for Baker with the Nationals, but he is solid depth for the organization.
Pos: 3B | Age: 19 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Level: Low-A Fredericksburg
At age 18, Jorgelys Mota lit up the FCL, earning a promotion to Low-A Fredericksburg, all before he turns 19 at the beginning of June. He has a knack for pulling the ball, and the key for him is to be able to consistently pull the ball in the air. He would be ranked higher if he did not whiff over 36 percent of the time during his hot streak in Florida.
