Top 10 Washington Nationals Prospects

Well, as we head into the final month of 2020, let's turn the page on 2020 and look ahead to 2021.

The people at Baseball America have released their top ten Washington Nationals prospects. At the end of the article, we share our thoughts on the list.

#10 - Wil Crowe | RHP
Born: September 9, 1994
Drafted: 2017
Baseball America's Scouting Report: Crowe didn't trust his stuff in his first major league outings, but the Nationals believe he has a future as a possible No. 5 starter or relief option. Crowe's fastball sits at 91-93 mph and touches 95. He can spin an average slider and curveball and shows the makings of a changeup with average potential, as well. Crowe's stuff is average, but he's a tough competitor who has better command than he showed in his major league debut. He fell into too many deep counts and nibbled too much in his first taste of major league play.

#9 - Mason Denaburg | RHP
Born: August 8, 1999
Drafted: 2018
Baseball America's Scouting Report: When healthy, Denaburg has a 91-94 mph fastball that touches 97. He didn't show that velocity in his pro debut, but he impressed team officials with his progression during his recovery. Rehab pitching coordinator Mark Grater sent a video to colleagues who say Denaburg has built up his body and is in the best shape he's been.

Denaburg also has a high-spin, upper-70s curveball that shows above-average potential. His developing changeup has the potential to be average. Denaburg is a good athlete who caught and pitched in high school and fields his position well. He has to prove he can get to fringe-average control.

#8 - Eddy Yean | RHP
Born: June 25, 2001
Drafted: 2017
Baseball America's Scouting Report: Eddy Yean is a big, powerful pitcher who is aggressive and still growing. He has an explosive fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touches 97 mph with late life. He throws both a four-seam fastball and a two-seamer to keep batters guessing which one they'll see. Yean's slider is a little slurvy at this point but gets swings and misses and shows above-average potential, especially if he can firm it up. His changeup is improving as well and could be an average pitch in time. Yean has a clean, three-quarters arm slot and a feel for making adjustments.

#7 - Tim Cate | LHP
Born: September 30, 1997
Drafted: 2018
Baseball America's Scouting Report: Cate is undersized but has shown moxie at each level he's pitched. He maintains a consistent effort level and has a smooth delivery. By moving the ball to all quadrants of the strike zone, he's able to stay away from hitters' barrels. That's important because his fastball is a fringy offering that lives in the 89-90 mph range. It plays up some with his ability to cut and sink it. Cate's curveball is his signature pitch as a hammer in the low 80s that he has an exceptional feel to command. His changeup made great strides at the alternate site and began flashing above-average. Cate is an excellent strike-thrower who can locate his pitches to both sides of the plate.

#6 - Jeremy De La Rosa | OF
Born: Born: January 16, 2002
Drafted: 2018
Baseball America's Scouting Report: De la Rosa has already learned how to get into a good hitting position. He gets on plane early and looks to drive the ball on a line. Like several young hitters in the system, he has taken to imitating National League batting champion Juan Soto’s two-strike approach. De la Rosa has juice in his bat and can hit high-velocity fastballs to all fields. He has made progress at laying off breaking balls out of the strike zone. He’s a plus athlete who looks like an NFL wide receiver when he runs down fly balls. He’s capable of playing all three outfield positions.

#5 - Andry Lara | RHP
Born: Jan 6, 2003
Drafted: 2019
Baseball America's Scouting Report: Andry Lara is a 6-foot-5 righthander who throws his 92-96 mph fastball downhill with little effort. He has a quick arm and still has room to get stronger and add more velocity to his fastball. His slider is developing and shows the potential to be a swing-and-miss pitch. He also shows a feel for a nascent sinking changeup. Lara has a big frame he will have to maintain, but he has generally been a solid-strike thrower to this point in his career.

#4 - Yasel Antuna | SS
Born: October 26, 1999
Drafted: 2016
Baseball America's Scouting Report: Clear from the Tommy John surgery and leg injuries that kept him off the field for nearly two years, Antuna showed what he can do when healthy. The switch-hitter has plus bat speed, a relaxed approach and a repeatable swing from both sides of the plate. He hits home runs to all fields from both sides and has no problem catching up to upper-90s velocity.

He has among the best strike-zone judgment in the system and an advanced two-strike approach. He also showed improved ability to recognize and hit offspeed pitches. Antuna’s future positional home is up for question.

He has improved his footwork and exchanges around second base to give him a better chance to stay in the middle infield. He’ll remain a shortstop for now but may move to a corner as he gets bigger.

#3 - Cole Henry | RHP
Born: July 15, 1999
Drafted: 2020
Baseball America's Scouting Report: Henry is a big, physical righthander with power stuff. His plus four-seam fastball sits at 94 mph and touches 97. He also has a two-seamer with solid sink in the mid 90s. Henry’s curveball flashes the depth and power to be an above-average pitch as a top-to-bottom, 12-to-6 offering. His fading changeup has flashed plus as well. Henry flashes premium stuff, but it’s not consistent and he has outings where he can’t put hitters away. He struggles to land his secondaries in the strike zone, allowing batters to sit on his fastball and drive it. Henry is a fiery competitor who goes right after hitters. The Nationals are excited about the tall pitcher’s frame and how his arm works.

#2 - Jackson Rutledge | RHP
Born: April 1, 1999
Drafted: 2019
Baseball America's Scouting Report: Rutledge is an intimidating, aggressive pitcher with a high-90s fastball and a wipeout slider. Both are plus pitches that draw swings and misses, and he complements them with a curveball and changeup that are average, usable offerings. Rutledge stays tall on the mound and uses a compact arm action. The ball appears to come out of his shoulder and gets on hitters quickly with explosive life. He’s a decent athlete who improved in 2020 at slowing things down and pitching under control, helping him throw more strikes. Rutledge does a good job of holding baserunners. He prides himself on his craft and eagerly studies analytics.

#1 - Cade Cavalli | RHP
Born: August 14, 1998
Drafted: 2020
Baseball America's Scouting Report: Cavalli accurately described himself on draft night as a blend of power and pitchability. His fastball sits in the mid 90s with ease and touches 98 mph. More than just a thrower, he complements his heater with an array of impressive secondaries. His slider is a devastating offering at 87-90 mph with impressive tilt and gets swings and misses against both lefties and righties. His curveball is a hard downer that hitters don’t see well, and he can manipulate his changeup to throw it with diving action and either sink or run. He has an efficient delivery and elite makeup. As a former Big 12 Conference first baseman, he has plenty of athleticism and good body control.

Cavalli’s father Brian was a catcher at Oklahoma and in the Angels’ system, so Cade has also seen the game from the other side of the battery. The reason he was still available at No. 22 overall is he got hit more in college than his raw stuff would suggest, in part because he lacks deception and his control can be erratic.

The Nationals like the work Cavalli did with coach Skip Johnson and the rest of the Sooners staff, so any tweaks they’ve made have been minor. Cavalli has a strong work ethic and a desire to not just make the majors but to become a regular all-star.

Thoughts on the list

Pitchers

The majority of the prospects on this list focuses on pitching. There are only two prospects that play a position other than Pitcher. It would be smart for the Washington Nationals to improve their depth in different positions such as catcher, first base, and second base.

Are any of these starters or Relievers?

Time will only tell how the pitching prospects will turn out, but since there are many pitchers, the law of averages tells us that many of them will be successful. From the list and reports, it looks like Cade Cavalli and Jackson Rutledge are not only going to be great starters in the league, and it could be only a year or two that we see them at a Major League level.

Right Handed Pitchers a Plenty

There are a lot of right-handed pitchers on this list again. A majority of the prospects are right-handed, and there is only one left-handed prospect. The pitching prospects should be a bit more diverse between left-handed and right-handed prospects. Hopefully, if the Nationals draft more pitchers in future drafts, we will see some left-handed pitchers on future top prospect lists.