Last year the Washington Nationals drafted Brady House in the first round, hoping that he would be a valuable piece of the Nationals’ future, especially after Trea Turner went out to the Dodgers and who knows where next. With early indications of how House has performed, it seems that the first-round pick will fulfill Rizzo’s mindset and objectives.
After signing an above-slot bouns with the Washington Nationals last year and then reported to Florida where he appeared in 16 games and 59 at-bats for the Complex League's Gulf Coast Nationals checking in with a batting average of .322, an OPS of .970 a slugging percentage of .576 with 12 RBIs, four home runs,
Now, with the Fredericksburg Nationals, House has seven RBIs, one home run, a batting average of .500, and an OPS of 1.242. House has had 22 at-bats in only five games.
I like what I see so far; he’s a very humble kid, he wants to get better every day, and we have our conversations, and he is fun to watch.
Fredricksburg Nationals Manager Jake Lowery via the Nats Report
Many observers believe that if House continues on his current pace, he will be moving from Fredericksburg to a higher level in the Nationals’ minor league system very quickly.
However, House will need to work on one agenda item if he wants to rise through the Nationals farm system quickly is his defense at shortstop. According to reports, and even himself, House said that he took a “studious” approach during spring training to learn the shortstop position better. Last year, in rookie ball, House committed four errors throughout 16 games, and so far this season for the Fredericksburg Nationals, he has only committed two.
“Understanding how to play the position at shortstop, he’s got a lot of work to do there,” said De Jon Watson, Washington’s director of player development told the Fredricksburg Freelance Star. “There’s going to be some growing into the position. It’s going to be a collaboration.”
In an interview with the Nats Report, Fredricksburg Nationals Manager Jake Lowery discussed how Brady is performing with the team and what it has been like getting an up-close and personal look at the shortstop “He looks good. It’s a big test for him, having a full season, and getting his first full season under his belt, you don’t know how long it is going to take every first-rounder, every player at all, how many years it is going to take him to get to the big leagues. I like what I see so far; he’s a very humble kid, he wants to get better every day, and we have our conversations, and he is fun to watch.”
Lowery told the Freelance Star "For me, just taking it one day at a time for him, not telling him a timeline or anything like that," when discussing his impression of the first-rounder on and off the field.
In a recent interview with the Fredricksburg Freelance Star, Brady House talked about his recent rise from player to a first-round pick for the Nationals. “That’s when I kind of made my decision,” he said. “If the draft was an opportunity for me, I was going to take it. And I ended up doing it.” House later said to the Freelance Star “I’m just making the most of every day, whether I’m here for a long time or however long it takes."
No matter where Brady is headed next, all eyes will be on the shortstop and how fast it will take him to reach the majors. Either way, it's going to be a fun ride.