On Saturday morning, we started to analyze a 2028 futuristic look at the Washington Nationals roster as presented by Prospects Live. They are a site that covers amateur prospects and minor leaguers — not a Nats-specific site. This is a roster 2¼ years into the future, and even before the 2026 roster is set. Based on that, it is also the final team-controlled year of CJ Abrams future with the Nats.
Here is what we posted yesterday on X .com:
The first observation is that James Wood didn’t appear in the Prospects Live graphic, and they made the mention that he is the DH in their scenario. They also only used players under team-control in 2028. So let’s go position-by-position on this futuristic look.
Catcher
Going with Keibert Ruiz at catcher over Harry Ford is a head-scratcher from a site that evaluates minor league top prospects. That was not a good start by Prospects Live given that Ruiz was the first name at the top of their graphic.
For those who don’t follow prospect rankings, Ford is the №2 prospect currently in the Nats system, and FanGraphs is already projecting Ford ahead of Ruiz in WAR value.
First Base
Yes, Ethan Petry makes a lot of sense here, although Yohandy “YoYo” Morales is a lot closer to an MLB debut at this point in time. But on the prospect charts, Petry has moved ahead of Morales in most rankings. And on MLB Pipeline today, Petry is ranked at №10 while Morales dropped to №21. Both were former fringe first rounders in their draft classes and dropped to the 2nd round and picked by the Nationals in 2025 and 2023 respectively.
A real possibility exists where the Nats could acquire a first baseman via free agency or a trade in the near-future. That could also change this picture dramatically. Both Petry and Morales are right-handed, and if the Nats did get a left-handed first baseman, that could set-up some shared playing time. Petry also plays the corner outfield, and Morales can play third base. That gives some positional flexibility also.
One other name as a wild card for that far into the future is Wood with that big body and long arms and legs, he sure looks like a first baseman. But he hasn’t played there since high school, so that seems like a long-shot, but who knows since we are talking about 2028.
Second Base
Prospects Live has Luke Dickerson who came out of the gates en fuego then was hit on the hand by a pitch and sat out a few games, and never got back to form for the remainder of his 2025 season at Single-A Fredericksburg. He’s a 2024 draft pick taken in the 2nd round and was paid a massive signing bonus that set a record for a non-first-rounder at $3.8 million.
Also, Prospects Live put CJ Abrams in centerfield which seemed “forced” as a roster decision. If Abrams is still on the roster in 2028, wouldn’t he play second base? Most likely he will be traded before that if his contract is not extended.
But what about the Nats No. 1 draft pick from the 2024 class, Seaver King, who was taken as a shortstop from Wake Forest. He is probably the closest middle infielder from the top prospects list to make an MLB debut. He finished his season in the Arizona Fall League — and did well, after some struggles adjusting to Double-A baseball in the 2025 season.
Shortstop
The Nats №1 pick in the 2025 draft was the 17-year-old high school shortstop, Eli Willits. That makes sense to think he could make his MLB debut around September of 2027, and be the Opening Day shortstop in 2028. He was taken at №1 overall in the draft, and is ranked on all boards as the Nats’ top prospect.
Of course King and Dickerson will be the prospect competition to debut before Willits and challenge him for the shortstop spot. Time will tell on this.
Third Base
There really is no challenger from the ranks to take third base away from Brady House. It’s his job to prove that he is the third baseman of the future. While he struggled in his first season in the MLB on offense, House showed that he is capable of handling the “hot corner” defensively.
As a shortstop on his draft day out of high school in 2021, the Nats converted House to third base. Again, the glove works, the bat has to step up, or House might not make the list for 2028.
One competitor from the top prospects list is Coy James who was drafted from high school in 2025 as a shortstop and most evaluators see him as a future third baseman. We should see James matriculate to Single-A Fredericksburg in the 2026 season. Another name fell off the list from when he was in the Top-10 just a year ago — and that was Cayden Wallace who was acquired in the Hunter Harvey trade from the Royals in mid-2024. Can he find what he once had?
Left Field
On the graphic, Prospects Live chose Daylen Lile over James Wood for left field. That makes sense in this scenario with Wood shifted to the DH. If Lile hits like he did in September for 12 more years, he will be a superstar. If. That is the key word.
Also of note, Lile looked much better on defense in left field after his struggles playing right field for the first couple of months of his MLB career.
Center Field
Prospects Live put Abrams in center field over Jacob Young who would still be under team-control into at least the 2029 season. Also, Christian Franklin, the team’s №13 prospect, is the highest ranked outfielder on the prospect list, and he will compete for the spot. Additionally, there is Robert Hassell III, the team’s one-time highest ranked prospect who hasn’t been able to consistently hit since he was traded to the Nats from the Padres in the Juan Soto deal in 2021.
There are plenty of names on that list. You have to figure one of them is the future center fielder or it could be Dylan Crews who we will discuss next.
Right Field
This seems like the right spot for Dylan Crews if he can show that his bat is good enough to keep him in the corner outfield. His defense is excellent, and Crews should compete for a Gold Glove. His range, arm strength and accuracy, make him an asset in right field. The former №2 overall pick in the 2023 draft must show that he can hit at the MLB level.
Crews will be a top storyline for the 2026 season and beyond with the new coaching as to whether he can step up to his potential as the best hitter in that 2023 draft class. So far, his bat has been a disappointment.
Designated Hitter
While James Wood didn’t appear in the Prospects Live graphic, they mentioned that he would be the DH. That seems to make some sense while Wood could also compete for left field and maybe even first base with that 6’7 frame.
Starting Rotation
In the graphic, Prospects Live named their five starters with Cade Cavalli, Travis Sykora, Jarlin Susana, Alex Clemmey, and Brad Lord. One glaring omission is that the newly acquired Luis Perales is not in the starting rotation or the bullpen. If you go from prospect rankings, Sykora, Susana, and Perales are the Top-3 with Clemmey right behind them in the rankings.
Another name to watch is Landon Harmon, a prep star pitcher with fringe first round talent who the Nats paid a massive $2.5 million bonus as a 3rd round pick (80th overall) in the top of that round. While Harmon is probably arriving as a starter in 2029, you never know what the team decides to do. Miguel Sime Jr. was also from the 2025 draft out of high school. He was in the top of the list of prep arms in the draft. Plus the Nats picked up other starters at this years trade deadline and last year for added depth.
Also, Lord, Susana, and Perales could all end up in the bullpen, and that is what we discuss next.
Bullpen
The Prospects Live graphic only shows three names in that 2028 bullpen. They have Cole Henry as the closer with Pablo Aldonis (spelled incorrectly in the graphic), and PJ Poulin as the set-up guys. No mention of Clayton Beeter or Jackson Rutledge. And as we said, Lord, Susana, and Perales could all factor into a 2028 bullpen scenario.
Maybe someday the Nats will have a Top-5 bullpen. The closest they came to that was in 2012. And of course the Nats won a World Series in 2019 by picking up Daniel Hudson at the trade deadline, and putting Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, and Max Scherzer in key bullpen appearances in that postseason run to the championship.
Extra Innings Thoughts
Kudos to Prospects Live for their effort here. This was fun to look at. They swung & missed on Ford and Perales as well as not putting Wood into their lineup in the graphic. But overall, they did a good job to start the discussion.
With the new coaches infused into the Nats system along with upgrading most of the player development personnel and internal systems, there could be some major upwards movement for Nats prospects. Remember, Paul Toboni said, “I think it starts with creating a scouting and player development monster.”
There are other names we hope will enter the discussion from the current minor league system. Think of all of the top prospects who have slid back or even off the list. When we talk about shortstops, there is Angel Feliz. For center field, there are Cristhian Vaquero and Sam Petersen. And Caleb Lomavita is a viable catcher who was the top catching prospect in the 2024 draft class. What about T.J. White at DH or Orelvis Martinez for the infield. There are so many names from the international classes like Armando Cruz and Victor Hurtado who fell off the Top-30 farm rankings. With a newly revamped system that won’t favor players based on bonus pedigree, maybe we will see some players move up that rankings ladder and into MLB stardom.
You have to wonder if MacKenzie Gore is traded “soonish” for a key prospect or two who would impact this graphic. That is how fast things can change when you are looking 2¼ years into the future!
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