Photo by Jake Stephens/TalkNats

The TalkNats readers get a jump on many things, courtesy of Ghost and others, and folks like Sao who have their own niches. So I happily pitched in a Top-50 last September 15, just prior to the Arizona Fall League (AFL) and the offseason. And I thank Ghost and Co. for asking me to do that again, now, as we begin Spring Training.

And what an offseason. The Nationals made some big moves, but on the surface, they were altogether enigmatic. Let’s face it: the front office executives, Paul Toboni and Ani Kilambi, did not acquire high-end starting or relief pitching from among the free agent marketplace (with all due consideration of Foster Griffin or Miles Mikolas), did not bring the “leader” to Washington who many wanted, and did not acquire an established everyday first baseman.

But what the Nationals have done, more than anything, is handcraft an organization with an entire developmental overhaul. Be it scouting, teaching, coaching, equipment, and development, from the international academy at the bottom to the major leagues at the top. The hires have been bold on a totally different level, the most notable of which has been Blake Butera as MLB manager. Peering beyond the optics, the team’s decision to install a highly accomplished developmental mind combined with the knowledge of how to manage winning baseball (Butera’s unbelievable minor league record) and a relatable, humble personality is a template for the entire organization and how its talent meets 2026.

With that in mind, it’s been five months since my last installment of a Top-50, and all of our fellow TalkNats enthusiasts recognize there has been a talent influx into the system. Notably, the players coming in have a particular fit with the vision of the developmental staff. So if there is any orienting you to who is a better “prospect,” as in candidate to advance, consider that the Nationals braintrust specifically brought these people in for only that reason. That is why I have ranked some of those you will see higher than expected. What this regime has been brought in to do is to build a robust, even dominant farm system and pool of talent. We have seen early returns all winter, and even in the more obscure transactions that are otherwise overlooked. But this list #1) values the players that the Nationals themselves have shown they value.

Then, there are the holdovers. It is clear from those brought in that #2) this current organization values high baseball IQ, high work ethic, leader types, athletic players, highly coachable players, popular players. So I’ve studied those we have for those qualities, and for what they did over the offseason. People that best embody those qualities are ranked higher.

Next, I’ve considered #3) the list of those invited to the instructional camp in January. The list is not all-inclusive. The 50-odd players invited to “The Ball” also included all of the minor league draftees, so it was as much indoctrination for some as it was developmental and polishing for others. But that’s a list that heavily weighs on prospect pedigree, with all due consideration to personal reasons for why others were not invited.

Names come and go, forgotten quickly. And sometimes they re-emerge, perhaps after injuries heal, managers change, a winter in the baseball lab, or they simply grow up, as Steven Souza did when he saved his career one offseason. I’ve looked for that as well.

Prospects suddenly ripen just as they fade – progression in no linear curve. I am less moved, in my own rankings, by age. Rather, #4) I consider trajectory and evidence for progression of important skills that translate into an impact major league role. My metric for this is the “TRF.” Long before he was on any prospect list, and he never was, actually, Tanner Roark demonstrated that he had turned a corner in AAA and was taking on all comers and had taken a big next step. He was eventually brought up and had a very successful run with the Nationals. Daylen Lile embodies that huge leap forward from last year at this time, when he was not even part of the conversation.

#5) Impact is a key word; players who are slated for no more than a utility role are not worth ranking, in my opinion, because the current labor market means you can get an established major leaguer to be a bench player for a bit more money, and buy their experience and established clubhouse identity as well. To break through as a prospect on this list, you have to have the goods to be a starting player, starting pitcher, or high leverage reliever. So I admit to that bias as well, up front.

For that reason, #6) I am looking at the nature of impact players are having on the field. You gotta produce. And until you do, you’re a veritable white whale to me. Indeed there are players who produce who are not expected to produce at higher levels because their tools do not apparently show they can. I respect that. But I will try not to overthink that. Jacob Young, for example, was discounted at every level until he was starring on the field in his rookie year and convinced others he belonged.

Next, I will not be wedded to signing bonuses. We’ve all lived Lucius Fox and Yasel Antuna. So if you’re expecting Victor Hurtado here, well, check back in five months if his performance warrants it.

Finally, #7 until players have hit the field and shown what they can do in game conditions, I can’t rank them, period. I’ve lived though enough Sammy Infante, Mason Denaburg, Elijah Green, Drew Mendoza — stop! Just get out and produce. Am I excited that Miguel Sime throws 102? Sure? Does it herald a future? Not until he gets guys out on the field and does so without turning into the next arm on the injury shelf. So while I know full well that a bevy of draftees have not yet seen the field in formal game action, I’ll leave it to the self-styled scouts to hype. They are better qualified than I, and I come from the land of show-me.

So as always, enjoy. Feel free to educate me about your own preferences and explain why, because that is what we do best here. There are those who unfailingly throw tomatoes, and remind me that my own white whale was once Sheldon Neuse. Yes it was! And I continue to refine how I look at prospects to this day. Everyone misses on projections, even stock pickers, so why should this be any different?

To you, I offer thanks for considering my comments, and I invite your best arguments (considering the above) for why someone was ranked too high, or too low. It’s all about the discussion. We’ll see who’s right at the end of the year ?.

Enjoy the spring, be loved, may this entire list turn into Tanner Roarks and Daylen Liles, and go Nats!

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1. Eli Willits – His debut in Fredericksburg showcased Willits’ confidence for the pro game, his grasp of playing smart in the moment, and his aggressive style. Above all, he showed himself ready to stick at shortstop and with a hit tool to carry him to an everyday major league role. All at age 17. Impressive yes. Even moreso were Willits’ numbers in close games and with teammates on base. 

Not every 1:1 and precocious low A baller ends up being Juan Soto. Willits was basically a singles hitter (so was Daylen Lile) and capable shortstop with excellent contact rates. Destined to be a starting shortstop in the bigs? Yes, one can see that. Superstar? One has to squint a bit to get to even Trea Turner class. But when you consider that he was playing in Low A at 17, and more than holding his own, you know that our beloved Trea wasn’t this advanced, at that age. Moreover, for all the hype of Ethan Salas and his precociousness, he had never shown he can hit. Willits has.

Willits also happens to be is a determinedly hard worker who used the offseason to build up his lower half and bulk. Does this translate into more power? Bryce Harper and Victor Robles pumped up going into a season, but their numbers fell flat when they fell off because of their bulk.

There is an element of Willits that has one hoping that exuberance goes beyond what high picks do – convince you that you are seeing something before you actually see it. Even as it seems so, there is so much middle infield talent in the Nats system now that nothing will be handed to Eli Willits, and that’s good thing. Elite competition refined him to outflank bigger names, and Willis won’t wilt now, either.

2. Harry Ford – Since being drafted 12^th in 2021, one spot after Brady House, Harrison Ford has been a high-profile prospect. Given his steady but deliberate ascent in the Mariners’ system, one can be forgiven for prospect fatigue in the case of the one-time top Seattle prospect. But Ford, still only 22, has both improving skills and a work ethic that reflects in his improving defense and in the patience of on-base percentages consistently over .400. He comes with other unexpected bells and whistles, such as speed and base stealing success exceptional for a catcher.

Along his pro baseball journey, Ford has earned a reputation as a leader and very popular teammate. He will have to bring that maturity and a continuing improved defensive game to set himself apart from the current Nats catchers. But if Ford is going to make it anywhere, the Nationals are a perfect opportunity. No one has seized the defensive part of the job, and Ford’s right-handed bat, his plate patience, his emerging power, base-stealing speed, and overall leadership are all neat fits into the Nationals lineup.

Of the incoming rookies, Ford has the easiest pathway to a starting role, and with it, a chance to bring other benefits to the organization if he ripens into a Rookie of the Year contender. The Nationals parted with Jose A. Ferrer, a pitcher Simon Matthews was excited to coach, to get Ford. That should tell you how essential the Nationals felt it was to snag Ford before another organization did. He has the most obvious path to impacting the Nationals in 2026 and 2027, and for that, I’m voting Ford ‘26.

3. Alex Clemmey – We’ve been talking about Clemmey long enough that people forget he came into the Nationals’ system as a low A pitcher in 2024. Still only 20, he figures to re-enter AA after a big step forward through high A Wilmington. His detractors understandably point to a walk rate that can’t sustain at over 6 per nine innings. That’s a good point, but at Wilmington, hitters only batted .182 off him in 87 innings – he gave up more walks than hits, and with 11.6 K’s per nine innings. All of that at age 19. For some perspective, Susana had less command at that age and was far more hittable at low A. Travis Sykora didn’t even throw a pitch for the Nationals until age 20.

When I watched Clemmey pitch against the Mets in the Nationals future stars game last spring, he was the most interesting and dominating arm I saw. He is fun to watch on the mound, as he pitches like a mean, cold gunslinger and rises to the stage. By year’s end, he was in AA, with numbers that looked like a struggle. But his last three starts in AA were particularly stronger, overcoming his getting tattooed in his first Harrisburg start. Clemmey ended the year with three starts, 17.2 innings, only 11 hits allowed, a 2.09 ERA, 5 walks and 15 strikeouts. Two of those games were against Akron, one the best teams in the league.

I’m bullish on Clemmey, notwithstanding his rawness, and see him in the major league starting rotation before Sykora or Susana. You’d be right to call me on being an Expos fan and always dreaming on the return of Randy Johnson. But the organization has never had a long-limbed fireballing lefty TOR starter since. I’m willing to envision that is where Clemmey is headed.

4. Jarlin Susana – The focus on Susana’s repeated injuries in 2025 obscures what he did show as a AA starter – sustaining the well-over 100MPH fastball, a devastating slider that is one of the best in all the minor leagues, the capacity to run up strikeouts. Susana’s age 21 year showed him to come back from his UCL strain with even more dominance and better control over a seven start stretch – peaking with a five inning, 13 strikeout, 2 walk churn through the Erie Seawolves (featuring Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark, and Josue Briceno) on August 19. And then, the 6’6, 280 pound behemoth went down with the lat injury for which he had surgery.

There is no such thing as a prospect who cannot take the field. We know nothing of the current stage or prognosis for Susana, other than that he will not be able to start 2026. Noah Syndegaard came back from a lat tear early in his career to have a couple of excellent seasons, and post-surgical rehab is nine years downstream from there. Susana, Sykora, Alex Rosario, and several other prospects demonstrate that the Nats’ hiring of a medical/rehab staff will be as important as any other aspect of their development plan. In Susana’s case, the task may be all the more complex with his elbow being in the condition it is in.

I actually ranked Susana lower because I have a more guarded view of his prognosis. How long will it take for him to look like he can help a championship-aspiring team? 2026? 2027? He is throwing from 60 feet, still scheduled to be back “sometime this summer.” Were I not to have seen the unpredictable course of Nats of recent years, I’d view Susana as the best true superstar the Nationals have in the minor leagues right now. Unfortunately, I’ve had my heart broken by Christian Garcia, Koda Glover, Taylor Jordan and of course our beloved Steven Strasburg. Anytime I hear, “It’s complicated,” it reminds me of the girls I never bet on no matter how hot they were.

5. Sam Petersen – Since his selection in the eighth round of the 2024 draft and delayed introduction to the field, Sam Petersen has been under the radar in prospect discussions. He has since commanded relevance and is showcasing the all-around game that make him an outfielder to watch at Harrisburg in 2026.

In Peterson’s first full season at Wilmington, he was a true star on a team where many a prospect statistically underdelivers. With a line of .297/.398/.490, Petersen struck out only 31 times in 172 plate appearances. He played a capable center field and threw out four baserunners in only 29 games there. On top of that, Petersen was 18 for 18 in stolen base attempts across 44 games in the Sally League.

The Nationals took note and gave Petersen more run in the AFL. All he did there was take things to another level of power, delivering some high velocity shots and a .305/.391/.542 line, though his strikeouts ticked up. Let’s see how developmental staff can continue the ripening of Petersen, and hopefully he does not lose contact in aiming at power as we heard of from other Nats minor league hitters. For now, Petersen has shown himself to have more power and speed than expected, and an aggressiveness on the field that risks his health but leads by example. I see Petersen as a continuing riser who will start every day in the majors for someone if he can stay consistently healthy. Hopefully that someone is the Nationals.

6. Andrew Pinckney – Pinckney is a player on the verge. Overshadowed by Dylan Crews and the higher profile Robert Hassell, passed by the meteoric rise of Daylen Lile, he’s overlooked in discussions of Nats of years to come. Of course, his high strikeout tally hasn’t helped him. In 2025, his first full year at AAA at age 24, Pinckney muddled unproductively until June 20. From that point through the end of his season, he strung together 229 at bats of a .318 batting average, striking out in less than 30% of his plate appearances while hitting 13 home runs and .537 slugging in the dog days of a losing team. With 34 stolen bases in 39 tries, he added even more value on offense. He plays capably across the outfield and has thrown out 16 runners over the past two years. We’ve already seen a missile assist from right field this spring.

Pinckney may not be ticketed for Washington in 2026; with the depth at the major league 40-man roster, he does not have to be. But he has been playing like someone who will force the conversation of his next stop in 2026. Baseball America, despite ranking Pinckney modestly behind seemingly shinier toys in the Nats system, acknowledges that across the board, his tools have only improved since being drafted, with the exception of his hit tool (which is a harsh 30). That’s 55 power, 70 run, 55 field, and 80, yes 80 arm – one of the strongest throwing arms in the minor leagues.

These are good problems to have with a player who has always been appreciated for his tools and is now clearly sharpening them. The best is yet to come from a player, awarded last year for playing “The Nationals Way,” and now enjoying his first spring invite with the big boys.

7. Yeremy Cabrera – It’s a little early to write off a highly valued prospect at age 20. So Cabrera gets a change of scenery after a more modest offensive showing in 2025, followed by a trade from the Rangers to the Nationals. But a longer view reveals a player with a two-year run of enormous production in 2023-24 after starting his professional career at 16.

Cabrera finished 2024 as an exciting, tooled up outfielder who tore up the Arizona Complex League at age 18 before cooling off as an 18-year-old after his promotion to low A. In 2025, Cabrera played the most games of his career. His overall batting line tailed off to .256/.364/.366. Longenhagen at Fangraphs, who evaluated him in June, warned that Cabrera was struggling with spin at the upper level and the launch angle of his swing was contributing to a surge in his strikeouts. And that makes sense, because at that point he had 45 strikeouts in 183 at bats. Perhaps someone influential read the article, because Cabrera’s strikeout ratio then substantially improved over the next two months.

More intriguingly, Cabrera illustrated other qualities that you either have or you don’t. Fangraphs observed him to “haul ass with reckless abandon” into the gaps of center field, and he had 8 assists from center field in only 94 games. His overall stolen base total jumped to 43, with only 4 CS, in only 102 games. A high on base percentage benefitted from a career high 14 HBP. And, Cabrera grounded into only two double plays in 451 plate appearances.

To my particular liking, this young man who was playing the most games of his career, was playing CF with reckless abandon, was hit by pitches over and over, and was making 47 stolen base attempts actually hit his stride at the plate and with his power in his last 125 plate appearances, batting .293/.384/.560. Even with the ups and downs of his 2025, Cabrera’s contact rate took a big jump up to 75.9%, the best of his career.

At age 20, there is plenty of time for him to regain his 2024 form and be that Nats outfielder that takes an offensive step forward with new coaching and approach. In July 2024, Longengahen wrote of Cabrera, “If you catch Cabrera on the right day, he looks like a mini Juan Soto…. this is a player who’s really fun to scout in person and on the spreadsheet, and one of the more fascinating young hitters in the minors. I like what’s happening here enough to have the equivalent of a mid-first round draft grade on Cabrera. He’s freaky in mostly good ways and has legit plus bat speed.” Cabrera does not have the star measurables of Elijah Green, but he is a ball of clay that is ready to be molded at Wilmington.

You might say that none of Cabrera and Fitz-Gerald and Ortiz would have been available without a crack to create reasonable doubt as to their ceiling. Rosario is of course a more obvious example. But the hopium of the Gore trade is that if Cabrera and co. return to their respective earlier trajectories, and at young ages, the Nats will have a slew of controllable starting (or even more) caliber players that one can win a championship with. That would be a spectacular return for Gore.

8. Seaver King – His 2025 at Harrisburg was so underwhelming that many (especially myself) forgot what King did right. Indeed King had played his way to a promotion from Wilmington by early June, despite a dramatic dropoff in his extra base pop and strikeout rates that were much higher than college, and even his promising start at Fredericksburg the year before.

Once he got to Harrisburg, the strikeouts went up, the on base average way down, and King was punchless. Yes, he was awarded by the Nats as “Baserunner of the Year,” but most had more lofty expectations. To Nats fans who’ve been disappointed by high draft pick-high international signee position players too many times before, it was, “Here we go again.”

To their credit, the DeBartolo braintrust sent King off to Fall School. If what they had in mind was a reset with exposure to fresh coaching and a fresh start, the idea was brilliant. King was a revelation in the AFL, flashing excellent shortstop defense to go along with a batting line .359/.468/.563 that evoked his eye-popping numbers in summer ball and at tiny Wingate College. He took his walks once more, played with charismatic energy, and was effective as expected on the basepaths, again a high IQ and confident player.

Now coming into his age 23 season and at Harrisburg to start, King has a head start on re-establishing himself as the Nationals shortstop of the future. He’s in camp with the major leaguers now. Soaking it up may be more relevant than mere grooming. CJ Abrams remains the Nationals best trade chip, and Seaver King will have as much as anyone to say about the longer-term commitment that Nationals make to Abrams and/or Luis Garcia. King knew the Nationals had drafted Eli Willits, and had begun to stock their middle infield pond when he began the 2025 fall league. He responded with his best professional showing, and under the challenge of playing among stars. These facts speak to his character and resilience.

In so doing, King reminded the baseball world that he was drafted because of comparisons to Mookie Betts. Mike Rizzo is long gone, as is the batting direction that may have misguided King and others. But for King, he enters 2026 without a ceiling in place, and the pressures of those levels below who are themselves talented and keeping the pot boiling.

9. Angel Feliz – For years, Johnny DiPuglia rode the Juan Soto success story to a longer-term stint with the Nationals. But the whispers of little international yield since 2016 grew louder and culminated in the 2023 unmitigated disaster that finished with an 11-39 won loss record. The team “featured” high profile signings Andy Acevedo, Scooby Solano and Manuel Cabrera, all of whom sank dramatically to the bottom of the Caribbean Sea (It’s worth noting that Tejeda, as a 17-year old, hit .139 for the same team).

After that, to say the 2024 DSL work of all-star Angel Feliz was welcome is an understatement. That big year is in the rear-view mirror of 2024. Post-2025, Feliz is approaching age 19 as a graduate of the FCL and full year away from the Dominican cocoon. What do we have here?

At West Palm, the Nationals played Feliz in the middle infield with Luke Dickerson. Gone was the promising power of his DSL run, but Feliz maintained relatively low strikeout rates at age 18 and took his share of walks. Perhaps best of all, Feliz got 31 games under his belt for the FredNats, and in his last 13 games of the year, put up a .371 batting average with 2 home runs, 7 walks and 3 strikeouts in 35 at bats. At 6’3, 190 and his tender age, Feliz has plenty of time to graduate and strengthen into over-the-fence power, and he already hits the ball hard.

His bat was his early calling card, but scouts have graded him well for the fielding Feliz has shown at shortstop and second base. Since a position change to third base is likely in order to accommodate the Nats newly acquired middle infielders, one can envision Feliz’ return to Fredericksburg to at least start 2026, his age-19 season. He’s a year behind Jorgelys Mota, but Feliz’ better contact is helping him close the gap. Seeing how the Nationals manage his reps with Gavin Fein will be a fascinating convergence of international development with targeted acquisitions.

10. Gavin Fien – The headliner of the Gore deal, Fein will be one of the measuring sticks of the Toboni regime’s scouting competence. Think of the acquisition as akin to a choice of a first round pick, since his inclusion was a difference maker over teams who bid for Gore but could not produce the gem to win over Toboni and Kilambi. So what is it about the big shortstop who has been compared to Brady House? At this point, he is a big power guy considered to be one of the elite high school batsmen of the 2025 draft class. He came into professional baseball having established his ability to handle the best of high school pitching on the all-star circuit, with the discipline of an advanced hitter.

Fien is enough of an athlete to mold into whatever position he fits as he advances through the system. With only a ten game sample within the Rangers system, six of which were as a DH, the 18-year-old just put his toes in the water of A ball. But he was not overmatched, and will look ahead to a 2026 in which he discovers a new position (apparently 3B) alongside the raft of newcomers all over the field at Fredericksburg. For a short time at least, that interesting lineup will also include Eli Willits.

11. Andrew Alvarez – An organizational bridesmaid as more heralded prospects get the ink and push forward, Alvarez has steadily added value until he reached the pinnacle in 2025. Drafted in the 12^th round in 2021, Alvarez took awhile to hit his stride even once in the Nats organization. It was not until 2023 that he became a full-time starter. He began using a curveball, and with that, took off. The high point was an August start of 8 hitless innings in which Alvarez struck out 11. He was named the 2023 Nationals minor league pitcher of the year. Alvarez then began a climb of a year-a level success in Wilmington, Harrisburg, and finally Rochester last year. Even then, Alvarez was never seriously considered for starting pitching needs at the major league level, while others tracked faster.

Through July 23 of last year, Alvarez looked like AAA filler destined to be unprotected in the Rule 5. He’d had a couple of very impressive starts, but was altogether inconsistent, ineffective, and unfortunate, sporting an 0-7 won loss with a 4.66 ERA in 93 innings. The next six starts turned his Triple A season around, as he went 3-0 with an ERA of 2.40 and only 17 hits given up in over 30 innings. In that span, Alvarez struck out 39 and walked 14. It was his most dominant pitching since one high A start in August 2023, when he K’d 11 in 8 hitless innings. Alvarez got the LeCroy call as one only can with a last place team after the trading deadline and soon to be under new management.

What followed was one of the more encouraging September debut months from a starter in recent Nats memory. Five starts, three of which were scoreless, each 80-90 pitches. Lots of soft contact and a feel for mixing pitches. The competition was mostly lesser, but he pitched very effectively with poor run support and in clutch spots. He’s healthy, so there’s that. And if he has bottled what he was throwing in August, Alvarez no longer belongs in AAA, especially for a team that has the openings on its starting major league staff.

Alvarez gets no prospect ranking from any of the traditional services at all. He is thought to be have subpar velo, he demonstrably knows what to do with it. I credit him for staying healthy and forging ahead. With a regime that practices what it preaches, and approaches all with an open mind, if Alvarez delivers this spring, here’s hoping he gets the call. It’s a new day, when pitching 5-6 innings and keeping your team in the game wins games. That would make him a top prospect.

12. Yohandy “YoYo” Morales – Expectations were strong when Morales was drafted #40 in 2023 and given first round money. The Nationals paid for a big power bat, but got hardly that. Just as Morales showed enough hitting to quickly rise to AA, a thumb injury nagged at him for many months.

Once, Morales seemed to have everything going for him; he had the height, the natural athleticism of a former shortstop, and he was in the upper minors. As Nate Lowe of 2025  decayed into a plodding, apathetic turnstile, there was no one at the major league level who was a long-term option. But Morales had sputtered in 2024.  And even as his pop showed signs of returning in early 2024 at Harrisburg, Morales turned Meh after a May 2025 promotion to Rochester. There was no power to be found for over a month, and anemic production altogether.

Then, the clock turned to July 2025. Over the next two months, Morales delivered 10 HR, while hitting near .300. He struck out nearly 30 percent of the time, but with that level of pop, a high hard-hit percentage and exit velocities, it was more along the lines of what Morales would need to produce.

The offseason rolled in with Paul Toboni making it clear he was looking for a first baseman. When the dust settled, the Nationals did build a competition for the job. But there is no proven everyday first baseman on the roster. There isn’t even a Josh Bell to keep at first base as a “leader” type. With a competition wide open, Morales took to the Caribbean in the late winter like a hurricane. After hitting .395 in ten games with a gaudy slugging percentage,  Morales represented in the World Series and continued to flash heavy pop. Now, he’s suddenly relevant again.

Time and timing are on Morales’ side. What catches my eye is that Morales’ R-L splits are far more even than his competitors Abimelec Ortiz and Andres Chaparro, and he actually hits righties better. Given his continuing to play third base even last year, and his athleticism, Morales can slide over to 3B to rest House or even take over there if the incumbent becomes unavailable. But it will all come down to the bat, and whether Morales has taken the step needed to claim the everyday 1B job in DC.

13. Griff McGarry – Downplay as you wish, but there was a reason McGarry was the Phillies minor league Pitcher of the Year in 2025. Apart from the gaudy 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings, McGarry finally locked in and dialed down his walks in Reading. As you can see from my endorsement and enthusiasm for players like Pinckney, Cornelio, and Morales, I think a prospect who clearly takes a leap within a year for a long stretch shows signs he has figured things out.

So it was with Alex Clemmey and his control, getting to a point of manageable wildness. So it was with Griff McGarry, only the latter did it at a higher level. From August 2025, and in time for his last nine starts, McGarry went 42.1 innings, gave up only 24 hits, 22 walks and 70 strikeouts. He ended the year with strong work against the Mets AAA affiliate. Like Clemmey, McGarry ultimately gave up fewer hits than walks, even as he improved his command. The arrow is decidedly pointing up for this UVa grad.

Will that be enough to carry him all through the year on the major league roster? Well, considering that McGarry went his last six outings throwing 82-95 pitches each, and still maintaining effectiveness, McGarry could potentially provide competent multi-inning relief to complement five-inning starters. If he continues to refine that command, he enters the 2027 picture as a rotation candidate.

For me, the Phillies decision not to protect him was an initial source of caution. I get that people devalue McGarry because of his longtime control struggles of earlier years. But those struggles were over the top. Irrespective of ranking – if you can be excited over Perales after this past fall, or Clemmey based on 2025 at A+-AA, you can be excited over McGarry at AA-AAA. And remember – McGarry cost a lot less than a trade.

Unlike many others, he has already come to Washington with a semblance of a five-pitch mix. Anil Kilambi was no doubt involved in swooping him up – instead of other intriguing talents the Nationals passed over. That speaks volumes, and it was akin to the Perales move by Toboni-Horwitz. What is notable is that this group of Nationals executives clearly approached the minor league draft with intent. So I read more optimistically into the choice and their confidence that his command will be enough to keep him all year and make us forget Thaddeus Ward. The more I think about it, the more I find it highly fortunate that McGarry was available to the Nats in the Rule 5. Johan Santana got his break that way; why not us? Why not now?

14. Riley Cornelio – In a results business, Cornelio grinded through three levels on the way to being named the Nationals Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Flashback to 2024 and Brad Lord winning the same award, and at this time last year, no one expected the impact Brad Lord would have on the 2025 pitching staff.

It’s safe to say that the light came on for Cornelio in 2025, starting in Wilmington. Pushed up to Harrisburg after only seven starts, Cornelio took his game to another level. In 12 games (11 starts), he surrendered only 39 hits in 66 innings, and only three home runs. Cornelio put in eight starts before the season concluded. Not surprisingly, his numbers were not as strong; but Cornelio’s next to last start of the AAA season was a six inning, one hit, eight strikeouts.

The word on Cornelio is a slider that induces whiffs, and is much more a weapon than his fastball, despite its mid to upper 90’s velocity that jumped in 2025. Cornelio credited the mental game for his success, and that’s exactly what this organization is looking for. Tyler Clippard succeeded in DC as a flyball pitcher, and Cornelio is that by reputation as well. He’s close enough to get a look this spring as a non-roster invite and a fresh face ticketed from AAA unless he has a Lord-ordained breakout.

15. Marconi German – As we contemplate what realistic power expectations one has from a 17-year-old, one can appreciate all the more the entrée Marconi German had in 2025. The Nationals’ system has not seen the kind of power/speed/plate discipline combination from a 17-year-old in my memory, even if it is DSL. German embodied what one can lock down with a more reasonable 400K bonus by comparison. For 10% of the cost of Armando Cruz, German served notice among the numerous high-profile competitors for the future of the Nationals middle infield.

The German offensive numbers were truly as good as one could find anywhere in the system. It’s actually difficult to settle on what is the most impressive statistic. It’s one thing to have had a gaudy .479 on base percentage. But who would imagine that over 210 plate appearances? It’s one thing for a middle infielder to have eight home runs and 18 extra base hits over those same 210 plate appearances. But to achieve that with more walks than strikeouts, and only one strikeout per five plate appearances? It’s one thing to have a slugging PCT over .500, but with 33 stolen bases in only 53 games? All this while being hit by a pitch 16 times? And a Range Factor/9 of 5.34 at short? These are all the various clues of a dynamic talent, be he at 2^nd or SS – which he played equally. The German switch-hit import will land in the Palm Beaches for the next test of the FCL.

16. Yoel Tejeda –In spite of their losing ways of recent years, one of the truly fun things about the Nats, is the success the team has had in recent years with pulling prospect pitchers well out of the premium rounds. It’s especially noteworthy insofar as we trashed the drafting of Rizzo and his “baseball guys” for so long. Even as things turned around a few years ago, some insufferable fans failed to take notice until Brad Lord became one of the most effective pitchers on the staff – in his rookie year!

Now that everyone is paying attention, the draft has yielded Andrew Alvarez (21), Erik Tolman (21), Riley Cornelio (22), Marquis Grissom (22), Lord (22), Jared Simpson (23),Thomas Schultz (23), Liam Sullivan (23), Austin Amaral (23), and several familiar names in 2024 that included 14^th round pick Yoel Tejeda, Jr. Tejeda was a draft eligible sophomore the Nats convinced to sign with an above scale 225K bonus. All made out well by the looks of it.

Nationals pitching draftees seldom see much of the mound in the year of their signing. Not surprisingly, the 6’8, 215-pound beanpole Tejeda was kept under wraps until 2025. The Nats started him in the Fredericksburg rotation for his age 21 season, again after only two utterly non-descript college seasons under his belt.

What happened in 2025 was a developmental success story. Tejeda stepped into the

Fredericksburg rotation and was the embodiment of solid over 16 starts. He gave up only 2.4 walks per nine innings and only 4 home runs in 78 innings. In pitching to a 3.43 ERA, had by far the lowest WHIP of even his career spanning college (1.169), and delivered more innings than he had pitched in two years of college and summer ball combined! Up he went to Wilmington, where he was savaged in two starts and then shut down with a reportedly minor injury to send Lurch back to the lab. One wonders what he could do with a little extra weight on that frame.

The scouting reports had his velo up to 96 at Fredericksburg, with praise for his slider – and cutter. He has learned how to use his extension to confront hitters with all of that length, and it’s exciting to see a pitcher with that height have that level of control. Tejeda was part of the Love List invited to West Palm and without apparent restriction. So he’s healthy, and ready for the next chapter.

17. Luis Perales – He’s another one for the velo lovers; Perales dialed it up enough in Boston’s affiliates in late 2025 to yield Ghost fave Jake Bennett in a winter deal. Right now Perales is a developmental ball of clay. He’s recovered from his surgery and ramping up. Despite the 2025 Arizona Fall League buzz of essentially being the hardest thrower in the circuit, he had command problems last year that would make Henry Rodriguez look like Greg Maddux.

However, Perales’ fall performance assured the Nationals that his elite velocity was back. Perales’ coachability inspired confidence among the Toboni crew that knew him for years with the Red Sox. This is the unusual prospect ranking that also sets itself with the value of the person, Bennett, that the Nationals traded to get him.

Perales will build up his 2026 innings and outings, presumably in AA, after the Nationals have had two months of preseason looks to route him to the rotation or the bullpen. But on the balance, he is nowhere near at the level of command that some of the more polished – and healthy – young Nationals hurlers are.

Was Perales worth Bennett? Boom says yes, bust says no. In other words, a high yield lottery ticket, perhaps for a prospect the Nationals felt they were selling high on. More importantly, Toboni and Justin Horwitz were willing to take the risk of parting with a high-end controllable starting pitching talent who will have a major league career to get Perales. It says a lot that the Nationals traded from a position of need to get Perales; this was a signature trade on which the player procurement team will be judged.

18. Travis Sykora – Symbolic of a 2025 when even the best Rizzo moves underwhelmed, Sykora likewise battled to get on the field and then, to stay there. After suffocating High A batters in his six starts at Wilmington, the last a 99-pitch scoreless, six inning outing, Sykora finally succumbed to a UCL tear in his second start in AA. Before then, he had shown overpowering heat and a good slider, better command and control than Susana. And with his hulking, cold presence, Sykora had the bearing of a top of the rotation starter.

No one expects Sykora back in 2026, but his rehab is on schedule and Sykora has always been lauded as a focused, top-shelf mentally disciplined technician. Rehab is no different a mission. When the covers come off, he’ll be entering AA at age 23. He’ll still be on this list, but only God knows whether we’ll be seeing Jacob DeGrom or Jake Eder. Or, as Cade Cavalli will tell you, whether he will even get to the majors by 2028.

19. Sean Paul Linan – A work in progress usually means someone who hasn’t yet blossomed, but in Linan’s case it is a reliever morphing into a starter and the inning load that goes with it. Linan began a more rapid rise up the Dodgers system this past year as his multi-pitch repertoire, and in particular his superior changeup, proved too much for low A hitters. The high spin pitch produces oodles of swings and misses and is deceptive to both lefties and righties alike.

When the Nationals acquired him for Alex Call at the 2025 deadline, Linan was putting together a fantastic run in high A — after an early season promotion. After only three innings labored at Wilmington, the Nationals shut Linan down.

At that point, he had already pitched his career max of annual innings, and the mystery of Linan’s departure sparked injury fears. Those fears were barely alleviated when he was assigned to the AFL team. Linan started one game, impressed with five innings of one-hit, one home run ball, and then vanished into Sedona.

One of the more encouraging reads of the January roster was Linan being there – not on the rehab list, but with the other pitchers. As he turns 21, the Nationals are set to turn Linan loose if healthy. Starter? Maybe, but his changeups movement has been compared to Devin Williams. His unique profile, even in a post-Jim Hickey era, includes him among exciting if not-yet super-hyped arms who may be ready to make a big impact in the upper minors this year.

20. Luke Dickerson – It was an uneven year for Dickerson, whose strong immediate impression prompted a quick move up from the complex to Fredericksburg early in his debut season. There, his quick start and doubles power – 8 before his 100^th at bat – were in line with good contact rates and hard hitting, to go along with a .296/.403/.481 as May wound down.

Unfortunately, Dickerson took a pitch to the wrist on June 10. The wrist was not reportedly fractured, although he would not be the first (former) hockey player to stay in the game with one. He didn’t miss significant time, but his production plummeted, and his power with it. 2025 turned into a Tale of Two Lukes.

Dickerson played primarily shortstop, and showcased excellent foot speed going home to first, stealing bases, and in the field. The crowded middle infield will push him to 2B, where he also played in 2025, or into the outfield to capitalize on that speed and athleticism. Dickerson’s best version of 2025 featured 104.6 mph 90%ile exit velocity, and 112.3 max, which wowed no less an authority than Baseball America into pronouncing him it 2026 breakout prospect to watch. A return to health and a new slate of teachers for the still developing Dickerson takes care of a lot necessary to get there.

21. Nauris De La Cruz – It was quite a coming out party for De La Cruz in the 2025 DSL. His 17-year-old campaign featured 30 walks to 17 strikeouts, an ISO of .156, a line of .294/.448/.450, and the speed to steal 15 bases (in 20 tries). The 500K bonus he received from the Nats to sign reflects that the Nationals were not surprised by his success. God willing we will see him in the FCL in 2026 to see whether he is real, and spectacular.

DSL results are always to be read with caution, for there are many shooting stars that fizzle stateside. But 2025 produced a bigger crop of players to raise eyebrows for, and you have to take note of a player with that kind of selectivity and power, and a contact percentage over 80%, in a 6’0 package at age 17.

22. Devin Fitz-Gerald – I keep rethinking the Gore deal and all of its component parts. DFG (I can’t keep writing out that hyphen) has attracted particularly strong buzz on social media and in the Natmosphere since the trade. He has gone from being the 470^th ranked prospect in Baseball America before the 2024 draft to the Nationals #9 prospect in Baseball America. Keith Law has him #12, so does mlb.com. Considering the unknown, among my many questions is – Did Gore get sold high? Or did DFG? Or neither? Or both?

When you read DFG’s scouting report, and it’s hard to believe that they signed the highly respected Parkland coach’s son for so far above slot value – literally the slot value of the 84^th pick – yet DFG was going to NC State (hardly LSU). Cynicism would be dispelled by his impressive “polish” in the Arizona Complex League (ACL) as a 19-year-old, and then, a promotion to low A Hickory. Only ten games into that test, he joined the Rangers’ MASH unit with a shoulder injury. This would prove to be his last looks of 2025.

We don’t know much about the ACL, other than its stats are much more hitter-friendly than one finds in the FCL. That noted, in an organization that currently hunts power wherever it can be found, DFG homered once every 22 at bats and struck out once every eight, with more walks than K’s. Fangraphs gushed of DFG that he was playing like a first round pick, with excellent contact and muscles that translated into Popeye rather than overtraining.

After he was promoted to A, DFG was much more of a scratch hitter in Hickory. Still, he played errorless shortstop and continued to have high contact rates and get on base at a clip of .442 while keeping his strikeouts in check. In a small sample size, he outplayed Gavin Fien (one year younger, yes, I know).

Is the shoulder healed? Does a high IQ, high OBP switch hitting 20 year old who plays middle infield move the Nationals’ needle? No one can predict in an organization that has Willits, Ronny Cruz, Angel Feliz, Luke Dickerson, Marconi German all clawing for PT at Fredericksburg. The Nationals are, of course, invested in playing DFG, but at the cost of displacing which of the players that are ‘Rizzo’s guys’?

23. Ronny Cruz – The almost forgotten headliner of the Soroka deal, Cruz is an enticing ball of clay with an unconventional path. After an international contract fell through from him in his native Dominican Republic, he moved to Florida, went to high school, and was drafted by the Cubs. He hit the field after recovering from a knee injury.

In a full season in the Arizona Complex at age 18, Cruz played mostly short, but also second and third. He managed a solid 18 extra base hits in 189 plate appearances, along the way to a .270/.314/.431 line. Scouts felt he was good enough to remain a shortstop going forward, and with six triples, he handled his business all around on the rehabbed knee.

He’s listed at 6’2 and above, with wiry weight and power that has yet to get over the fence. The latter tool appears to be the hook for the Nationals, who have a decision about where in the field Cruz will appear when he makes his debut with the organization.

24. Marquis Grissom Jr. – Among the Nationals’ many developmental frustrations is the inability to graduate closers and high leverage relievers to the major leagues since Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard. The procession of near misses and arm blowouts from home grown talents rivals the early experiences of space exploration. Christian Garcia, Henry Rodriguez, Koda Glover, Matt Cronin, Mason Thompson, Tanner Rainey, Zack Brzykcy, and surely there are more, as well as those we traded away that blossomed elsewhere, be they Hanrahan or Rivero (Treinen got us Doolittle). Apart from showing how health is essential, we’ve also learned that high leverage innings takes balls and mental toughness even more than it takes velo.

In dreaming on a homegrown late inning, high leverage relief pitcher, Marquis Grissom Jr. has been on the radar since his first full season in 2023. A 13^th Round draft pick with a popular Expos father, Grisson’s calling card changeup began wowing all with the whiffs it induced, especially among lefty hitters. In 2024, his 25.8 percent strikeouts on changeups was among the highest in the minor leagues.

Grissom went from being an organizational all-star that 2023 at Fredericksburg, with 11 saves, to moving up level to level. He was, understandably, a non-roster invite to spring training in 2025. After 5 of 5 converted save opportunities at Harrisburg to start 2025, DC was on the horizon. The Nationals selected him as a Futures Game rep, and he earned the win for the National League. But Grissom ran into rough waters in AAA, with a 5.73 ERA and 19 walks and 7 home runs in 33 innings. His command had taken a step back just as he was on the verge. Only weeks after his Futures appearance, Grissom was placed on the IL and his season was over.

This year, Grissom still aims at DC, hoping the command of his fastball and slider catch up to that of his vaunted changeup. He pitched two clean innings in the Nationals’ first pre-season game of the season, closing out a 2-1 win with no hits, no walks, two strikeouts and 16 strikes in 20 pitches. That’s what all had in mind. Perhaps the Nationals’ seeming reticence to pluck through the remaining free agent pile has everything to do with sorting out what to expect from the confident Grissom.

25. Abimelec Ortiz – There is a bit of a ‘fat kid’ bias to Ortiz, for obvious reasons. At this point in his career, no one is thinking of him as more than a first baseman or DH, with the latter a choice of the eye test and the fact that he is no Josh Naylor. But Ortiz has battled through vision problems that he corrected and struggles with the jump to AA and bad chase habits to sit on the verge of a major league opportunity with the Nationals.

It’s not merely the Nationals need. When Ortiz blew up on the radar, he was the 2023 Rangers Minor League Player of the Year for a High A season that witnessed monster slugging percentages of .600 and over, across a healthy sample of both A and high A and then even the Arizona Fall League. After he regressed in 2024 with his first taste of AA, Ortiz lost the luster that had made him the #3 ranked first base prospect on mlb.com. The prospect mavens are off the bandwagon, as even those who rank him view him as a low average hitter who has 25 homer power, which is to say less than meh.

But for those who value more recent performance, Ortiz did eventually hit his stride in a big way during 2025. After an inconsistent re-launch the first few months at AA, replete with strikeouts (73 in 284 plate appearances), Ortiz took off and kept it up for the duration. First he torched AA for .341/.400/.682 in 95 PA in July, with only 14 strikeouts. Promoted shortly afterward to AAA, he hit the ground running in the PCL with an able first few weeks and next level production from August 23 onward, hitting five home runs, with 12 of his 25 hits for extra bases, and a September line of .297/.410/.578 in 19 games.

Was it the PCL? Were the pitchers worn out? Maybe. But Ortiz wasn’t worn out, and his arrow ended the season trending up. He had only 10 strikeouts in his last 74 plate appearances, so he had answers for the better pitchers in AAA who had been coached on his book.

At this point, Ortiz is still showing big platoon splits, unqualified against lefties. Could there be room for a lefty platoon bat at 1B/DH? If Andres Chaparro breaks through this spring, and continues his own splits, the two would complement each other, but that’s a lot of roster spots for fairly mirrored profiles. As a more defensively limited player, if you aren’t Kyle Schwarber, there is a better roster option to be found for a power/OBP lower average player. The Cubs felt that way before Kyle Schwarber became a National.

It’s interesting to watch Matt Mervis and Abimelec Ortiz at camp and in direct competition. The elevator has gone up for Ortiz, down for Mervis. They got off at the floor of AAAA (spring training). Chapparo is waiting for them there. Morales arrived to join them on a separate up express elevator, off his winter league splash. All are playing now to get in line for the next up elevator with (1-2 person capacity) to the major leagues that arrives at season’s opening.

26. Phillip Glasser – In the year of Fernando Mendoza, it’s only fitting for this list to feature a rising lunch pail Hoosier who refuses to be marginalized. Drafted in 2023, Glasser signed as a cheaper Round 10 play to collect monies for current teammates like Morales. He played five collegiate years, exploiting the extra year of COVID-adjusted eligibility to get all the more ripened before his 2023 draft day close-up.

Glasser’s game shows the two collegiate stops to have grounded him in fundamentals, and playing above his reported tools. An All-Star at A+ in 2024 and then AA in 2025, Glasser has added value at every station, and hasn’t missed a stop. Nobody wants to be called a utility player, but anyone would be delighted to be a utility player in the major leagues. Glasser came into pro baseball as a shortstop; in 2 ½ professional years, he has played short, second, third, left, and first. Last year, he made only one error over 105 games played at AA and AAA at three positions. More than flexibility, that’s competence.

His bat adds enough value that Glasser was a DH for 19 games of his 2025 Harrisburg run. It was that way from the start, when he had a .476 on base average at Fredericksburg after being drafted in 2023. He played through the slight of going back to low A and plowed his way to Harrisburg by year’s end. Whereas he first stalled, Glasser returned to AA in 2025 and flashed a .293/.379/.391, with 52 walks and 8 HBP to 55 strikeouts. Between AA and AAA, Glasser stole 32 bases without blinding speed. He’ll pop the occasional home run, but with his ability to get on base and make something happen when he does, he impacts the game.

Glasser earned a late promotion to Rochester, and unlike his AA debut, performed extremely well over his 54 plate appearances. Specifically, Glasser put up a .391/.481/.522 line with more walks than strikeouts. Even with the small sample size, can you imagine what the hype meter would have been were that line to come from a high draft choice/high international bonus player?

Glasser keeps outplaying expectations and his own tools. But he’s done it at every step, and this is a performance business. If he can stay healthy, you can’t help but think he’ll find his way to some major league 40 Man roster before the 2026 Rule 5 draft. He isn’t Alex Call, but he is the kind of player that a winning franchise will be glad they have on their side of the field.

27. Christian Franklin – Acquired in 2025 as a blocked Cubs outfielder with small stature but skills that play, Franklin was putting together a successful year in his run at AAA when he was packaged for Mike Soroka. He soon settled in at the top of the Rochester lineup and provided a steady diet of multi-hit games and brief hitless streaks.

He’s 26, but hasn’t really been around as long as you would think. The University of Arkansas 2021 grad missed the year after his draft, so last year was only his third full season in the minors. But Franklin’s penchant for getting on base – an OBP no lower than .380 at every stop in the Cubs system – helped push him upward. He also can steal a base, though he was more productive in that department in AA.

Franklin ended the Rochester stint with a quite respectable Rochester line of .290/.382/.427. Usually that would create a buzz for a major league role. But the options now in DC apparently push Franklin into revving up his engine at AAA unless and until an injury of trade opens the door as it has for other Nationals’ outfielders in recent years. Franklin plays all three outfield positions.

He has work to do, but tools to play with. Franklin’s hard-hit percentage with the Cubs was 49.6%, with a Max EV over 112. If the home runs are going to come, spring would be a good time to start. Without home run power, there are no starting opportunities in the Nationals organization unless Franklin takes a big leap forward in other areas to match his superior on base skills.

28. Pablo Aldonis – When the Nationals push a legitimate prospect forward after extended injury, it looks like Aldonis’ 2025. The former international signee came into the organization at age 20, but more than survived being debuted stateside, something rarely done by the Nats. Aldonis straddled the bullpen and rotation, but got a quick promotion to low A after showing excellent control and strikeout numbers. There, Aldonis was suddenly younger than many, but he was even more impressive, and now ticketed for the rotation.

Sadly, God had other plans. Aldonis started strong in 2023 but began to sputter and then, the truth was revealed. Down he went in May with season-ending surgery. When he returned far later in 2025, we could be excused for having forgotten about him.

After five games of tuning up the Florida complex, Aldonis went back to the bump in Fredericksburg, and remained there for 15 games. Now in the bullpen, he was dominant, pitching 15 games, 26 innings, with a 0.35 ERA and, not surprisingly, no home runs allowed and on 4.8 hits/9 innings. He walked 6 and struck out 33. Up he went to Wilmington to seemingly finish the year.

Aldonis didn’t miss a beat in his first taste of high A, with an even lower WHIP (0.727) and only three walks in 22 innings, to go with 22 strikeouts. Now Rule-5 eligible after all of that time, Aldonis got the call to the AFL. There, his results were more unattractive, with 2 home runs allowed in 11 innings but still, 14 K’s against still greater competition. Aldonis was shut down. Hopefully, he is still healthy. He was not invited to the Palm Beach Ball, which could mean any number of things, including a 2026 pitch count for a guy being taped together. AA would be a logical next step for him this year unless there is more (health news) in the story of this mysterious riser.

29. Jorgelys Mota – Since his auspicious debut at age 17 in the DSL, Mota has been a hopeful for the Nats organization. Those hopes only grew in 2023 after a strong FCL campaign that showed tools to go with his wiry 6’3 frame. Staying in West Palm for 2024, he struggled mightily, until he showed he could handle a late season promotion to low A. Then in 2025, Mota became a fixture on the FredNats, batting in the heart of the order and showing power – but a penchant for streakiness that would make Josh Bell blush. He came back from a slow start to ignite, then went out for three weeks with an injury, and came back in July and laid waste to the league. Then, unexpectedly, he went back into a slump in August before a bashing finish in which he slugged .650 over his last seven games. The highlight, of course, was Mota’s walk-off grand slam that put the FredNats into the playoffs. He was a Carolina League All-Star in spite of his two trips to the DL, reflecting how the league appreciated his power-speed oomph.

There’s a lot Jorgelys Mota can do. He stole 25 bases last year, had some big hits, generates top shelf exit velocity, and flashes an increasingly capable third base with a very strong arm. Unfortunately, he strikes out way too much for it not to catch up to him. He lasted one game in the Dominican winter league, with five strikeouts in five at bats. Well, Mota was nearly nine years younger than the average player.

Entering his age 21 season, and the cusp of a test at Wilmington, it will be interesting to see whether Mota’s time in spring training readies him for that everyday challenge, amongst other low minor league infield talents who are vying to get on the field. The Nats showcased him early this spring, and he served notice immediately with a 434-foot and 115 MPH rocket home run to center field. He does have a flair you can root for, and that counts for something.

30. Sir Jamison Jones – Taking Toboni and Butera at their implied word, aura farming matters. Irrespective of his name, which he had no control over, Jones is a big presence and charismatic and mature personality who projects a healthy fearlessness that will enhance his tools.

Obviously, the Nationals felt they had to get him, in a 2024 draft that featured scouting stock picks like Yoel Tejeda, and saw them swing for the fences with a huge bonus to Luke Dickerson. The Nationals allocated enough to lure Sir Jamison aboard after a later round selection in 2024, paying top-of-the5th round money to their fifteenth-round pick. In so doing, the Nats lost Colby Shelton, the 20^th round pick who returned to the University of Florida, was drafted in the sixth round by the White Sox this year and signed overslot – for less than Jones got a year earlier.

Inside the lines, Jones showed off a rocket arm and good blocking skills, and the plate selectivity to manage an OBP of .379 despite only hitting .233. Within that FCL stint was a 52 at-bat stretch covering one-third of his season in which he hit .308, with 3 homers, 3 doubles, and 15 RBI. Streakiness is part of acclimation to the pro game, but he has to improve his contact and cut down the strikeouts.

Jones was part of the West Palm contingent who started in January. Hopefully we will see him hit the ground running in Low A for his age 20 season.

31. Dashyll Tejeda – One of the most exciting stat lines from out of the blue in 2024, Tejeda punched his ticket to West Palm in 2025 and showed he belonged at age 19. His power was way down, and he really tailed off offensively, with no extra base hits over the last twenty games of the season. What he continued to show, however, is game wrecking stolen base ability, 29 SB in his last 35 games.

You won’t see Tejeda on prospect lists, but you will (hopefully) see him in Fredericksburg making his case. He is a high twitch athlete who showed line drive pop even at age 19, and already regarded as an excellent defensive center fielder. Game polish at a young age, an excellent batting eye and the speed to blow up anyone who puts him on base is a prescription for success as a prospect, and I’m on board with Dashyll.

32. Davian Garcia – A draft-eligible sophomore in 2024 when the Nationals selected him in Round 6, Garcia signed over slot. The Nats began his rollout in the Fredericksburg rotation in 2025. Garcia had success with a splitter and gave up only 5.8 hits per 9 innings, en route to a 4-2 won loss record and an excellent 2.70 ERA. Not surprisingly, he kept the ball in the park, though his walks, at 5.5/9 innings, were a problem to work through.

Coaches praised his teachability, and Garcia found himself promoted to Wilmington, where batters had much more success against him and he stalled. The word is that he needs to develop another pitch to stay in the rotation, and he was among those invited to West Palm in January for early work. He has already appeared in spring training and was impressive in two innings of work against older players. In 2026, Garcia returns to High A to polish in the rotation at Wilmington.

33. R.J. Sales – Josh Randall was the apparent headliner of the 2025 Kyle Finnegan trade. But it’s Sales who has emerged as the more interesting prospect coming out of the Tigers’ impressive talent procurement pipeline. The draft-eligible sophomore had thrown nearly six innings per start in 2024 before the Tigers picked Sales and rested him for the rest of the year.

In 2025, his first professional campaign, Sales put up excellent numbers as both a Tigers and then, a Nationals farmhand. After he came to Fredericksburg in August, Sales was more hittable, but averaged 11.8 strikeouts per 9 innings. He finished the year with two scoreless starts that covered five innings each.

Sales’ repertoire includes three solid pitches – a fastball in the mid-90’s with good movement, an effective curveball, and a cutter. It’s not a stretch to envision him ticketed for Wilmington in 2026 and to be a part of the next-next wave.

34. Cristhian Vaquero – When you get tagged with an over-the-top nickname on top of an over-the-top bonus, meeting expectations is difficult if not unrealistic. Vaquero came into an organization pining for another Soto hit but reluctant to make big spending splashes other than large plays on the Latin American marketplace. Now into his fifth year in the system, Vaquero faces necessary urgency. Time is running out to earn 40-man major league roster protection next winter, and he is being lapped by too many outfield talents in a rapidly building Nationals system.

Vaquero has amply demonstrated the ability to patrol center field, a great throwing arm, effectively used speed, and he plays aggressively. The problem has been the switch-hitting Vaquero’s inability to hit his way out of Fredericksburg and to tap into game power. Last year was his third year with the FredNats, and he ended 2025 where he started.

Before you begin having visions of another phenomenon, Elijah Green, there is reason for continued hope in the 6’3 specimen as he enters his 21 year old campaign. Yes, he is still the age of a player coming out college. And for the first time, his splits widened enough to consider what would happen if he hits left-handed full-time. Over the year, Vaquero hit .272/.364/.414 from the left side, with 7 of his 8 home runs and overall, 24 of his 29 extra base hits. Walk-strikeout ratios are also far more favorable from the left side now.

The whole package put together a torrid enough stretch from late June and through July to make one wonder if he had finally mastered Low A (before settling back to earth as the season wound down). That 104 at-bat stretch of .346 hitting, with 4 homers, 4 triples, 7 stolen bases without being caught will have to be the Vaquero that shows up at Wilmington as the braces get lifted in 2026.

35. Jackson Kent – It’s unusual to see the Nationals start a draft pick at Wilmington, and especially one who came out of college as a draft eligible sophomore. But Kent, a fourth round pick who got 625K to sign, took the baton and ran with it in his first pro season. Watching him last spring, he had flashes of competence but was overshadowed by the younger, swaggering, and more electric Clemmey. Still, the Nationals saw enough to challenge Kent in his first taste of pro ball, and he made it up to AA for several starts despite the occasional thrashing.

The latter shows how Kent does not dominate, but has to win with the use and selectivity of his decent repertoire, including a fairly well-regarded changeup. That he showed at least a readiness for the AA rotation in 2026 shows that he is capable of that. Consistency will direct the pace of his rise at this point, as he competes alongside other high profile and high-octane arms at Harrisburg.

36. Jose Feliz – The numbers at age 18 in the DSL were impressive, but the pundits panned Feliz’ prospects, pointing to his lower velo. Promoted to the Florida Complexes for his age-19 season, Feliz performed even better, lodging a 2.20 ERA over 13 starts and 61 innings. He worked and grew to a 2.5 MPH jump, up to 89.9. It wasn’t just the velocity jump that accounted for Feliz’ effectiveness.

He has command of a changeup, slider and cutter that move effectively and down in the zone. With only 2 home runs allowed in 61 innings, and less than 2 walks per nine innings, Feliz is working with what he has as he readies to grow up further as a 20 year old in Low A in 2026.

37. Eriq Swan – Given that Swan was pitching effectively in High A when the National acquired him, one might presume that he was surging his way up the Dodgers chain after being drafted in the 4^th round. Perhaps Swan is. For more raw prospects, whatever the level, the necessary analysis is half full, half empty. Swan embodies that quality.

You’ll pardon me if Swan’s pedigree as a shortstop who converted to pitching in college gives me pause. After all, Josiah Gray went the same route, flashed in his earliest mound work in a small college, got drafted high by the Reds and then shipped to the Dodgers in one of those deals for aging talents the Dodgers jettison to reload. Then the Nationals got Gray in the Max Scherzer deal, and great expectations have caught up to him.

Swan’s story is more modest, but his big velo and 6’6 athletic frame translated well in 2025 at High A before the Nationals acquired him in the Alex Call deal. Swan went over to Wilmington and maintained the same inconsistent results but evidence he can overpower. He gave up only 6.7 hits per 9 innings on the season. Unfortunately, he gave up 6.8 walks per 9 innings as well. That’s half empty.

The truth is, Swan is truly just learning how to use the pitches he has. You might as well view him as a lottery ticket that way. It means he has less miles on his arm, and he already has are other secondary pitches – including two sliders — that are developing with some promising results. This is a guy that great development can polish up when he gets to the upper minors, but the development is needed. On some level, Swan is the towering heavy metal to the lesser sized Linan he was acquired with, the maestro with the changeup. Swan’s starting now, and if that does not work out, there is confidence that he can make it as a big-armed reliever. That’s enough to maintain believers into seeing the glass half full.

38. Erik Tolman – What a delightful statement for Tolman to be on the mound in the Nationals’ first game of the spring. And he responded with a hitless inning of three strikeouts. For those of you who take an interest in Aaron Barrett-type injury comebacks of people long ago written off, Tolman is one to watch. The left-hander came to the Nationals as a 14^th Round draft pick in 2021 and former Tommy John recipient with an advanced feel for pitching, strong competitive makeup, and excellent numbers as a rising junior at Arizona State.

But Tolman missed 2022 with a second injury requiring Tommy John surgery – again. He gritted through another rehab to finally get going with the Nationals in 2023, moving quickly from rookie ball to Low A with keeping the ball in the park and runs off the board. He was already 24, but he had nine starts under his belt before having to shut things down again in August 2023.

Tolman went on to miss all of 2024. It wasn’t so ordinary, but a gruesome injury in which he tore his ACL, MCL, LCL, dislocated his knee and even developed foot drop. But he loves the game and his determination was unbowed. Tolman made it back to the mound in 2025, and made it through an entire year for the first time in his career – and three levels to boot. Think about it – his first full year four years after being drafted!

Tolman returned to the mound as a hybrid starter/multi-inning reliever. After making quick work of Fredericksburg, he was promoted to Wilmington for his first taste of High A. Tolman was excellent there, winning player of the week in late May and equally effective against both lefties and righties. Tolman allowed on 34 hits in 55 innings in High A. and batters managed to hit only .183 against him. The Nationals gradually increased Tolman’s pitch count, and by the time August 2025 rolled around, he had gone 50 to 60 plus pitches several times.

The organization pushed Tolman to Harrisburg, and with that his pitch counts into the seventies and even higher. Tolman’s walks jumped up and his strikeouts tailed off. Still, in seven games of his first exposure to AA, the league hit only.214 off Tolman. He rebounded at year’s end to flash a start of 5 hitless innings with two walks and five strikeouts.

One more year removed from surgery, Tolman is coming into relevance if he can stay healthy. If he is able to start the year at Harrisburg, he can hopefully continue making up for lost time with found indomitability.

39. Ethan Petry – Lots of excitement followed the former SEC slugger and his high 2025 draft position. A Nationals organization starved for a big thumper hopes Petry can move quickly enough to be in the middle of the everyday lineup. The 21-year-old Petry was able to get on the field at Fredericksburg before joining the Scottsdale Scorpions in the AFL.

Petry neither dominated nor showed the power the Nats are craving. He did show the ability to take a walk and surprisingly playable outfield defense in Arizona. It was, admittedly, another thirty games in all on top of the college season, following a healing shoulder injury. He’ll get his chance, but without big power, Petry will inevitably be passed by more tooled up players amongst the Nationals’ accumulating gems. Until the big home runs come, therefore, Petry’s biggest ticket will remain limited to You Tube videos of him against Paul Skenes.

40. Liam Sullivan – For every Koda Glover who sadly ends in “No, he couldn’t,” and every Taylor Jordan who was never to be seen again, or even the lesser known minor leaguers who raised our eyebrows and then blew out their arms, like Tyler Dyson, a Cole Henry comes along to restore one’s faith in fate that is worth waiting for. That’s how I watch for Liam Sullivan, drafted in the 13^th round in 2023 and routed to Fredericksburg after showing advanced pitchability right out of the gate. When he started his career with 24 strikeouts in 15 innings, the 6’6 lefty served notice that 2024 was worth waiting for. The Nationals gave him more run at Low A in his age 22 year, but after dominating two starts with improved control, he went down with a yet-undisclosed injury that needed surgery to his throwing arm. Finally, he returned in 2025, as a 22 year old and back for his third tour with the FredNats. He tossed 30 innings and continued to rack up the K’s, but what was most impressive was that he was limiting walks as he never had before, even as he K’d 10.6 per nine innings.

Sullivan has never been a particularly hard thrower, but had a refined pitch mix that plays against better hitters, even with velo that runs in the low-mid 90’s. We don’t yet know where he is at now, and he was not on the love list that was invited to West Palm. That is the only reason I have ranked him lower. Now that he is 23, it will be great to see how soon he is pushed to Wilmington, where he can get back on track as a person whose trajectory, big-body, ex-SEC lefty pedigree, and multi-pitch refinement evokes the next iteration of Jake Bennett.

41. Tyler Stuart – Admit it – you have Mets Schadenfreude. So when the Nationals peddled Jesse Winker, who went from the joy of 2024 Nationals clutch bopper to Mets fiery late season addition and back to oblivion, Stuart, as the return for Jesse, prompted many a snicker among us. The 6’9, 250 pound Stuart had taken to AA right after the trade like a prospect possessed. Four dominant starts later, Stuart was moved to Rochester and the buzz was on – especially after a sparkling beginning in which Stuart gave up one hit in 6.2 innings, with no walks and seven strikeouts. He was walking less than 3 batters per nine innings, limiting home runs allowed, and looked like he had taken a major leap forward. The three AAA starts to follow noticeably tailed off, but there was nothing more than a sense that he was actually being tested at AAA.

In the same way that baseball karma unravels the Mets, it seems to snatch injury from the tranquility of Nats health. So it was Stuart’s turn in 2025, when he was nursed into the year inexplicably at FCL, hit stride in a brief stop at Wilmington, and then was inconsistent and battered at Harrisburg before being lost to the year with a torn UCL. When he returns in 2027, and what form he will recapture, is to be determined. He relied on smarts and using his two best pitches well, so he has already mastered the mental game. For now, we’ll always have 2024.

42. Browm Martinez – Likely the most mysterious prospect on this list, Martinez came over from the Yankees in the Amed Rosario deadline deal. He didn’t exactly come over, however, as Martinez was on the IL at the time with a knee injury. Very little was written about him.

His age-18 season was his second year with the Yankees DSL team, and Martinez put up a truly video game line in 57 plate appearances: .404/.507/.632. He homered three times and stole more bases (13) than he struck out (8). He’s made only one error in 48 outfield games, with four assists, and has the speed and chops for center field.

Martinez was activated off the IL in November. With two seasons of the DSL, and certainly having passed the Nationals test in dealing for him, it’s time to see how he will do in the Florida complex as he turns 19. If he does give the Nationals another power-speed outfielder, Martinez and Nauris DeLa Cruz could be the most intriguing slate of DSL outfielders the DSL has graduated since Victor Robles.

43. Caleb Lomavita – The price paid for a long term controllable catcher in Harry Ford was more than just a statement about a weakness at the major league level. It acknowledged that Lomavita, as the highly anticipated catcher of tomorrow, took a step back in 2025.

With 8 passed balls and 21 errors in 81 games caught, Lomavita did not demonstrate the defense expected of him, even in the coming ABS era. After carrying himself well on the 2024 championship Fredericksburg team following his first round draft selection, and throwing our 39 percent of runners, Lomavita dipped in that department as well, to 25% last year.

Offensively, Lomavita had a familiar power outage at Wilmington, his strikeouts were up, and his walks were down from his 2024, although he managed a .275 batting average (with a .340 BABIP). The good news is that once he got to Harrisburg for a nine game glimpse at year’s end, Lomavita showed much more punch and a better batting eye. Take it as you will.

Lomavita is one of a number of Nationals who will be marinated in developmental love in spring training and beyond. His progress will give earlier returns on the new philosophies in place. He remains a charismatic player with fundamental leadership potential – much like Harry Ford, the other exotic catcher now employed by our Nationals. Competition is great, and Lomavita may have a more crowded field, but he’ll get everyday at bats in AA with no one really blocking him one level above — if he earns it. There’s a lot more work to be done here.

44. Brayan Cortesia – While the Nationals were infusing the low rungs of the minors with high profile middle infield talent, from Willits and James to Cruz to Fein and DFG, Brayan Cortesia made his time and high bonus (especially for someone paid more on projection than loud tools) count with an excellent DSL debut.

At age 17, Cortesia showed an excellent eye and is right now a hit over power prospect who has shown excellent range at short, where he spent most of his DSL time. No one would be surprised to see him start 2026 in the FCL, although he or any of the candidates may see extended spring training (such as German or Eyeksson Rojas) while the early starters push for more accelerated mobility to the upper levels to make room for the next in line. Such was the case for Cortesia in 2025, as he did not debut in earnest until late June.

45. Sam Brown – When the Nationals traded two successful reclamation relievers to the Angels at the deadline, Sam Brown as the return elicited a collective yawn. He had already followed a tepid first professional season with some improvement at AA, but not the needed production to be a viable long-term occupant of first base.

Beyond the first glance, the former 12^th round draft pick had been just another aggressively placed Los Angeles Angels draftee. In 2023, his junior year at Washington State, Brown suddenly became draft-relevant with a .370/.414/.667 line against a 13.6 strikeout percent and 11.2 walk percent. The Angels placed him at AA to start his career; he did not completely fall on his face, but his power was nowhere to be seen when the Nationals acquired him two years after being drafted.

Assigned to Harrisburg right after the trading deadline, Brown responded with an August to remember, .365/.436/.573, leading one to appreciate that there is another gear. As Brown is regarded as a solid defensive first baseman, the competition at the upper minors may keep him in AA longer than he wants. His ability to alternatively play corner outfield positions contributes more to a roster. Brown does have to fix the splits in his profile or he will reach his peak as a platoon bat. But if Brown taps into the version who came alive in Harrisburg, he will never be yawned at again.

46. Kevin Bazzell – With an unusual and distinctive profile, Bazzell is hard to forget, even after a 2025 that disappointed others’ expectations. Bazzell was drafted in 2024 as a bat-first athletic catcher who rarely struck out and had some line drive pop. Converted from third base to catcher in college, he showed signs of capably learning the new position.

After betting on Bazzell with their third-round pick in 2024, the Nationals put the Texas Tech product in Low A. Bazzell split reps with the Nationals’ other highly drafted catcher, Caleb Lomavita, as the FredNats went on to win the league championship. Bazzell put up an excellent .273/.433/.386 line, walked more than he struck out, and threw out 29% of baserunners. He managed only four extra base hits and no home runs in 64 plate appearances. Bigger things were expected, and for that, Bazzell was kept in Fredericksburg to get starting reps while Lomavita was bumped to Wilmington for same.

The 2025 season was not what anyone expected. Bazzell got off to a miserable start offensively. He hit .115 in April and was batting .188 for the season on July 11. He righted the ship from there, hitting .333 over his last 99 at bats to bring his final line to .239/.340/.267. As one can surmise from his slugging percentage, the power he flashed at Texas Tech has been MIA. Bazzell had 8 extra base hits, all doubles, in 335 plate appearances.

But Bazzell provided other reason for optimism, even offensively. His contact percentage of 87% was among the best in the organization. He finished with only 32 strikeouts in 335 plate appearances, also among the best in the organization. It’s refreshing to see that as an early professional, he did not panic with his struggles and maintained his excellent contact profile.

Where Bazzell really made waves, however, was with his rifle throwing arm. He threw out a whopping 40% of baserunners and had the most runners caught stealing in the minor leagues.

Looking ahead, Bazzell has the two-way talent to climb the ladder and sit behind the dish for Wilmington in his age 23 season. Lomavita got the more advanced placement last year, but Bazzell may have more long-term helium if he can continue to show strong defense and leverage his excellent contact skills and batting eye as his pro career advances.

47. Juan Reyes – It’s impressive to watch a pitcher come full circle from a career threatening injury at a particularly young age. Reyes signed with the Nationals as an 18-year-old Panamanian left-hander. Before even getting on the field, he went down with an injury that cost him all of 2023. The 6’2 starting pitcher made it back gently in 2024, throwing only 12 innings – but with three effective starts to close the year out.

This past year, Reyes took of the brakes and shined. In 12 starts and 60 innings, Reyes pitched to a 2.40 ERA, and was all the more dominant as the year progressed. In his last start of the season, Reyes pitched seven innings, gave up no walks and struck out nine. He averaged 2 walks per 9 innings, kept the ball in the ballpark, and allowed only 45 hits on the year.

The 6’2 Reyes, now 20, was the best of the DSL arms. He has earned his graduation to the complexes and a bigger challenge.

48. Robert Cranz – Another example of how you can never have enough pitching, Cranz looked like a 7^th Round steal from the same 2024 draft braintrust that brought you Yoel Tejeda. After an eyepopping 4.7 hits per 9 innings as an Oklahoma State relief pitcher who also averaged 11.4 strikeouts per 9, the Nationals put him in the Fredericksburg bullpen to end the year. He took the ball four times and dominated, with only two hits and one walk allowed in six innings.

2025 started out as more of the same, with Cranz operating as the closer in Fredericksburg for the first time in his career. He laid waste to low A hitters, giving up only two hits and no runs in his first 13 games. Cranz racked up nine saves and 41 strikeouts in only 30.2 innings, giving up only 13 hits and 16 walks. 

The Nationals got around to challenging the monster in July 2025 by sending him to Wilmington, where he was no less dominant despite not having especially impressive velo. Batters managed an .063 average on him in five outings, recalling another Oklahoman lower draft pick, Koda Glover, whose meteoric rise had everyone salivating about his prospects as the future closer in DC, and ultimately for good reason. Unfortunately for us, Cranz turned into Koda Glover in a bad way, as his arm blew out in July and he is now recovering from surgery.

The Nationals coaxed extra velo out of Cranz and the spin on his fastball reportedly played it up. There was talk in 2025 about eventually making him a starter because of his multiple pitch mix and refining control. Now, he becomes a gift we have on the shelf that in 2027 we can unwrap and see whether his rehab went as well as his opening.

49. Alejandro Rosario – Every so often, a genuine talent steps away from the game, crippled by personal struggles. There is that eerie similarity to the story of Rosario, who may not yet have even undergone surgery yet. If he had a drug or alcohol problem, or a gang problem, there would not have been a trade. So this is not a Seth Romero redux.

Alejandro Rosario came into professional baseball with talent unrealized. Drafted in 2023 by the Texas Rangers, they rolled him out in 2024 to spectacular results in Low A and then, High A. In 18 games and 88 innings, Rosario had 129 strikeouts against only 13 walks and 69 hits and put up an ERA of 2.24 across the two levels. And then, he went down with an elbow injury that needed surgery. Only the surgery never happened, and Rosario disappeared. When the Rangers traded Rosario to the Nationals in 2026, the surgery still had not happened.

Of course, this is Rosario’s personal business and I respect that. But so long as he is missing in action and without even consideration that he has reported to the Nationals system, it’s hard for me to consider him as anything more than “future considerations” and quite possibly contemplating retirement.

Paul Toboni knows Jarren Duran, who worked through emotional burdens and became a star. So like a few other risk-plays the Nationals have made, he has the proximity and experience to have diligenced the Rosario puzzle. The Nationals say they know what they are getting into, which is a Gore deal for four other quality players they valued and one more who may significantly tilt the return (or may not).

But Rosario is so far off the reservation right now that we have to relate to him as an arm who may never be what he was. And if he then returns to form, Rosario will impact the team later than players who haven’t even thrown their first pitch for the organization, like Harmon, Sime, and less prominent draft talents we meet in 2026.

50. Cayden Wallace – The sun appeared to be setting on Wallace, whom the Nationals acquired in 2024 while he was sidelined with an oblique injury. He then cracked a rib when hit by a pitch while rehabbing his way back. Then, Wallace was hampered by back problems.

There has always been confidence in Wallace’s defense, and the Nationals gave him looks at second base as well as his primary position of third. His strong arm has come in handy in the outfield, where he played primarily in college and in summer leagues.

Returning to AA in 2025, a level he handled with the Royals before he first became injured, Wallace slogged through a miserable first few months of the season. His bat swooned to a nadir of .191 last August 10. And then, unexpectedly, Wallace got off the mat and began to rake. He hit .414 over his next 99 at bats. Even then, his progress was strange; whereas Wallace had 9 doubles and 4 home runs in 15 games in which he came out of his slump, he had no extra base hits the rest of the season’s 14 games.

Wallace got more work in with the new development team since January 2026 in West Palm. He will have to find consistency and production to stave off the hungry lions below.

51. Jake Eder – When the Dodgers pick up a discarded shooting star pitcher, they are “genius.” When the Nationals do it, they are “dumpster-diving.” No one can say whether Eder is ever going to be Anthony Banda. For now he is getting starter’s looks in the spring, evidenced by the 42 pitches he threw to open Grapefruit League action. Eder was a one-time Marlins uber-prospect whose long and halting recovery from UCL surgery sojourned through Chicago and Anaheim before the 2025 deadline trade to DC.

For Eder, this is the latest curtain rising on an arm that had everything going for it – in 2021. He dominated at AA before going down with a season-ending UCL tear. After losing all of 2022 in his recovery from surgery, he returned to the Miami organization in 2023 and had a promising start. The Marlins traded him to the White Sox for Jake Burger, no small return at the time. But Eder fell off dramatically for the rest of the year. Things were no better in 2024, and Eder flopped at both AAA and AA levels. In 2025, Eder was traded to the Angels, where he was given eight relief appearances at the major league level. Batters hit just .224 off him in that limited action, but he was bitten by walks and the gopher ball. Working in the PCL for the Angels’ AAA affiliate, he was battered but showed enough for the Nationals to trade Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia for him (and Seth Brown, a modest prospect at the time). Eder finished 2025 at Rochester and was rocked.

We’re 3+ season from Tommy John Surgery. Eder has shown flashes but has been like a lighter that clicks but does not ignite. Eder was a hard thrower, but always more than merely a velo prospect and the pitch movement is still there. He’s now more along in his recovery. Whether his command is more restored or redefined will establish whether he is part of the organization after spring training, given the number of non-roster pitchers now clawing for a role in the Nationals’ pen. With all of the talent available in the Nationals minor leagues now, it’s “show me” time for Eder.

52. Jared Simpson – Drafted in 2023, Simpson got on the mound quickly in Low A and impressed with 17 strikeouts in 11 relief innings, converting both of his save opportunities. 2024 was not as kind, as he went down early with an injury for which surgery cost him the entire season.

Simpson finally got his opportunity for a full year in 2025, starting in Wilmington. His overall numbers were poor, and it was initially surprising to see him then invited to the AFL team in Scottsdale last fall. But a closer look revealed a wildly inconsistent season featuring periods of dominance alternating with streaks of poor command. Even as Simpson posted an ERA of 6.23, and in 52 innings, and with 57 walks (!), he also struck out 64 and allowed only 35 hits.

In Scottsdale, Simpson pitched 13 dominant innings with a 1.38 ERA and flashed a four-pitch mix. Five walks in those 13 innings were a step in the right direction. In so doing, he revived first impressions of 2023 and prepares now to show he can maintain more consistent command to gain a bump up the organizational ladder.

53. Thomas Schultz – Ninth round draft picks are the low end of Nationals’ investment, reserved for college senior signs who go below slot so that underclassmen or high schoolers can be better swayed. But the Nationals have had success with a number of discount picks over the past few years. Sandwiched between Jared Simpson and Phillip Glasser, both now among the better prospects in the entire organization, was Vanderbilt’s Schultz.

Schultz came from the bullpen of the formidable Commodores powerhouse to open up eyes and possibilities for himself with the Nationals. Big and burly on the bump, Schultz has shown a steady climb through the system. This year saw him primarily at Wilmington and Harrisburg. At the latter, he was utilized occasionally as an opener and multi-inning reliever rather than in the closing role he filled in earlier years.

Schultz impressed enough that the Nationals pushed even him briefly to Rochester to meet a roster need. He limited AA hitters to 5.5 hits per 9 innings, but Schultz’ control is uneven. A another issue for Schultz as he faces better competition is avoiding the long ball, which was part of his adjustment at each of the four stops up the ladder to this point.

54. Merritt Beeker – A Carolina League All-Star in his first full professional season at age 22, the left-handed reliever was a consistent multi-inning option all year for the FredNats. Beeker threw 63 innings with 78 strikeouts, 28 walks, only 43 hits allowed, and a 1.85 ERA. The league hit only .192 against Beeker, and only .159 with runners on base.

His season ended with an injury, and the Nationals were still playing things carefully with Beeker in January at the West Palm Beach invitational. But the 2024 MAC pitcher of the year more than justified his 11^th round draft pick. 

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The following players were closely reviewed but not included among the above list due to stopping the list at No. 54. But let’s see if they appear in a follow-up version later this year!

Eddy Yean/ Austin Amaral/ T.J. White/Eyeksson Rojas/Anthony Arguelles/Orelvis Martinez/ Elijah Green/Gabriel Agostini/ Darrel Lunar/ Isaac Lyon/ Riley Maddox/ Holden Powell/ Andry Lara/ Jack Sinclair/ Ben Moore/ Tucker Biven/ Max Romero/ Josh Randall/ Tyler Schoff/ Erick Mejia/ Mikey Tepper/ Jacob Walsh/ Randal Diaz/ Victor Hurtado/ Nick Hollifield/Daniel Hernandez/ Brayan Romero