Additions of Turner and Ross alter Baseball America's Nats top prospects list

The recent three-team trade that brought a pair of top prospects from the Padres organization has altered Baseball America's latest Nationals prospect list. Baseball America editor-in-chief John Manuel listed Trea Turner and Joe Ross in the top six. One spot was opened up when outfielder Steven Souza Jr. was shipped to Tampa Bay. But to have two brand-new prospects added to the Nationals' talent base worthy of ranking in the top 10 is a big step in building the strength of the organization's minor league system. A closer look at the list reveals how critical each of these prospects are and how they are viewed as high-end players by Baseball America's top talent evaluators. Here is the latest top 12 Nationals prospects according to Baseball America: 1. Lucas Giolito 2. Trea Turner 3. Michael A. Taylor 4. Reynaldo Lopez 5. Erick Fedde 6. Joe Ross 7. A.J. Cole 8. Wilmer Difo 9. Drew Ward 10. Brian Goodwin 11. Nick Pivetta 12. Austin Voth Turner was a huge get for the Nationals. The 21-year-old former N.C. State shortstop was the Padres' first-round selection (No. 13 overall) in 2014. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound infielder hit .369 for the Single-A Fort Wayne TinCaps with 14 doubles, two triples, four homers and 22 RBIs in 46 games last season. MiLB.com listed Turner as the Padres organizational All-Star in 2014. His OPS was .974. He was listed as the No. 14 prospect in the draft and ranked 96th overall in MLB.com's top 100 prospects in the 2014 campaign. He was also No. 5 in the Padres' rich prospect list. Ross, a right-hander, was also a first-round pick in 2011. He moves all the way to No. 6 in the Nationals' top 10 according to Baseball America. The brother of Padres hurler Tyson Ross, Joe Ross went 10-6 with a 3.92 ERA last season, accumulating 106 strikeouts over 23 games and 121 2/3 innings for a pair of teams. The hard-throwing pitcher adds immediate depth to the Double-A Harrisburg Senators rotation, which got off to a slow start last season for various reasons. So the three-team, 11-player megadeal helps the Nationals build big value to their system, which had been picked apart a bit over the years as the team worked to win the National League East. Now, the two top prospects fortify a formidable top 12 for the Nationals' future. Manuel will break down each of the top 10 picks and handicap Baseball America's Nationals list from 11 to 30 with me in the coming weeks.