Revised organizational rankings include host of newly acquired prospects

Organizational prospect rankings, by their nature, are going to fluctuate year to year. And this has especially been true for the Nationals, who have seen their farm system completely overhauled in recent seasons.

As recently as 2021, the organization’s top 10 list (as compiled by Baseball America) was headlined by three homegrown pitchers (Cade Cavalli, Jackson Rutledge, Cole Henry) and two internationally signed infielders (Yasel Antuna, Armando Cruz).

Only two years later, that list looked totally different, bolstered by the additions of top prospects acquired in the Juan Soto trade (James Wood, Robert Hassell III) and more recent first round draft picks (Elijah Green, Brady House).

The top-tier talent perhaps peaked one year ago, when Dylan Crews and Yoyo Morales joined Wood, House and Cavalli to create a pretty impressive one through five.

Now, with Baseball America releasing a new top prospects list within the last week, there’s a whole new set of promising young players busting down the doors, with five of the new top 10 having been acquired by the Nationals in the last 16 months alone.

Crews still sits atop the list and remains one of the highest rated prospects in baseball, but it won’t be long before the 22-year-old graduates from prospect status and becomes a true major leaguer for good. Sure, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 Draft wasn’t overwhelmingly great in his first month-plus in D.C., but he showed enough of his all-around skills to suggest greatness is coming soon.

With Wood having already graduated thanks to his three months in the bigs, the new No. 2 prospect in the organization is a young potential ace: Travis Sykora. The 2023 third round pick out of Round Rock, Texas, was lured away from a college commitment with a $2.6 million signing bonus, a commitment that could pay off long term for the Nats. The flamethrowing right-hander dominated at low Single-A Fredericksburg, with a 2.33 ERA, 0.906 WHIP and a whopping 129 strikeouts in only 85 innings pitched. The organization will take it slow with the 20-year-old, but if he stays healthy, he is going to make an impact in D.C. soon enough.

Another young, flamethrowing right-hander sits right behind Sykora as the new No. 3 prospect in the system: Jarlin Susana. The true wild card of the Soto trade with the Padres, the now 20-year-old right-hander finally started to harness his wayward command this season, and in 25 combined outings with Fredericksburg and high Single-A Wilmington had a 4.34 ERA, 1.312 WHIP and 157 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings. He remains a long term project, as well, but one with significant upside.

House remains a top-four prospect in the organization at 21, having reached Triple-A Rochester for the first time this season. The Georgia shortstop-turned-third baseman hasn’t hit for the kind of elite power long expected of him yet, but most evaluators believe that stroke is still in him and will emerge with time and experience. Either way, House is going to get a chance to win the Opening Day third base job this spring. And even if he doesn’t, his debut figures to come sometime in 2025.

The Nationals’ 2024 first round pick, Seaver King, checks in at No. 5 on the prospect ranking. A super-versatile player at Wake Forest, he played exclusively at shortstop in his 20-game debut in Fredericksburg, batting .295 with a .367 on-base percentage. He’s only 21, but given his pedigree coming out of an ACC program, his track to the big leagues may be relatively short.

Speaking of young prospects, Alex Clemmey won’t even turn 20 until July. The left-hander, acquired from the Guardians in the Lane Thomas trade, is already regarded the Nats’ No. 6 prospect, having notched 97 strikeouts in only 69 1/3 innings with Fredericksburg. There remains legitimate concern about his ability to throw strikes, though, with his 6.1 walks per nine innings a troublesome stat.

Cavalli’s stock has fallen in the organization, all the way down to No. 7 this winter, which is understandable considering he has barely pitched the last two seasons. The 2020 first rounder was poised to make the Nationals’ Opening Day 2023 rotation until his elbow popped during a spring training start, requiring Tommy John surgery. And just when it looked like he was on track to return this summer, his suffered a couple of setbacks that prevented him from pitching in the majors. It could be make-or-break time for Cavalli in 2025, but there is still hope he can be the pitcher he always was supposed to be.

Two more recent additions to the organization are ranked eighth and ninth, respectively, with Caleb Lomavita one spot ahead of Cayden Wallace. Interestingly enough, both essentially were acquired from the Royals in the Hunter Harvey trade this summer. Lomavita, who came in the form of a compensatory draft pick, is a talented offensive catcher from Cal-Berkeley who got his first taste of pro ball at season’s end and is now ready for a full season in the minors. Wallace, who had been Kansas City’s second-best prospect, missed a large chunk of the season with oblique and rib injuries, but the third baseman was back in action in September and also played in the Arizona Fall League.

Rounding out the new top-10 is another homegrown prospect: Daylen Lile. The talented outfielder, taken in the second round of the 2021 Draft, has overcome several injuries (including Tommy John surgery) and played in 130 games this season between Wilmington and Double-A Harrisburg. Club officials love him, though given the other outfield talent in the organization he may have a tough time breaking through.

That’s a lot of new faces on this year’s top-10 list. What happened to the guys who occupied those spots last year? Wood was the only one who graduated. The others fell out of the top-10 altogether, headlined by Morales, Rutledge and Hassell, plus 2022 first rounder Elijah Green and top Cuban outfielder Cristhian Vaquero.

It’s perhaps a sign those players haven’t lived up to their potential. It’s also a sign of the new influx of young talent that has joined the organization in the last 16 months.