Achieved Goal Now Has Washington Nationals Star Prospect on Track for MLB Debut
Ideally for the Washington Nationals, they would have star prospects at every position they could lean on in 2025 to see which young players can become the cornerstones of their franchise.
While they have a good amount covered already with their outfield accounted for and shortstop and second base set with CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr., the corners of their infield leave something to be desired.
The Nationals brought in Joey Gallo last winter who eventually took over at first base, but while he provided some positives with his defense, he largely was a bust of a signing because of his poor offensive performance and injuries.
Washington is set to move on from the slugger, something that was reported would have happened regardless if he played well or not, but with that impending departure creates an opening the front office will have to fill.
Adding a first baseman is a high priority for them, but they also have a question mark at third base.
Ideally, the Nationals would like to call up their No. 3 overall prospect, Brady House, and have him join a roster full of rising stars who are set to be the future of this franchise for years to come.
But is he on track to debut in 2025?
Based on what occurred last season, there's a good chance the 21-year-old is now in position to earn his first Major League promotion at some point in the upcoming campaign.
"The biggest thing for him is playing that full season. He wanted to play 130 games. He told me that the first day of Spring Training, that's his goal. He wanted to go home tired and he did that, he achieved that. I think that was the biggest thing -- staying healthy. He played tremendously well at third base, his defense was outstanding," vice president of player development Eddie Longosz told Jessica Camerato of MLB.com.
Playing that full season is huge for House.
The 11th overall pick in the 2021 draft struggled to stay on the field in 2022 and 2023, firing up some alarm bells that this might be the case throughout the rest of his career.
But, the talented third base prospect rebounded to play 129 games across the Double and Triple-A levels this past year where he slashed .241/.297/.402 with 19 homers, 41 extra-base hits and 66 RBI.
House is a major component of their future plans, and if Washington feels like he's ready to take over third base in 2025, that would allow them to allocate their resources elsewhere, potentially bringing in that star first baseman or adding to their rotation and bullpen.
