Two Top 100 Washington Nationals Prospects Close to Majors
One day, perhaps soon, outfielder Dylan Crews and third baseman Brady House will be ready to help the Washington Nationals in the Majors.
For the moment, they are two of the Nationals’ three Top 100 prospects in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.
The site released its new rankings on Tuesday, as prospects have progressed, graduated and both the MLB Draft and the trade deadline have influenced the rankings.
Crews, the Nats’ first-round pick last year out of LSU, remained one of the highest ranked players in the game. The only two prospects ranked ahead of him are in the Majors right now — Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday and Tampa Bay Rays infielder Junior Caminero.
That makes Crews, at 22 years old, the top-ranked prospect without MLB experience. That may change soon.
He reached Triple-A Rochester earlier this season and, combined with his work at Double-A, he is batting .269 with 21 doubles, six triples, 12 home runs and 60 RBI. He’s also stolen 22 bases. The Nats’ plans for him the rest of the season could include a late-season promotion when rosters expand in September.
After he was drafted last season, he played for three different Nationals affiliates and batted .292 with five home runs and 29 RBI in just 35 games. His LSU teammate, Paul Skenes, taken No. 1 overall, beat him to the Majors earlier this year and was an All-Star for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Brady House, a third baseman prospect, is No. 69 in the Top 100. He’s been with the Nationals since 2021, when the prep star went 11th overall and signed for an above-slot bonus of $5 million to forego college.
A back injury slowed him down, but last season he showed what he can do, as he batted .312/.365/.497 line with 12 homers over 88 games and moved up three rungs of the minor league ladder.
After starting this season at Double-A, he’s now at Triple-A with Crews and for the season he’s batting .239 with 14 doubles, one triple, 15 home runs and 48 RBI. He’s hit better at Rochester, with a .256 average.
He has the potential to be a 2025 call-up for the Nationals.
Travis Sykora, a pitcher throwing for Class A Fredericksburg, was No. 100. Washington drafted the high school pitcher in the third round and then signed him for an over-slot price of $2.6 million to bypass his commitment to the University of Texas.
He didn’t pitch professionally last year, but this season he’s been sharp, going 3-3 with a 2.42 ERA in 15 starts. He has struck out 96 and walked 31 in 68 innings.
MATTHEW POSTINS