Washington National Risky Investment in Prospect Has Looked Great Quickly
The Washington Nationals are starting to promote most of their top prospects, but some youngsters are quickly making a name for themselves as well.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently evaluated each team's farm system to find the best player at every level. One of the players listed for the Nationals was a pitcher they paid above slot value to secure.
The full list was as follows:
Triple-A: 3B Brady House
Double-A: 1B/3B Yohandy Morales
High-A: RHP Jarlin Susana
Single-A: RHP Travis Sykora
Rookie: SS Luke Dickerson
Washington paid over $2.5 million dollars to make sure Sykora signed his contract after the team drafted him in the third round.
The 20-year-old has the tall, 6-foot-6 frame that a lot of top pitching prospects nowadays share, but he's less lanky at 232 pounds. Unsurprisingly, he has a very promising fastball that was already able to hit 101 mph before the draft.
He's posted a 2.33 ERA with 13.7 K/9 and just 2.9 BB/9 over his first 20 starts at Single-A. It would be hard for him to look much better this early on.
House is the top-rated prospect still in the minors for the Nationals. He's hit his first little bump at Triple-A with a .265/.291/.403 slash line in his first 47 games. Still, he'll be in the Majors at some point next season and has a very promising bat with a strong arm that should have him taking over the hot corner.
Morales will likely be a first baseman at the next level, but needs to add power before that can happen.
The 22-year-old has had a nice .266/.360/.382 slash line, but has hit just seven home runs this season.
There is promise since he was able to touch 20 home runs with the Miami Hurricanes, as well as 18 in another campaign during his college tenure.
Susana is another right-handed pitcher with a big frame at 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds. He's the fourth-ranked prospect in the farm system.
The 20-year-old hasn't had the same efficiency with his ERA this past season, but still strikes batters out at a high rate.
He was one of the players they got in the Juan Soto trade with the San Diego Padres.
Dickerson was the second round selection in the 2024 MLB draft. While he hasn't made his rookie ball debut, hopes are high that he will become a power hitter who also brings speed to the base paths.
Though the MLB roster is already feeling a youth movement in Washington, there are still some players to be excited about down the road.
