Washington Nationals Prospect Victor Hurtado Receives Average Debut Grade
The Washington Nationals currently have one of the more exciting young cores in the Major Leagues, featuring several high-upside players.
Left fielder James Wood, shortstop CJ Abrams and starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore were all acquired as part of the trade package from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto blockbuster.
Outfielder Robert Hassell III, who was the top prospect involved in the deal at the time, is knocking on the door of the Major Leagues as well.
There is even more talent that is making its way through the team’s minor league system, providing a lot of optimism and hope for the future.
Right fielder Dylan Crews is the No. 1 ranked prospect in the sport and the organization has highly-touted talent at every level. In the lower levels, there is some really intriguing players who are starting to make a name for themselves.
Catching prospect Caleb Lomavita is garnering some attention as someone with the potential to be an everyday player at the highest level if he continues working on his craft after switching to the position full-time in college.
A little further down their prospect list is one of their 2024 international free agent signings, outfielder Victor Hurtado.
The Dominican Republic product signed for a large chunk of the team’s signing pool, receiving a $2.7 million bonus. He was only 16 years old at the time of signing, making him one of the youngest players in this year’s class.
Over at Bleacher Report, Joel Reuter handed out grades for the top 10 prospects of the 2024 international signing period. Hurtado received the seventh largest bonus and the deal received a “C’ grade from the MLB expert.
“With an athletic 6'3" frame and significant offensive upside, Victor Hurtado has been on the radar of MLB teams for years," Reuter wrote.
He went on to write, "His swing can get long at times, so he will need to tighten things up to avoid being exposed against more advanced pitching, but he has as much power potential as any prospect in his class."
He played in 39 games with the DSL Nationals in rookie ball in 2024, recording a .218/.310/.331 slash line with nine extra base hits in total, three of which were home runs. 22 RBI were knocked in and he recorded three steals as well.
The upside with him is legitimate, as his swing suggests that he will be an above-average hitter once he fills out and gains more strength and power. If he can tighten up the areas Reuter mentioned, he has the look of a middle-of-the-order bopper.
A player of Hurtado's age will likey need a few more years before he will be Major League-ready. The Nationals are likely hoping that at some point next season they can bring him stateside with their Florida Complex League team.
