Baseball America has published a new Washington Nationals top-30 prospects list. There is a lot of movement as you would expect, and expect more as the draft is less than four weeks from now, and the Nats top pick will slide into the №2 and expect that to be Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews or Wyatt Langford when the name is called. Also the Nats second round pick could seed into the back of this Top-10.
Here is the Top-30:
1. James Wood OF
2. Robert Hassell III OF
3. Brady House 3B
4. Elijah Green OF
5. Cade Cavalli RHP (MLB IL)
6. Jackson Rutledge RHP
7. Cristhian Vaquero OF
8. Jake Bennett LHP
9. Jarlin Susana RHP
10. Jeremy De La Rosa OF
11. Daylen Lile OF
12. T.J. White OF
13. Cole Henry RHP
14. Armando Cruz SS
15. Andry Lara RHP
16. Jake Irvin RHP (MLB roster)
17. Trey Lipscomb 3B
18. Jose Ferrer LHP
19. Israel Pineda C
20. Zach Brzykcy RHP (MiLB IL)
21. Jake Alu IF/OF
22. Roismar Quintana OF
23. Drew Millas C
24. Mitchell Parker LHP
25. Matt Cronin LHP (MiLB IL)
26. Dustin Saenz LHP
27. Jacob Young OF
28. Darren Baker 2B/OF
29. Andy Acevedo OF
30. Edwin Solano SS
The list is certainly open for some debate. Baseball America just dropped Green out of their Top-100 top prospects in all of baseball. Wood and Hassell are in that Top-100 and House is close to making that list. House was promoted to Wilmington High-A last week, and the week before Wood was promoted to Double-A Harrisburg to join Hassell III. Remember, House’s 2022 season ended abruptly with a back injury, and Hassell had offseason hamate surgery and a subsequent wrist ligament injury that delayed his 2023 season. Hassell just hit his first homer of 2023 over the weekend. All of them are healthy now. How soon they will be ready for their next steps up is a big part of the Nats’ future.
“Big hit for James Wood and Hassell keeps getting on-base with the two walks and stuff. They’re playing well. That’s a great time for us, and like I said, they’re part of our future. So I’m excited that they’re doing well.”
— manager Dave Martinez commenting on Wood’s walk-off hit and Hassell’s ability to get on-base
At the end of May, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN seeded Crews, Skenes, and Langford into his Top-50 prospects in all of baseball with Wood at №6 in all of baseball.
Here are the past dozen-years of Washington Nationals top picks in the draft:
2023: ?
2022: OF Elijah Green
2021: SS Brady House
2020: RHP Cade Cavalli
2019: RHP Jackson Rutledge
2018: RHP Mason Denaburg
2017: LHP Seth Romero
2016: SS Carter Kieboom
2015: OF Andrew Stevenson
2014: RHP Erick Fedde
2013: RHP Jake Johansen
2012: RHP Lucas Giolito
The next name called in the draft for the Nats will impact this team for the next decade, and possibly longer as first rounders — and especially picks at the front of the draft are supposed to be franchise changers. Forget that past history prior to 2019, and look at the bright future.
