There are least six top prospects ranking services out there, and MLB Pipeline just did their new Top-100 rankings at the midway point of the season. The Washington Nationals fared well, all considered, in their current rankings.
With Elijah Green and Robert Hassell III downgraded to №86 and №99 respectively by the evaluators, they both are barely in the Top-100 for now. For now, are the operative words because in less than two weeks, the MLB Draft will add several draft picks into the Top-100 just like we saw last year with Green who was the fifth pick overall in the draft by the Nats — and he debuted at №46. Unless Green and Hassell pick it up, they will most likely fall out of the Top-100.
The good news for the Nats is that they have the second pick in the upcoming draft, and per Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, he would put both Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes in his Top-20 prospects after the draft. Even Wyatt Langford is Top-25. That is great news for the Nats.
Topping this MLB Pipeline list for Washington is James Wood at №6, and he will keep moving up as players graduate from prospect status ahead of him like Eury Perez and Elly De La Cruz. Technically, it looks like Perez should be off the list, and that would move Wood up to №5. Brady House moved up 15 spots in the latest rankings.
At the end of May, here were the old rankings from MLB Pipeline:
Here are what the rankings look like now:
Cade Cavalli was off of the Baseball America Top-100, and MLB Pipeline is keeping him on their list even though he is out for the season after his UCL surgery. One other player, Jarlin Susana should be pushing for a Top-100 ranking and two other fast risers are Daylen Lile and Jake Bennett. There are other notable prospects looking up like Jackson Rutledge. His rankings might put him closer to the Top-200. The other Top-10 players in the Nats system that we are waiting for more data on are Cristhian Vaquero in the FCL, and Jeremy De La Rosa and T.J. White at High-A Wilmington. De La Rosa has really turned it on in June after his hamate surgery late last year. Hassell had the same surgery plus an additional wrist ligament injury which has slowed him in his 2023 season at Harrisburg Double-A.
Expect the next rankings to come out in early August after the trade deadline, and that will include the new draft picks that will be ranked as well as new team designations for any players traded. It is certainly possible that the Nats get a Top-100 prospect if general manager Mike Rizzo puts together a good trade package.
UPDATED: Wood and House will represent the Nats in the All-Star Futures Game on Saturday, July 8, at 7 pm in Seattle. The following day is the MLB Draft.
