Washington Nationals Farm System: The Nationals’ farm system blends high-upside tools with physical projection and emerging role clarity, anchored by premium arms and athletic hitters. While not overflowing with elite fantasy assets, it offers depth, developmental momentum, and several breakout candidates worth tracking in Dynasty formats.
Summary
The Nationals’ farm system is quietly gaining traction, blending high-upside tools with polish and projection. At the top, Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana offer frontline velocity and swing-and-miss potential, while hitters like Luke Dickerson, Coy James, and No. 1 overall pick Eli Willits bring athleticism, OBP skills, and foundational traits that could translate into everyday fantasy value. Willits, in particular, offers speed, contact, and defensive versatility—though his fantasy ceiling hinges on power development. The organization has leaned into bat speed, leverage, and zone control, building a system with long-term upside.
Pitching depth runs deeper than it first appears. Landon Harmon, Josh Randall, and Jackson Kent show starter traits, while reliever-leaning profiles like Sean Linan, R.J. Sales, and Eriq Swan offer swing-and-miss stuff in short bursts. The Nationals favor East-West arms with deception and control, and several could pop if velocity or pitch mix improves.
Overall, this is a system in transition, with a strong foundation of athleticism, projection, and role flexibility. It’s not yet overflowing with elite fantasy assets, but the building blocks are in place. If the Nationals can convert raw traits into impact production, several of these players could emerge as everyday contributors with multi-category relevance. For Dynasty managers, it’s a system worth tracking closely—especially as the younger international class begins to climb.
AI-Assisted Fantasy Tiers: Methodology and Observations
AI has made significant strides in all aspects of our lives. Over the past four years, I have compiled 500,000 words of personal scouting narratives, which have formed the foundation for training my own AI assistant. This assistant now evaluates prospects and assigns fantasy tiers exclusively based on the insights and observations contained in my write-ups.
After requesting that my AI assistant generate fantasy tiers using this year’s reports, I found that the AI’s rankings generally align with my own assessments. However, there are some cases where the AI’s evaluations differ from my personal rankings. I am sharing those differences here for your consideration.
🥇 Tier 1: Fantasy Impact Targets
- Travis Sykora – Splitter-led arsenal, frontline upside if health cooperates
- Luke Dickerson – 70-grade speed, emerging power, advanced feel for hitting
- Jarlin Susana – Elite velocity, RP floor, SP ceiling if command clicks
🥈 Tier 2: Everyday-Upside Targets
- Eli Willits – Speed/OBP shortstop, needs power to unlock fantasy value
- Coy James – Compact swing, power projection, corner bat with pedigree
- Landon Harmon – Velo, spin, projection; Sykora-lite with long runway
- Yoyo Morales – 25-HR upside, trending OBP bat, swing still maturing
- Ethan Petry – Above-average raw power, OBP skills, swing-and-miss risk
To see the list, click here.
