The Washington Nationals’ system is strong. They have strength at the top in positional players with Dylan Crews and Brady House and pitching with Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana. All four are considered elite talent. It doesn’t stop there, as the depth is there with players who are close to helping in Washington and others who are a few years away.
Not included in the list was James Woods, our pre-season top prospect in baseball; Jose Tena, who is showing in the big leagues that he can play; and CJ Abrams, who is 23 years old. The Nationals will be a good team and feel like the 2023 Orioles. In other words, they are about ready to take off. You heard it here first.
Prospect Snapshot
- Top Prospect: Dylan Crews
- Biggest Mover: Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana
- Biggest Disappointment: Elijah Green
- Emerging Prospect: Victor Hurtado
1. Dylan Crews (OF)
- Highest Level: Majors ETA: 2024 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 15 OF
- Last Updated: 11/22/2024
- Tools Summary: He has an advanced approach at the plate with high-end exit velocities.
Dylan Crews had the best combination of safety and upside in the 2023 Draft. He’s incredibly talented and has an advanced approach with above-average exit velocities. Does he have the kind of upside of Tatis Jr. or Ronald Acuna? No, but the floor is exceptionally high with low risk.
He spent most of the season in Double and Triple-A, slugging 13 home runs and stealing 25 bases over 100 games. He got a September call-up and struggled, hitting .218 with three home runs. He did steal 12 bases in 15 attempts.
2. Brady House (3B)
- Highest Level: Triple-A ETA: 2025-26 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 15 3B with OBP risk
- Last Updated: 11/22/2024
- Tools Summary: He has excellent bat speed and projects to hit 20+ home runs. Unfortunately, he continues to be overly aggressive at the plate, and if he doesn’t address it, it could limit his playing time and, ultimately, his ceiling.
Brady House was the Nationals’ first-round pick in 2021. He’s always been aggressive at the plate but improved slightly in Double-A to start the 2024 season. However, upon his promotion to Triple-A in July, he returned to swinging at everything.
House is a bat-speed guy, and with some added launch, he projects to hit for power, which could be considerable future power. He’s an average runner, so stolen bases will not be a big part of his profile in the future.
While I like the power potential, his aggressiveness at the plate could be his undoing. A full-time gig in the Major Leagues with a sub-300 OBP is challenging to achieve. While he’s still a top prospect for me, I’ve lowered his ranking to reflect the OBP risk.
3. Travis Sykora (RHP)
- Highest Level: Low-A ETA: 2027 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 30 SP with risk
- Last Updated: 11/22/2024
- Tools Summary: He has the size and arsenal to pitch at the top of the rotation.
With the first pick in the third round in 2023, the Nationals drafted Travis Sykora, a 6-foot-6, hard-throwing teenager. He showed up to camp with his big fastball and a nasty-looking splitter. Both pitches proved highly effective in 2024, with his splitter being too much for Low-A hitters. He’s still toying with a slider and curveball, but the slider looks like the better pitch and will likely become his primary breaking pitch going forward.
What impressed me the most about Sykora was his control. With his size and the uncoiling nature of his delivery (think Paul Skenes), I expected walks to be a problem, but they were not. Part of his success could have been his nasty stuff, and teenage hitters could not lay off it.
I’ve watched several of his games and haven’t seen the 100 MPH fastball that scouts talked about when he was in high school, but the fastball is plenty good (94 to 96 MPH, touching 97). When you combine that with his Splitter and developing Slider, there is upside at the top of the rotation.
4. Jarlin Susana (RHP)
- Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2026-27 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 45 SP or Closer
- Last Updated: 11/22/2024
- Tools Summary: Big arm strength kid who is still learning to pitch. Something might have clicked in his promotion to High-A.
Few pitchers at any level throw harder than Jarlin Susana (reportedly up to 102 MPH). His curveball has improved since the Nationals acquired him from the Padres in 2022.
He continued to show poor control to start the season in Low-A, but something clicked in the middle of June. He started showing better control. In early July, he was promoted to High-A, where he posted an improved walk rate of 3.4 per nine. If the control improvements are real, he’ll blow through my ceiling. Yes, I wrote, “blow through.” With his velocity and curveball, he’s going to be a force.
Susana is an impressive talent, and he should be on the radar of all Dynasty League managers in all formats.
5. Robert Hassell (OF)
- Highest Level: Triple-A ETA: 2025 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 75 OF
- Last Updated: 11/22/2024
- Tools Summary: He showed much-improved contact in 2024 with solid speed. The power is more doubles-oriented.
After a disastrous 2023 season, Robert Hassell played better in 2024. Unfortunately, he missed nearly two months with a hamstring injury.
Hassell made better contact (21% vs. 32%) and was more patient at the plate (15% vs. 11%). He ran more this season, and it appears he continues to have above-average speed. He’s also starting to hit the ball with more authority, but his exit velocities still project more of a doubles-hitter. We must hope he continues to demonstrate improved control of the strike zone, and maybe he can chisel out a Manny Margot-type career. Although, the defense is not at the same level.
He’s fallen from being a top prospect, but this year was better. However, he looks more like a number-five outfielder on a fantasy team, far from what I thought he could become. He finished the season in Triple-A and is poised to see Washington in 2025.
6. Seaver King (SS, #10)
- Highest Level: Low-A ETA: 2026-27 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 20 SS
- Last Updated: 11/22/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s athletic with enough bat speed to project 12 to 15 home run pop with above-average speed
Seaver King is an athletic shortstop who hit 17 home runs and stole 11 bases for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in his draft year. He also made excellent contact (12% K-Rate) but did expand the strike zone more than his strikeout rate would indicate.
He didn’t show much power in his first professional exposure but made excellent contact with ten stolen bases. In 20 games, he posted a .385 SLG with no home runs.
If it all comes together, he could profile as an everyday outfielder with a 12-12 type of upside.
7. Andres Chaparro (3B/1B)
- Highest Level: Majors ETA: 2024 Fantasy Ceiling: Corner Infielder
- Last Updated: 11/22/2024
- Tools Summary: He has plus future power potential and makes better contact than you think.
You’ve got to give Andres Chapparo credit for not giving up. He was blocked in New York and then in Arizona. Finally, he was moved to the Nationals, where he got a chance to play. I don’t see a star, but he might be a sneaky power source in deeper fantasy leagues.
He hits the ball extremely hard and has always made better contact than you think for a big-bopper power hitter. In 2024, he lowered his strikeout rate to 18% in the PCL.
8. Alex Clemmey (LHP)
- Highest Level: Low-A ETA: 2027 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 30 SP or Closer with extreme risk
- Last Updated: 11/22/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s athletic, throws hard, and is 6-foot-6. The upside is tremendous, but the control is currently 20-grade.
Alex Clemmey was the Guardians’ second-round pick in 2023, signing for nearly a million dollars over slot. He’s the definition of a project. He’s 6-foot-6, can touch the upper nineties with his fastball, can spin a curveball, and even shows a feel for a change-up. The biggest problem is that he has no idea where the ball is going. That was evident in his 6.1 BB/9 walk rate in 25 starts in Low-A. However, the arsenal has a chance to be special as he’s improved his slider, and his change-up is also flashing. But he can’t repeat his delivery, and at 6-foot-6, it will take time.
With the trade at the deadline to the Nationals for Lane Thomas, Clemmey provides the Nationals with another high-end pitching prospect. While Washington doesn’t have the same history as the Guardians with developing pitchers, they are no slouches. Perhaps they view Clemmey in much the same way they do Susana – a great arm who can’t throw strikes. I will encourage you to read what I wrote about Susana.
9. Yohandy Morales (1B)
- Highest Level: Double-A ETA: 2026 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 15 1B
- Last Updated: 11/22/2024
- Tools Summary: He has high exit velocities, but there is swing-and-miss in his game. He missed considerable time in 2024 with a thumb injury.
Yoyo Morales is 6-foot-4, chiseled with tremendous raw power. He has some of the best exit velocities in the Nationals system. However, that power has yet to show up. He didn’t hit a home run in 2023, and in limit action in 2024, he posted a .416 SLG and only seven home runs.
A thumb injury that he sustained in May limited him to 75 games. Perhaps we would have seen the power if he had played. Based on his physicality, I would be shocked if he didn’t eventually hit 20 to 25 home runs, if not a lot more. It might come with more strikeouts than you would like, but I think the power is real.
Hopefully, we will see an entire season in 2025 and be able to determine his future ceiling better.
10. Daylen Lile (OF)
- Highest Level: Double-A ETA: 2026-27 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 60 OF with upside
- Last Updated: 11/22/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s going in the right direction. He controls the strike zone well, and if he can add more pop, he could get interested quickly.
Daylen Lile was the Nationals’ second-round pick in 2021. He came into spring training in noticeably better shape, but that has not translated into production on the field. He’s a plus runner and should be able to steal 20 stolen bases annually. He has enough bat speed and strength to add more pop, but he hasn’t.
What he can do is hit. Between High and Double-A, he struck out 16.7% of the time with a 10% walk rate. He can play all three outfield positions, and while I believe there is more in the tank, he might fall into an MLB fourth-outfielder role. I will bet the over and put his ceiling as a soft regular with a .270 hitter, 8 to 10 home runs, and 20 stolen bases.
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