Washington Nationals’ Farm System Ranking Holds Steady After Promotions

The Washington Nationals’ everyday lineup is a snapshot of just how far it has come in the past few years.

The entire outfield is made up of former prospects, some drafted by the organization and some acquired by trade. James Wood is in left field, Jacob Young is in center field and Dylan Crews is in right field.  

In the infield, Washington has a great middle infield duo of C.J. Abrams at shortstop and Luis Garcia Jr. at second base. Plus, Keibert Ruiz is behind the plate, a prospect who signed a long-term pre-arbitration deal early in his career.

Plus, there’s the pitching staff, which is led by youngsters MacKenzie Gore and D.J. Herz.

Even with all of that young talent, the Nationals have a respected system that really didn’t budge from last year’s ranking, as released by Baseball America.

The publication ranked the Nats at No. 14. That’s one spot up from last year, when the system was ranked No. 15. In 2023, the system reached its six-year peak, which was No. 7.

Part of the system’s overall ranking is because Crews, who made his MLB debut last year, is still considered a prospect. Assuming he makes the opening-day roster, as expected, he’ll graduate from prospect status before the end of April.

In 31 Major League games last year he slashed just .218/.288/.353/.641 with three home runs and eight RBI. Crews was the Nationals’ first-round pick in 2023. He played just 135 minor league games before he earned his promotion to the Nationals last season.

In 100 minor-league games in 2024, Crews slashed .270/.342/.451/.793 with 13 home runs and 68 RBI.

Plus, pitching prospect Cade Cavilli is back from Tommy John surgery and should be able to compete for a Major League job again this season. Like Crews, he could graduate from the rankings soon.

For that reason, the publication considers the system “top-heavy.”

In addition to crews, Brady House, another respected prospect, will be in spring training to compete for the starting job at third base. He may not get the job, but even if he returns to Triple-A Rochester, he could receive a promotion at the first sign of need in D.C.

Washington also has a couple of pitching prospects to watch, though they may not be ready for the Majors this season.

Like Crews, pitchers Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana are Top 100 prospects that the Nats are counting on to join their staff, perhaps as soon as 2026.   

Recommended Articles