Washington Nationals Promote Pair of Top Prospects To Triple-A

The Washington Nationals continue to move intriguing talent through their farm system as two top prospects recently got promoted to the next level.

Andrew Golden of the Washington Post shared that both Daylen Lile and Marquis Grissom Jr. are getting the call up to Triple-A, putting them just one step away from the bigs.

Lile is currently the highest-rated outfielder in the Nationals' farm system. He doesn't hit for much power, but has been seeing the ball well at the Double-A level and looks ready for a step up in competition.

Through 21 games this season, he has posted a .319/.340/.506 slash line with two home runs and six stolen bases. His 143 wRC+ would be the highest mark in his career since his 2023 stint in Single-A.

The 22-year-old was the second-round pick by Washington back in 2021 and is developing at a solid rate.

It's promising that Lile is able to make so much contact while also being super aggressive at the plate. He barely strikes out, but also draws even less walks.

While he does have only two home runs this year, over a third of his hits have gone for extra-bases. If he could keep that up at the next level, the lack of that extra thump would be fine.

The only issue comes with the fact that it would be hard to justify playing Lile over any of the three starting outfielders right now.

Dylan Crews and James Wood are mainstays in the outfield. There could be an argument to eventually move him ahead of Jacob Young, but that would still be a steep decline in defense.

Grissom has a much clearer path to playing time.

The Nationals' bullpen currently ranks dead-last in MLB with a staff ERA of 7.47. They desperately need more effective arms, and the 23-year-old has looked incredible in the minors.

He was a 13th-round selection back in 2022 and is currently the No. 23 prospect in their farm system, but Grissom has performed well throughout his entire minor league career.

Through his first 9.2 innings of work this season he has a 1.86 ERA. His WHIP is slightly concerning up at 1.345, but he has been able to work out of jams.

His changeup is deadly and looks to be a killer strikeout pitch with a 10-mph drop off from his fastball that also possesses solid movement.