Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Three prospects who could join James Wood on the Nationals next year

By Austen Bundy | Last updated Jul 2, 2024 4:30 PM ET

One of Major League Baseball's top prospects, James Wood, made his big-league debut for the Washington Nationals on Monday night, earning his first career hit in his very first at-bat.

The left fielder was one of four top prospects sent to Washington from San Diego in the 2022 Juan Soto trade. Including Wood, three of those prospects have now seen major-league action.

Washington has been in a rebuild since the forgettable three-season stretch of 2020 through 2022, now touting an arguably underrated farm system that is ranked No. 12, according to MLB.com.

Here are three prospects who could join Wood in Washington as early as next season, barring injuries.

Dylan Crews, OF

Drafted second overall in 2023 out of LSU, Crews spent time last year and the first half of this season in Double-A Harrisburg before being promoted to Triple-A Rochester in June.

Major League Baseball's No. 4 prospect, per MLB.com, is currently batting a respectable .259 with a .286 on base percentage and slugging .426 in just 14 games for Rochester so far. Crews still needs another year of development, but his batting ceiling should see him in Washington sooner rather than later.

Dylan Crews now has a 10-game hitting streak in Triple-A after today’s game pic.twitter.com/9ywAIbrlYL
— Milb Central (@milb_central) June 30, 2024

Brady House, 3B

Drafted 11th overall in 2021, House was expected by some to have already arrived in Washington by now. But a back injury in 2022 while with Single-A Fredericksburg delayed his big-league debut indefinitely.

Last season, House returned to full health and climbed up three levels to Double-A Harrisburg, posting an impressive .312/.365/.497 line with 12 home runs in 88 games. While his numbers have dipped some this season, the Washington debut for MLB.com's No. 45 prospect shouldn't be far off come 2025.

Wood, Crews and House were all selected to play in the MLB All-Star Futures game, set to be played July 13 in Arlington, Texas.

brady house, dylan crews, AND james wood have been named to the @MLB All-Star Futures Game roster‼️ pic.twitter.com/xIH819Rwjv
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 2, 2024

Robert Hassell III, OF

The remaining prospect of the four traded from San Diego for Juan Soto in 2022, Hassell has yet to make a good enough impression in the minors to get a call up. Once MLB.com's No. 35 prospect in 2023, Hassell's .278/.369/.369 line so far in 2024 has him outside the top 100.

To be fair, Hassell has battled injuries while in Washington's farm system which have considerably delayed his development. But presuming he can log a full season in Double-A Harrisburg this year, he could find himself in Triple-A Rochester, and possibly Nationals Park, by the end of 2025.

Second homer is as many days for @Nationals No. 8 prospect Robert Hassell III! pic.twitter.com/XfMyGyYrEp
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 1, 2024

Washington is currently playing sub-.500 baseball, sitting fourth in the National League East division. But the future is bright in the nation's capital, and if these prospects stay on schedule, general manager Mike Rizzo's rebuild could be ahead of schedule.

Austen Bundy

Austen Bundy is a journalist and sports junkie from the Washington, D. C. area

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