The Washington Nationals are at an enormous inflection point in their organization’s state. The team saw a remarkable amount of prospects graduate in 2024 and there’s another big-four expected to break through and contribute at the big league level in 2025. These are the moments traditional rebuilds wait for, and they’ll add to that with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 Draft.
But will it all come together? Do they have the arms to complement what should become a blossoming lineup?
DEVELOPMENTS
At the top of the Nats’ system, Dylan Crews fought through to the big leagues a year after the draft and figures into the club’s plans for the foreseeable future.
The level of impact Crews brings, however, remains in question. He has plus tools, including a chance at 25-30 homers. Crews spent just 15 games below Double-A and his numbers were more than fine, but he’s yet to go on that run he showed he was capable of at LSU.
Right-hander Travis Sykora was outstanding in 2024 and is now among the top pitching prospects in baseball, despite his lack of experience as a 2023 third-round pick. It’s a fastball-slider-splitter arsenal from a 6-foot-6, 235-pound frame and triple-digit velocity. Good luck, hitters.
Angel Feliz, one of the club’s big international signings in 2024, ranked in the DSL in 2024 (.310/.381/.468), showing better results than many expected at 17 years of age. It’s a bit of a power-over-hit projection early, but Feliz made plenty of contact and showed instincts in the field and on the bases suggesting he’ll see a stateside affiliate in 2025.
QUESTIONS
While the James Wood, Crews, CJ Abrams, and Jacob Young types are catching the headlines, not enough is being said about what the Nationals can accomplish on the mound.
Yes, it’s awfully easy to get excited about MacKenzie Gore. But then what? Jake Irvin was remarkably impressive last season as a guy who limits damage. But he’s unlikely to ever dominate the opposition as a punch-out artist. He’ll likely struggle with more advanced lineups. The same can be said about Mitchell Parker, though his baseball card would suggest he’s at least capable of generating whiffs and working through lineups, albeit on an inconsistent basis. 2025 will welcome back righty Cade Cavalli to the rotation; a much-needed injection in ceiling to that squad.
Sykora exploded onto the scene in 2024 after not throwing during his draft year in 2023. His 85 innings and 129 strikeouts vaulted his name in prospect circles. He walked just 2.9 batters per nine and owns a fastball that brushes triple digits. He’s a couple of ways away, but there’s ceiling here.
‘A couple of years away’ is a theme.
Righty Jarlin Susana is on the way, but there remains enormous relief risk. A hard-throwing six-foot-six-inch hurler, Susana has been up to 102 and offers one of the more devastating sliders in NL farm systems. But he’s never walked less than 4.2 batters per nine innings.
Granted, last season was his best year yet in that regard. He’s come down from 6.8 BB/9 in 2022 to 5.7 BB/9 in 2023 to the aforementioned 4.2 mark last year. He’s trending in the right direction, but work remains, He’s unlikely to see the big leagues in 2025 but could reach Double-A and flirt with a call-up after pitching 47.1 innings at Double-A Wilmington last year.
Along the same lines, lefty Alex Clemmey needs to bring down the walk if he hopes to start. He pitched all of last season at Class-A posting 6.1 walks-per-nine innings. He’ll likely be tested with High-A in 2025 where controlling the baseball will be even more important should he hope to find sustained success.
Should the Nationals look for help within the organization next year it’ll likely come from names who have dabbled at Double-A.
Righty Marquis Grissom Jr. is likely a bullpen arm going forward, but he dominated the month of July last season and posted a 2.21 ERA for the year.
Righty Brad Lord doesn’t have the most exceptional secondary offerings, but he’s proven durable and reliable and there’s fastball value there. He pitched his way to Triple-A last season. He’s knocking on the door.
Keep an eye on right-hander Andry Lara too. He reached Double-A last season and punched a lot of tickets along the way. He’s a sum-of-his-parts type of arm who does a nice job limiting damage and does well not getting himself in trouble. He’ll be just 22 years old and could conceivably start games in D.C. as early as July if it all clicks.
| LEVEL | TEAM | W-L | TOP PROSPECT |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | Rochester | 77-71 | Brady House, 3B |
| AA | Harrisburg | 68-70 | Yohandy Morales, 3B |
| A+ | Wilmington | 57-75 | Jarlin Susana, RHP |
| A | Fredericksburgh | 74-57 | Travis Sykora, RHP |
| R | Nationals | 25-29 | Jackson Kent, LHP |
| DSL | Nationals | 22-30 | Victor Hurtado, OF |
ADDITIONS & SUBTRACTIONS
The Nationals were busy in July, swapping Thomas for LHP Alex Clemmey and shortstop prospects José Tena, and Rafael Ramirez Jr., and picking up RHP Tyler Stuart and 3B Andrés Chaparro for RHR Dylan Floro and OF Jesse Winker.
They started the movement with a trade of RHR Hunter Harvey to the Kansas City Royals for 3B Cayden Wallace in the middle of the month.
Washington went college-heavy in the draft, selecting one prep player in the first 14 rounds. Shortstop Seaver King was the club’s top pick. The Nationals also added C Caleb Lomavita (CB-A), SS Luke Dickerson (2), C Kevin Bazzell (3), and lefty Jackson Kent early.
GRADUATIONS
DJ Herz, LHP
Young, OF
Parker, LHP
Jose A. Ferrer, RHP
Nasim Nunez, SS
Young was a mainstay in the lineup and perhaps part of the core moving forward with a 2.6 fWAR season led by tremendous defense.
Parker was a solid 29-start rotation option with a chance at mid-rotation production, and he was nearly there in 2024. Herz followed suit in 19 outings and brings more upside.
Ferrer is a ground ball arm out of the bullpen who covered 32 innings very efficiently in 2024.
BIG-LEAGUE RADAR
House, 3B
Cavalli, RHP
Wallace, 3B
Brad Lord, RHP
Hassell III, OF
Lara, RHP
Stuart, RHP
Zach Brzykcy, RHP
Jackson Rutledge, RHP
Orlando Ribalta, RHP
SCOUT SAYS
“It’s been a methodical trek to a breakthrough and it looks a lot different than Mike’s (Rizzo) first go-round, but we can see some similarities through the draft…”
“I tell ya though, the things they did over the summer filled a lot of holes. Remember where some of these arms came from in a year or two. They didn’t draft them all. They were geniuses at the trade deadline.”
