The 2018 season thus far for the Washington Nationals can only be classified as disappointing.  A club expected to easily capture the division title, Washington finds themselves chasing the upstart Phillies for a playoff berth.

Thankfully, while the major league team has been scuffling, it has been a fairly promising and successful year for the minor leagues.  Washington has seen Juan Soto emerge from hyped prospect into a feared hitter having one of the best seasons for a teenager in baseball history.  Furthermore, several prospects like Carter Kieboom, Luis Garcia and Wil Crowe have blossomed and established themselves as the next wave of future Washington Nationals.  And finally, despite drafting late in Round 1 and having a small bonus pool allotment, Washington had another successful draft this past June, adding many talented pitchers to the organization.

With the MLB non-waiver trade deadline in the rearview mirror, I thought this to be a prudent time to rank the top prospects in the Washington Nationals’ farm system.  My list prioritizes in order the prospect’s ceiling, their likelihood to fulfill their potential, their positional value and their proximity to the major leagues.

#1 Victor Robles OF

Entering 2018 Robles was considered the top outfield prospect in baseball and perhaps the top prospect in the minor leagues.  Unfortunately Robles dislocated his elbow in early April, and has missed most of this season rehabilitating the injury.

When healthy, the 21-year-old Robles possesses elite tools, including easy plus speed and a plus arm, which allows him to play gold-glove caliber center field defense.  Offensively the right-handed hitter has lightning fast wrists, outstanding bat speed and good feel for the barrel.  His overall game still needs polish, but he is a true 5-tool talent and should be a fixture in Washington’s outfield for the rest of the decade.

#2 Carter Kieboom SS

Washington’s 1^st round pick in 2016, Kieboom is listed at 6-2 190lbs with projection remaining in his body.  He has above-average speed plus solid-average arm strength, which gives scouts hope he can stay at shortstop long-term.  If not, he should be a solid defender at either second or third base.  At the plate, Kieboom is a right-handed hitter with impressive bat speed and a knack for making hard contact.  He graduated High-A earlier this spring and has continued his impressive offensive numbers at Double-A.  Kieboom could see time in the Arizona Fall League and should be a factor in Washington’s infield beginning in 2019.

#3 Luis Garcia SS/2B

The Nationals signed Garcia for $1.3 million as an international free agent in July 2016 and he has consistently hit since turning professional.  Garcia hit .302/.330/.387 as a 17-year-old in the GCL last year, and this season he has hit .298/.333/.409 across 2 levels of A-ball.  He has a simple left-handed swing and has a knack for smacking line drives all over the field.  Garcia has above-average or better speed and a fringe-average arm, allowing him to profile well as a middle infielder.  If he can stay at shortstop, he has All-Star potential.

Full Scouting Report -> http://natsgm.com/2018/07/09/prospect-spotlight-luis-garcia-inf-potomac-nationals/

#4 Mason Denaburg RHP

Washington’s 1^st round pick, 27^th overall, this past June, Mason Denaburg is an extremely athletic 6’3” 200lbs who was a 2-sport athlete in high school, as he was also an all-state punter.  He missed time this spring due to bicep tendonitis, causing him to slide to the end of Round 1.

Denaburg possesses a 3-pitch repertoire featuring a 92-95mph sinking fastball, a curveball with late-bite and the makings of a solid changeup.  Denaburg has some excess movement in his delivery and is raw even for a high school pitcher.  The risk is elevated, but Denaburg has the potential to be a mid-rotation starter down the road.

#5 Erick Fedde RHP

Seemingly on this list for a decade, the 25-year-old Fedde was Washington’s 1^st round pick in 2014 after sliding to pick #18 due to undergoing Tommy John surgery weeks before draft day.  Fedde has battled injuries since turning professional but features an intriguing 4-pitch repertoire when healthy.  Fedde possesses a 92-95mph fastball with strong command, a nasty 81-85mph slider, along a curveball and changeup.  Both the fastball and slider are plus pitches, but the curveball and changeup lag behind, leaving him susceptible to left-handed hitters.  This weakness, plus a lengthy injury-riddled past, leaves people questioning his ultimate role.  Washington will have openings in the starting rotation and bullpen next season, and Fedde should claim one of the vacant roles in 2019.

It buy levitra no prescription also greatly improves your mood. cialis free consultation You will not be receiving any quality direct traffic from these directories. So, do not use cialis online usa if you really wish to be free from erectile dysfunction. This can cause pain and burning sensations in the discount viagra upper right or left sides of the spine, while sEMG scan is used to measure the amount of electrical activity in the muscles along your spine. #6 Wil Crowe RHP

Washington’s 2^nd round pick in 2016, Wil Crowe is a stocky 6’2” 245lbs righty blessed with a solid 4-pitch arsenal.  Crowe features a 90-94mph fastball with heavy sink, a low-80s slider with good tilt, along with a solid low-80s changeup and high-70s curveball.  The almost 24-year-old was old for his draft class and had Tommy John surgery while in college, causing him to slide on draft day.  Crowe has performed extremely well at High-A this season with an 11-0 record and a 2.60 ERA in 90 innings pitched.  He was just promoted to Double-A and profiles as a workhorse #4 or #5 starter.

Full Scouting Report -> http://natsgm.com/2018/04/30/scouting-report-wil-crowe/

#7 Yasel Antuna SS

Washington signed Antuna for $3.9 million as an international free agent in July 2016 and he immediately showed why, batting .301/.382/.399 at 17-years-old in the GCL.  A switch-hitter, Antuna has struggled with the jump to Low-A Hagerstown, hitting .220/.293/.331 this year.  Scouts believe there is future home run power in his bat and he will develop into a quality hitter.

Defensively Antuna has average to above-average speed, good hands and a solid arm, allowing him to profile as a shortstop.  However, a side-arm throwing motion and poor footwork could move him off the position in the future. He is extremely risky, but there is potential for Antuna to develop into a solid 2-way player in the middle infield.

Full Scouting Report -> http://natsgm.com/2018/07/02/prospect-spotlight-yasel-antuna-ss-hagerstown-suns/

#8 Tim Cate LHP

Washington’s 2^nd round pick in June from the University of Connecticut, Tim Cate is a wiry 6’0” 170lbs lefty with an impressive 3-pitch repertoire, coupled with past injury concerns.  Cate underwent Tommy John surgery in high school and missed several starts last spring, causing him to slide to Round 2.  On the mound Cate possesses a 90-94mph fastball, a true plus curveball and a promising changeup.  His curveball was perhaps the best in his draft class and is a true, swing-and-miss offering.  His detractors point toward his injury history, plus his mediocre size, and portend a future in relief.  That said Washington figures to develop him as a starter and Cate profiles as either a back-end starter or impact reliever.

#9 Jackson Tetreault RHP

Washington selected Tetreault in the 7^th round of the 2017 Draft and signed him for a reported over-slot $300,000 bonus.  Tetreault is a wiry 6’5” 170lbs and has a skinny lower half.  He features a 4-pitch repertoire consisting of a 90-92mph fastball, an upper-80s cutter, a mid-70s curveball and interesting changeup.  He has a projectable frame, four pitches and should add velocity as he matures physically, giving him the profile of a back-end starting pitcher.  Tetreault is raw and there is plenty of risk, but Tetreault has a ceiling of a #4 or #5 starter.

Full Scouting Report -> http://natsgm.com/2018/06/29/prospect-spotlight-hagerstown-suns-jackson-tetreault/

#10 Seth Romero LHP

Washington top pick, 25^th overall, in 2017, Romero was a top-10 talent but slid due to a series of off-field incidents in college.  Now a year later, little has changed, as Romero was sent home from spring training due to team violations and did not pitch until June.

When Romero is on the mound, he throws from a low 3/4s arm slot and features a 3-pitch arsenal.  His fastball sits in the low-90s and can touch 96mph, along with a hard breaking slider and a quality changeup.  He is listed at 6’3” 240lbs, so there are obvious concerns about his conditioning, but he is a quality athlete and repeats his mechanics reasonably well.  He is the riskiest prospect in the system and has the largest variance in future value, as he has the potential to become a #3 or #4 starter in the major leagues or he could never graduate A-ball.

* Juan Soto and Pedro Severino both graduated their prospect status this season, while Erick Fedde still barely qualified as of August 1^st.  Soto would rank #1, barely ahead of Victor Robles, while Severino would be outside the top-10. *

Luis Garcia    INF      Potomac Nationals

Dates Evaluated: 9x, Most Recently 6/26

DOB: 5/16/2000    Height: 6’0”      Weight: 190lbs        Bats: Left             Throws: Right

Hit (60)     Power (40)     Speed (60)      Arm (50)    Defense (45 @ SS , 50 @ 2B or 3B)

Washington signed Luis Garcia as an international free agent in July 2016 for a reported $1.3 million bonus.  The son of former major league player also named Luis Garcia, this Luis Garcia is listed at 6’0” 190lbs, with thick legs and wiry upper-body strength.  Garcia possesses easy plus speed and could be slightly more underway, but has a stiffer lower-half and less natural agility than one might expect.  He plays hard, with a swagger and natural fluidity of the son of a former player.
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Defensively Garcia has shifted between second, shortstop and third base this season.  He possesses solid-average raw arm strength with a quick release and good accuracy, which allows his arm to play up.  He can occasionally get sloppy with his footwork.  Garcia has the raw athleticism to passably play shortstop, but does not possess the huge arm or elite athletic ability most big league shortstops have.  Garcia does not possess the massive arm of most third baseman or the lateral quickness of typical second baseman, but profiles as an average defender at either position.

Offensively the left-handed hitter has incredible hand-eye coordination and a knack for putting the barrel to the baseball.  Garcia has an advanced approach at the plate, hunting fastballs early in the count, before deploying a two-strike practice of shortening up to make contact.  He has some raw power pull-side in batting practice, but this has not yet appeared in game action.  Garcia uses the whole field and peppers the gaps with line drives.  He makes consistent hard contact, leading me to theorize he could develop more power in the future.  Garcia is an easy future “60” hitter for me, with “40” potential game power.

Luis Garcia is an excellent prospect with potential for two plus tools, two average tools and fringe-average power.  He has risk in his profile due to his age and the long-term question of where he projects defensively.  His hit tool, speed and natural baseball actions keep his risk lower than the average teenager in A-ball.  If he stays at shortstop, his offensive potential could make him a borderline all-star.  However, if he moves to either second or third base, he projects more as a league-average contributor.  Garcia has a ceiling as a .280-.300 hitter with 10-15 home runs annually and is presently a top-5 prospect in Washington’s system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG8S0lTmE8k

We are witnessing an outstanding season from a Nationals prospect unable to legally buy beer. If you immediately think this is yet another article about Juan Soto, I promise you it is not. Although he might deserve it, the 19-year-old Soto started the year at Single-A Hagerstown and is now batting cleanup in the major league. Yet somehow overlooked in the Soto Tsunami, the Nationals have another prospect breaking out in their system in Carter Kieboom.

Washington’s first-round pick in 2016 out of high school, the 20-year-old got off to a sluggish start to 2018, batting only .198/.308/.347 in April for high Single-A Potomac. April’s weather was dreadful and the Carolina League in which Potomac competes is a notoriously difficult hitters’ league, so few were concerned with his mediocre start.

Once the calendar turned to May, so did the switch to Kieboom’s offense, as he hit .391/.458/.576 in May and has followed that up with a .327/.410/.635 in June. Sure, his 50 strikeouts in 245 at-bats are slightly more than ideal, but Kieboom finished the first half batting .297/.384/.502 with 12 home runs and 27 extra-base hits. Kieboom also had a three-hit night, including a long home run, on Tuesday during the Carolina League All-Star Game. His video game numbers obviously caught the front office’s attention, as Kieboom was rewarded with a promotion to Double-A Harrisburg on Thursday.

In addition, scouts have perhaps been equally as impressed with Kieboom’s progress both defensively and in the weight room. Last season, the majority felt like Kieboom would need to switch from shortstop to either second base or third base. This opinion has quieted and now evaluators are thinking he might remain at shortstop long-term. Furthermore, Kieboom has put in the work off the field, firming up his physique, getting more muscular and improving his lateral quickness.

The Nationals have been aggressive promoting hitting prospects in recent years, often using Double-A as the final stop on their journey to the majors. This was the development path used for Anthony Rendon and, more recently, Victor Robles and Soto. Kieboom now finds himself in a similar situation, as his bat will dictate how quickly he reaches the major leagues. Kieboom has transformed himself from a late first-round pick to one of the top infield prospects in baseball in only two years, an impressive achievement.
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This leaves general manager Mike Rizzo with a difficult decision to make this summer. Even after this week’s blockbuster trade for Kelvin Herrera, the Nationals are presumably still looking to acquire a catcher, along with another pitcher for the stretch run. Teams will obviously covet Kieboom in trade discussions, but Washington must be projecting him as the heir apparent to Daniel Murphy at second base or Rendon at the hot corner.

The front office must be feeling immense pressure after watching the Capitals’ championship parade last week to replicate that in NatsTown. Will the Nationals use Kieboom as a trade chip to improve their chances in 2018, or decide he is too valuable to move? Either way, the overlooked emergence of Kieboom is the best magic trick I have seen since David Blaine made his career himself disappear.

*Originally Published at MASNSports.com 6/22/18*