2020 Prospect Depth Chart: Washington Nationals

As a Nationals fan, I went a little deeper with this one, though the Nationals' system is lacking in terms of impact talent. Carter Kieboom and Luis Garcia are just about the only two impact prospects on the offensive side, while Jackson Rutledge and Tim Cate are the only blue chippers on the pitching side. When it comes to hitting, the Nationals are extremely shallow behind Kieboom and Garcia, as they've got virtually nothing in the outfield and Drew Mendoza still has a lot to prove. They're a little deeper on the mound, as Wil Crowe, Seth Romero, Mason Denaburg, Matt Cronin, and Andry Lara all offer something in their own right, but Crowe lacks much of a ceiling and the other four have a lot to prove. However, if Kieboom pans out like he should, I think Nationals fans will be happy.

Affiliates: AAA Fresno Grizzlies, AA Harrisburg Senators, High A Potomac Nationals*, Class A Hagerstown Suns, short season Auburn Doubledays, complex level GCL and DSL Nationals
*High A affiliate will move from Woodbridge, VA to Fredericksburg, VA in 2020

Catcher
- Raudy Read (2020 Age: 26): With the Nationals going with a Kurt Suzuki/Yan Gomes combination behind the plate for a second straight season, Read's best path to playing time will be if someone gets hurt. That said, he had a nice season in the minors this year, slashing .275/.317/.546 with 20 home runs and a 58/17 strikeout to walk ratio over 82 games at AAA Fresno, and he's also slashed .182/.182/.182 in 14 major league games. Read has some power and has shown some moderate ability to get to it, though he doesn't draw many walks and figures to be a low on-base percentage guy at the major league level. Though he's a good defender behind the plate, I doubt he ever takes over as a starter, but he should fit in nicely as a back-up at some point, either in DC or elsewhere.
- Tres Barrera (2020 Age: 25): A sixth round pick out of Texas in 2016, Barrera has moved slowly through the minors and in 2019, he slashed .249/.323/.381 with eight home runs and a 69/36 strikeout to walk ratio over 101 games at AA Harrisburg, also picking up two hitless major league at bats. He's a great defender who earned his way up to the majors with his glove, though his bat is a bit light to ever start at the major league level. Barrera and Read will probably compete for the third string role as long as Suzuki and Gomes are around, with Read showing a slightly better bat and Barrera showing a slightly better glove. I'd probably rather use Barrera due to the better glove.
- Israel Pineda (2020 Age: 20): Pineda hasn't quite gotten it going with the bat yet, but he's easily the best young catcher in the system. In 2019, he slashed .217/.278/.305 with seven home runs and a 102/30 strikeout to walk ratio over 101 games at Class A Hagerstown, though he only turned 19 at the start of the season. He'll probably end up as more of a back-up catcher, but he's a very competent player at a young age and that's what you like to see in a catcher. Hopefully it clicks for him in High A in 2020 and he moves towards his ceiling of a 10-15 homer, medium on-base catcher.
- Keep an eye on: Taylor Gushue, Jakson Reetz

Corner Infield
- Jake Noll (2020 Age: 26): Nationals fans may remember Noll as the relatively unknown prospect who looks like Ryan Zimmerman and cracked the Opening Day roster before going back down to the minors and not being heard from again aside from a brief call-up in May. Noll slashed .167/.231/.250 over those eight major league games, but spent the majority of 2019 at AAA Fresno, where he slashed .285/.327/.410 with eleven home runs and an 89/26 strikeout to walk ratio over 118 games in a hitter-friendly environment. He's played all over the diamond in his pro career with significant time at first, second, and third base, and he'll compete with Wilmer Difo for a utility infielder role in 2020. A seventh round pick out of Florida Gulf Coast in 2016, Noll is a very competent hitter who has shown moderate power while being a very tough out at the plate, and he should be very useful on both sides of the ball at the major league level, though I doubt he ever starts full time.
- Drew Mendoza (2020 Age: 22): Mendoza was borderline first rounder as a high schooler in the Orlando area, but he elected to attend Florida State instead and emerged as a third round pick in 2019. In his pro debut, he slashed .264/.377/.383 with four home runs and a 57/34 strikeout to walk ratio over 55 games in an aggressive assignment at Class A Hagerstown, and he remains just a bit enigmatic as a prospect. A big guy at 6'5" and 230 pounds, he can really drive the ball with authority, though that power comes more from sheer strength than from bat speed or a particularly explosive swing, so it's not completely known how his power will translate over with wood bats. He only hit four home runs in 55 games in his pro debut, but most collegiate picks don't go straight to Class A in their draft year, so 2020 will be more illuminating. There is swing and miss in his game, which he pairs with a patient approach that helps him draw plenty of walks, and that may also impact his power production if he doesn't make enough contact. He'll have to hit as a first baseman, though the upside here is pretty good as a guy who can crack 25-30 home runs a year with walk-driven on-base percentages in the .350 range.
- Gilbert Lara (2020 Age: 22): Lara was an extremely highly regarded amateur out of the Dominican Republic, and he signed for $3.1 million back in 2014. Traded to the Natioanls with KJ Harrison for Gio Gonzalez in 2018, he started to pick it up with the bat just a little in 2019. This year, he slashed .242/.280/.375 with 13 home runs and a 123/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 133 games at Class A Hagerstown and High A Potomac, though the strike zone got away from him a bit at the higher level. He's got some power in his 6'4" frame and can get to it with an explosive swing, but the swing can get long and he hasn't shown the ability to tap into it consistently at any point. Defensively, he's strong at third base, which buys his bat time to develop, and he projects as somewhat of a utility infielder/back-up third baseman with some pop down the line. Hopefully he can shorten his swing a bit and be more than that though.
- Keep an eye on: KJ Harrison, Aldrem Corredor, Leandro Emiliani

Middle Infield
- Carter Kieboom (2020 Age: 22): This is the name Nationals fans keep hearing. While he's not the same caliber of a prospect that Juan Soto and Victor Robles were, the hope here is that Kieboom can give the Nationals a third NL ROY-caliber position player in as many years. A first round pick out of high school in the Atlanta area in 2016, Kieboom slashed .303/.409/.493 with 16 home runs and a 100/68 strikeout to walk ratio over 109 games at hitter-friendly AAA Fresno in 2019, also slashing .128/.209/.282 with a pair of home runs in an eleven game cup of coffee at the major league level. He's a very talented hitter with great feel for the barrel that enables his slightly above average raw power to play up in games, somewhat like Anthony Rendon in that regard. He's also patient and draws his share of walks, and it's easy to envision him hitting 20 home runs per season with high on-base percentages. He's also a decent defender at shortstop who should be above average at second or third base, adding to his value, though he's expected to play more second base early on with Trea Turner holding down shortstop and one of Rendon or Josh Donaldson likely to man third base in 2020. The biggest blemish on Kieboom's strong profile was his brief MLB debut, where he clearly did not look ready (can you blame him, he was 21) and the game just seemed to speed up on him. A little more seasoning should help, and I expect him to be a real contributor in 2020, with his ultimate projection being something similar to early-career Rendon.
- Luis Garcia (2020 Age: 19-20): This is an interesting prospect. Garcia was signed for $1.3 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2016, hit well in an aggressive assignment to the complex-level Gulf Coast League in 2017, reached High A shortly after his 18th birthday in 2018 as the youngest player in the league, then reached AA before he even turned 19 in 2019. That was his first real speed bump, as he slashed just .257/.280/.337 with four home runs, eleven stolen bases, and an 86/17 strikeout to walk ratio over 129 games, but he did play well in the Eastern League playoffs with six hits in fifteen at bats (.400 AVG) and five walks to just one strikeout. He's an extremely advanced hitter for his age, as he makes very consistent contact and isn't fooled by advanced pitching. He was just a bit overmatched at Harrisburg this year, and he lacked much impact at the plate, so he won't be major league ready at the outset of 2020, but he has the chance to post good on-base percentages and hit ten or so home runs per season at the major league level. Defensively, he's strong at shortstop but might fit better at second base in the long run.
- Cole Freeman (2020 Age: 25): A fourth round pick as a senior out of LSU in 2017, Freeman slashed an unremarkable .266/.354/.371 line in Class A in 2018 but broke out in 2019, slashing .311/.394/.404 with three home runs, 31 stolen bases, and a 60/53 strikeout to walk ratio over 123 games at High A Potomac. He has some of the best plate discipline in the system, rarely swinging and missing and also drawing a healthy amount of walks. While he's nowhere near a power hitter, he doesn't completely lack impact at the plate and can drive the ball to the gaps and use his speed to pick up doubles and triples. He's a bit of an older prospect due to being drafted as a college senior, as he turned 25 in September and has yet to reach AA, but he has a ceiling as an effective super-utility type who can play second base, center field, and left field with his speed but mediocre arm.
- Yasel Antuna (2020 Age: 20): The Nationals had three big middle infield signings in the 2016-2017 international signing period, and while Luis Garcia has blossomed into one of the best prospects in the system, Jose Sanchez and Yasel Antuna have yet to get things going. Antuna, who signed for the largest bonus of the group at $3.9 million, slashed just .220/.293/.331 as an 18 year old at Class A in 2018 but missed all but three games in 2019 with Tommy John surgery. He's extremely talented, showing some power from both sides of the plate with an explosive bat, and he controls the zone well for someone his age. Defensively, he's a shortstop for now and has the tools to stick there, but it he's still a work in progress there and the Tommy John surgery doesn't help. Because he'll spend the entire 2020 season at 20 years old, he's young enough to absorb this lost season and stay on schedule with his development, but for now he's all projection and no track record.
- Viandel Pena (2020 Age: 19): There's not much publicly available information on Pena, but he's certainly interesting. Listed at just 5'8" and 148 pounds, he might be the smallest guy in the system, but that didn't stop him from slashing .359/.455/.481 with six stolen bases and a 31/21 strikeout to walk ratio over 37 games in the complex level Gulf Coast League as an 18 year old. Pena is a patient hitter with great knowledge of the strike zone for his age, and while he swings and misses just a bit more than you'd hope for a slap hitter, he has the ceiling of a leadoff-type second baseman if he fills out and develops some impact at the plate. Of course, he'll likely never hit for much power at all, so he's more likely to end up a utility infielder.
- Keep an eye on: Jackson Cluff, J.T. Arruda, Jose Sanchez, Viandel Pena

Outfield
- Nick Banks (2020 Age: 25): Banks was considered a potential first round pick at Texas A&M, but a nagging back injury hurt his numbers as a junior and he fell to the fourth round in 2016. He's come along slowly for a college player but his numbers have steadily improved, and in 2019 he slashed .278/.338/.431 with ten home runs and a 95/34 strikeout to walk ratio over 114 games at High A Potomac and AA Harrisburg. Banks is a relatively average player all around, but he's gotten better with every promotion and he uses a short, simple swing to drive the ball with authority regularly. In most systems he'd probably fade into the crowd, but the Nationals are so shallow in minor league outfielders that he has a shot to be a useful fourth outfielder in the near future.
- Gage Canning (2020 Age: 23): Canning was a fifth round pick out of Arizona State in 2018, and he finished his first full season with a .239/.308/.341 slash line, four home runs, 14 stolen bases, and a 127/35 strikeout to walk ratio over 111 games. Aside from his speed, he doesn't really stand out for anything on the field, but he plays hard and he gets the most of what he has. He has good feel for the barrel and likes to drive doubles and triples into the gap, and though he's only listed at 5'10" and 175 pounds, he might be able to develop some moderate over the fence power. He's an aggressive hitter who doesn't draw a lot of walks, so his ultimate projection is that as a speedy fourth outfielder.
- Jeremy De La Rosa (2020 Age: 18): The Nationals signed De La Rosa for $300,000 in 2018 and skipped him straight to the complex level Gulf Coast League to begin his pro career in 2019, where he slashed .232/.343/.366 with two home runs and a 29/12 strikeout to walk ratio over 26 games. For now, he mostly stands out for his feel for the game at such a young age, and he'll spend all of 2020 at just 18 years old with the chance to hit his way up to full season ball. He might not have the high, high ceiling of some of his fellow international signees, but he sticks out in a system very short in outfield depth. It's hard to project these kids at 17 and 18 years old, but he figures to post high on-base percentages with 15 or so home runs per season at the major league level, at least for now.
- Keep an eye on: Yadiel Hernandez, Telmito Augustin, Rhett Wiseman, Jacob Rhinesmith, Justin Connell, Jeremy Ydens

Starting Pitching
- Wil Crowe (2020 Age: 25): Recent top Nationals pitching prospects to reach the majors like Joe Ross, Erick Fedde, and Austin Voth have had varying levels of success, though none have really caught on in a significant way. Wil Crowe hopes to be the next in line to try to stick in the rotation, on the heels of a 4.70 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP, and a 130/48 strikeout to walk ratio over 149.1 innings at AA Harrisburg and AAA Fresno. His numbers were much better at the lower level (3.87 ERA, 89/22 K/BB) than with the juiced balls at the higher level (6.17 ERA, 41/26 K/BB), hinting that he may not be 100% ready, but he's risen rapidly through the minors since being drafted in the second round out of South Carolina in 2017. At a listed 6'2" and 240 pounds, he's a big, durable pitcher armed with a low 90's fastball, a slider, a curve, and a changeup, none of which are true out pitches, but they're all effective and he commands and mixes them fairly well. He definitely passes the eye test of a #4 or so big league starter, one who can eat inning and give consistent, quality starts.
- Tim Cate (2020 Age: 22): Crowe may have to establish himself quickly, because a year after taking Crowe out of South Carolina in the second round, the Nationals spent their second round pick on Tim Cate from Connecticut. Cate had a big first full season in 2019, posting a 3.07 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and a 139/32 strikeout to walk ratio over 143.2 innings at Class A Hagerstown and High A Potomac. The biggest thing for Cate in 2019 was going to be proving he was healthy after missing time during his junior season with forearm problems, and not only did he do that, he took it a step forward and proved he can start in pro ball. He's a 6' lefty that sits in the low 90's with his fastball, but he adds a plus-plus, swing and miss power curveball that can help him rack up the strikeouts all on its own. His command also took a step forward, and the hope is that he can continue on his current development path and become a #3 starter for the Nationals. In my opinion, he's the second best pitching prospect in the system after Jackson Rutledge.
- Sterling Sharp (2020 Age: 24-25): A 22nd round pick out of Drury University in 2016, Sharp has slowly pitched his way into the Nationals' rotation of the future. In 2019, he posted a 3.53 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, and a 52/15 strikeout to walk ratio over 58.2 innings between AA Harrisburg and some lower level rehab work, though he missed a chunk of the season with oblique issues. Sharp might have the heaviest fastball in the Nationals' system, sitting in the low 90's and keeping the ball on the ground as consistently as anyone in minor league baseball. His best secondary pitch is his changeup, which dives away from left handed hitters, though his slider lacks sharpness and is probably the last hurdle he needs to clear to become a major league starter. His command is above average and his great athleticism on the mound helps him in a variety of ways, and if he can stay healthy and sharpen that slider, he could be a #3 or #4 starter. If not, he could still end up a #5, or be a long reliever.
- Jackson Rutledge (2020 Age: 21): Rutledge was considered a good draft prospect out of high school in St. Louis in 2017, but he instead attended Arkansas, got hurt, and transferred to San Jacinto Community College in Houston, where he jumped from a could-be to a legit star. After the Nationals took him in the first round in 2019, he posted a 3.13 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP, and a 39/15 strikeout to walk ratio over 37.1 innings across three levels in his debut, reaching Class A Hagerstown at the end. Rutledge is a huge guy who stands 6'8" and sits consistently in the mid 90's with his fastball, adding a pair of distinct, swing and miss breaking balls in a curveball and a slider. That all alone gives him true ace potential, though he does have a couple of drawbacks. His control is solid but probably plays a tick below average for now, and his changeup is mediocre. Rutledge clearly has the stuff to start, and on top of the command and changeup, he'll have to a) prove he can stay healthy after missing much of 2018, and b) get just a bit more consistent with his whole game. There is work to do on Rutledge but he is already well on his way towards being an impact starting pitcher, and that's why the Nationals spent $3.45 million on him at 17th overall.
- Steven Fuentes (2020 Age: 22-23): Moved to the rotation in 2019, Fuentes took a huge step forward, posting a 2.23 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and a 89/22 strikeout to walk ratio in 80.2 innings at High A Potomac and AA Harrisburg. However, he got suspended in July for using PED's, and we haven't sen him pitch since. He only sits in the low 90's with his fastball and adds a solid slider, but he gets outs with his changeup and good command that helped him maneuver advanced lineups. We obviously have to see how he returns from the suspension, but he has the chance to be a back-end starter or a good reliever.
- Seth Romero (2020 Age: 24): Pitch for pitch, Seth Romero has probably had as much media coverage as anybody from his draft class. A standout at Houston, he put himself in position to go in the top ten picks but turned out to be, for lack of a better word, a total jackass, and multiple off-field incidents got him suspended then kicked off of the school's baseball team. The Nationals took the risk anyways in the back of the first round, but he got sent home in 2018 for continuing to be a jackass and only made seven starts at Class A Hagerstown (3.91 ERA, 34/8 K/BB). Apparently he began to turn the corner maturity-wise, but he went down with Tommy John surgery and missed the 2019 season. So here we are in the 2019-2020 offseason, a few months shy of his 24th birthday, and he's thrown 47.1 professional innings. When he's on the mound, there is zero question about his talent – he sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball, adds a swing and miss slider and a solid changeup, and commands everything well. That all points to a future as a potential #2 or #3 starter if he can stay on the mound, but we'll have to see if he's decided he actually wants to be a professional pitcher.
- Joan Adon (2020 Age: 21-22): Adon was a reliever up until 2019, when the Nationals transitioned him to the rotation and the results were very good; he had a 3.86 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, and a 90/44 strikeout to walk ratio over 105 innings at Class A Hagerstown. He can sit in the mid 90's with his power fastball, even out of the rotation, and he adds a good slider and a developing changeup with decent command. That's a great relief profile, but the Nationals like his upside in the rotation and he's athletic enough that if they can get his command to take a step forward, he could be an impact starting pitcher. He's very unproven as he hasn't thrown a pitch above Class A and turned 21 at the end of the 2019 season, but he's definitely one to watch in 2020.
- Tyler Dyson (2020 Age: 22): Dyson had the opportunity to go in the first round in 2019 with a good spring at Florida, but instead he struggled and ended up going to the Nationals in the fifth round. He seemed to turn things around a bit in his brief pro debut, where he posted a 1.07 ERA, a 0.83 WHIP, and a 17/8 strikeout to walk ratio over 33.2 innings, mostly at short season Auburn. When he's going right, he can sit in the mid 90's with his fastball and add a very good slider, though his slider softened up in 2019 and that helped hitters sit on and hit his straight fastball, of which his command is so-so. I'm not entirely sure what the difference was for him in pro ball, but he did succeed against wood bats in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2018 and his command appeared to be sharper. There's still a lot of potential variance in Dyson's outlook, and the low strikeout totals even in pro ball were a small red flag for me, but Dyson could be anything from a #3 starter to a middle reliever.
- Mason Denaburg (2020 Age: 20-21): The Nationals' first round pick in 2018, Denaburg has struggled to stay healthy so far in his pro career after missing time with biceps problems during his senior year at Merritt Island High School in Florida. Limited to seven appearances in 2019, he had a 7.52 ERA, a 1.82 WHIP, and a 19/14 strikeout to walk ratio over 20.1 innings in the complex level Gulf Coast League, with both his stuff and command taking a step back. The Nationals are hoping that a clean bill of health in 2020 will get him back to being the pitcher they drafted, when he sat in the mid 90's with his fastball and added a great curveball and solid command. That's a #3 starter profile, though obviously he has a long, long way to go.
- Andry Lara (2020 Age: 17): There's not a ton of information out there about Lara, and part of that might be because he was born in 2003 (feel old?) and hasn't pitched professionally yet. Signed for $1.25 million out of Venezuela, Lara sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball already and adds an advanced curveball and changeup for a kid who is still only 16. At 6'4", he has room to fill out and has advanced feel for pitching, though we won't know much about his overall projection for a little while. He's one to just sit back and watch for now.
- Keep an eye on: Jackson Tetreault, Mario Sanchez, Malvin Pena, Jake Irvin, Niomar Gomez

Relief Pitching
- Kyle Finnegan (2020 Age: 28): At 28 years old, Finnegan certainly isn't a young prospect, but he has yet to pitch in the majors and had a strong year in the A's system in 2019 before signing with the Nationals this offseason. Finnegan, a sixth round pick out of Texas State way back in 2013, had a breakout year in the upper minors in 2019, posting a 2.31 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and a 72/19 strikeout to walk ratio over 50.2 innings at AA and AAA, continuing to pitch well even at one of the most hitter-friendly parks in professional baseball. He has a power fastball that sits in the mid to upper 90's and he adds a decent slider, though his command comes and goes and he's really a wild card. Given how poorly the Nationals' bullpen has performed, he has a real shot to be a difference maker in 2019.
- Ben Braymer (2020 Age: 26): After a mediocre run through Class A Hagerstown in 2017 (5.26 ERA), when he was already 23, Braymer has gotten it figured out and more, posting a 2.28 ERA and a 118/34 strikeout to walk ratio in A ball in 2018 and then dominating at AA Harrisburg in 2019. This year, he had a 2.51 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP, and a 69/21 strikeout to walk ratio over 79 innings for the Senators, but he struggled mightily with a promotion to hitter-friendly AAA Fresno, where he had a 7.20 ERA, a 1.93 WHIP, and a 47/35 strikeout to walk ratio over 60 innings. The former 18th round senior sign out of Auburn sits in the low 90's with his fastball and adds a good curveball, though he's a starter for now, he probably fits best as a left handed reliever due to the lack of a good changeup and the depth of the Nationals' major league rotation. He's been effective against both lefties and righties, but with the way he was hit up at AAA, he'll probably need that extra bullpen velocity bump to handle major league hitters. For now though, he's a starter, and he could compete with Wil Crowe, Joe Ross, and others for that fifth starter spot in 2020.
- Nick Raquet (2020 Age: 24): A third round pick out of William & Mary in 2017, Raquet looked more like a reliever out of college but he's managed to stick in the rotation so far. In 2019, he posted a 4.07 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and a 122/43 strikeout to walk ratio over 130.1 innings at High A Potomac, keeping his starting hopes alive for now. He sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball, though the rest of his arsenal is fairly unremarkable. His command has been better than expected in the minors and that has been the difference in his success, and he may be able to cut it as a #4 or #5 starter if he can get more consistent stuff-wise. To me, it seems like he could take a big step forward if moved to the bullpen, where his fastball could add a tick of velocity and he could focus on one breaking ball, and he could shoot through the minors and become a useful set-up man or middle reliever.
- Reid Schaller (2020 Age: 23): Schaller was a third round pick out of Vanderbilt in 2018, though he's struggled to stay healthy and stay consistent with his stuff. In 2019, he had a 3.29 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and a 47/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 52 innings at Class A Hagerstown, missing time with injury and looking inconsistent when on the mound. He has a low to mid 90's fastball that is his best attribute, but his command isn't great and he lacks consistent secondary stuff. I think they should just stick him in the bullpen, let his fastball hit 100, and see how his slider sharpens up and if he can get himself up to the majors in that role.
- Matt Cronin (2020 Age: 22): Cronin was the Nationals' fourth round pick in 2019 out of Arkansas, and his profile is extremely straightforward. His excellent run through an aggressive initial assignment to Class A Hagerstown, in which he posted a 0.82 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and a 41/11 strikeout to walk ratio over 22 innings, shows the lethality of his low to mid 90's fastball as well as his hammer curveball, though it also highlights some inconsistent command. Cronin should be able to move very quickly through the minors and be in the majors by 2021, though improving his command will be the difference in just how quickly he moves.
- Keep an eye on: James Bourque, Jhonatan German, Karlo Seijas

2019 Draft Review: Washington Nationals

First five rounds: Jackson Rutledge (1-17), Drew Mendoza (3-94), Matt Cronin (4-123), Tyler Dyson (5-153)
Also notable: Jackson Cluff (6-183), Jeremy Ydens (8-243), Kevin Strohschein (21-633), Bryce Osmond (35-1053), Trei Cruz (37-1113)

The Nationals lost their second round pick and their extra fourth round compensation pick (for Bryce Harper) after signing Patrick Corbin, but they still managed to put together a very talented draft class that leaned on college and junior college players, as they waited until the 23rd round to pop a high schooler. Aside from sticking to the college side, there is no overriding theme in this class, as three of their first four picks were pitchers but they still grabbed their share of hitters. I'm a big fan of the Jackson Rutledge selection in the first round and I think he can be a true-impact pitcher in Washington, and grabbing Matt Cronin at slot in the fourth round was a good move as well.

1-17: RHP Jackson Rutledge (San Jacinto JC, my rank: 14)
Since taking Anthony Rendon sixth overall in 2011, the Nationals took a pitcher with their first pick in five of seven drafts from 2012-2018 and made it six of eight drafts by grabbing Rutledge in 2019. Rutledge was a highly regarded draft prospect out of a St. Louis high school in 2017, but the lanky righty elected to attend Arkansas instead, where he missed a lot of time with a hip injury and ultimately decided to transfer to San Jacinto Community College in Houston for his sophomore season. As it turned out, it was the best decision he could have made, as he posted a 0.87 ERA, a matching 0.87 WHIP, and a 134/30 strikeout to walk ratio over 82.2 innings as he utterly dominated Texas JuCo hitters. He finally figured out his 6'8" frame and used it to toss mid 90's fastballs and a pair of breaking balls that can both be plus at times. He still needs to work on his changeup, but the fact that he already has two above average breaking balls in a slider and a curveball will buy him some time on that front. He also needs to get more consistent with his command, which is expected for a 6'8" pitcher who turned 20 during the season, but overall, he's only a couple of improvements away from being a #1 or #2 starter. Even if his command never quite gets up to average, he could still be a solid #3 or #4 starter or a power reliever. The Nationals will probably take it slow with him, but with his combination of velocity and stuff, he should be a real impact pitcher down the road. He signed for $3.45 million, which was $160,000 below slot.

3-94: 3B Drew Mendoza (Florida State, my rank: 63)
Mendoza was considered a fringe-first round pick coming out of high school outside of Orlando in 2016 and ranked 27th on my list, but he was unsignable and instead packed it up for Florida State. He's been up and down but has generally improved throughout his time there, though after three years, he didn't make quite the progress some evaluators were hoping for. This year, he slashed .308/.471/.594 with 16 home runs and a 72/70 strikeout to walk ratio over 65 games against fairly tough competition, and a few things about the numbers immediately jump out to you. Firstly, he hits for plenty of power, though the 6'5", 230 pound slugger uses more strength than bat speed to generate that power. He also strikes out a ton, 24.2% of the time this year, which will make it tougher for him to get to that power in pro ball. On the plus side, he has a patient approach and walked in 23.6% of his plate appearances, with those 70 walks finishing second in all of Division I to only Adley Rutschman's 76. So, when you put the package together, you get a big, strong slugger who performed in the ACC with power and a high on-base percentage, but strikeouts and a lack of bat speed draw him down and make him a risky profile. At best, that means he could hit 25-30 home runs annually with low batting averages but enough walks to make up for that, though he has significant risk of ending up a platoon bat. Defensively, he's just decent at third base and may have to move to first base if he slows down at all with age. He signed for $800,000, which was $181,800 above slot.

4-123: LHP Matt Cronin (Arkansas, my rank: 96)
After going for somewhat of a wild card in Drew Mendoza, the Nationals picked up a pretty safe bet in Matt Cronin, a reliever for Arkansas who has a pretty clear path ahead of him. The 6'3" lefty from near Pensacola had a good year out of the Razorback bullpen, posting a 1.86 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and a 42/14 strikeout to walk ratio over 29 innings. Cronin sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball, which generates high spin rates, and gets plenty of swings and misses with his plus curveball, though he lacks a changeup at this point and as a reliever, he may not need one. He also struggles with command, and while he's not "wild," per se, he's not one of those guys that can spot his pitches where he wants them consistently. That limits his ceiling and makes his outlook more that of a set-up man than a closer, though being a lefty certainly boosts his stock. Overall, look for Cronin to move quickly and be a solid left handed arm in the Nationals bullpen soon, though for those wondering, I doubt he'd be ready to help out this year after Arkansas' run to the College World Series. He signed at slot for $464,500.

5-153: RHP Tyler Dyson (Florida, my rank: 133)
Like Cronin, Tyler Dyson has a reliever outlook, but while Cronin has clear strengths and weaknesses and doesn't have too much variance in his potential outcomes, Dyson is just the opposite. The Bradenton, Florida native (the Nats' third straight Florida native selected) was up and down over his first two seasons at Florida, but a strong run through the Cape Cod League (2.37 ERA, 23/9 K/BB in 19 IP) put him on the fringes of the first round discussion coming into the spring. If he could have built off his Cape success with a strong junior season in the Gators rotation, he could have pushed himself towards the middle of the first round, but his stuff regressed and he was bumped out of the rotation. Dyson finished with a 4.95 ERA, a 1.50 WHIP, and a 34/23 strikeout to walk ratio over 43.2 innings, hardly a stat line that will catch anyone's eye, and he fell to the fifth round. Now with the Nationals, Dyson has an opportunity to build himself back up with pro coaching. He sits in the mid 90's with his straight fastball and flashed a plus slider on the Cape, but the slider regressed during the season and without much of a changeup or movement on the fastball, his velocity played down and ultimately led to his struggles. Like Cronin, his command is a little below average, and he likely heads to the bullpen. However, if the Nationals can get his slider working again and help him develop a changeup, he has a shot to be a back-end starter, and if not, he pitched well in relief as a freshman at Florida (3.23 ERA, 47/10 K/BB). He signed for $500,000, which was $153,200 above slot.

6-183: SS Jackson Cluff (Brigham Young, unranked)
Cluff is listed as a sophomore, but his two-year Mormon mission means he turned 22 in December and is the age of a college senior. The Boise-area native had a triumphant return to the field this season, slashing .327/.458/.518 with four home runs and a 39/37 strikeout to walk ratio over 53 games. He features some bat wrap and not much power, but his quick hands make up for the bat wrap and help him spray line drives and extra base hits around the field, while his strong plate discipline makes him a consistent hitter. He's solid defensively and should stick at shortstop, taking some pressure off his bat, and he has some speed and baserunning instincts that allowed him to go 12-12 in stolen base attempts this year. Overall, he projects as a fast-moving utility infielder. He signed for $200,000, which was $66,000 below slot, and he's slashing a respectable .269/.424/.308 with seven strikeouts to five walks over his first eight games at Class A Hagerstown.

8-243: OF Jeremy Ydens (UCLA, unranked)
Because Ydens (pronounced eye-dens I believe) missed most of 2019 with a broken finger, the Nationals could be getting a top-five rounds talent here in the eighth. The Silicon Valley native slashed .350/.421/.558 as a sophomore at UCLA in 2018 before going on to slash .304/.347/.432 with three home runs and a 29/8 strikeout to walk ratio over 36 games on the Cape, but in just 23 games around the broken finger in 2019, he slashed .273/.354/.443 with three home runs and a 24/8 strikeout to walk ratio. He has a clean swing from the right side that produces moderate power but which is more focused on driving balls into the gaps, which helps him build up large numbers of extra base hits. His plate discipline is only so-so and he struck out in 19.5% of his plate appearances in his healthy sophomore season before jumping to 23.8% around the injury this year, so pro ball might be a bit of a transition for him, but if he can make that jump while regaining his sophomore/Cape Cod League form, he could be a solid fourth outfielder or even a decent regular at his best. He signed at slot for $169,500, and so far he has one hit in seven at bats over his first two games at short season Auburn.

21-633: OF Kevin Strohschein (Tennessee Tech, unranked)
Going off raw numbers alone, perhaps no player has produced more offense over the last five seasons as Tennessee Tech's Kevin Strohschein. He had his best season as a freshman in 2016 when he slashed .393/.447/.707 with 15 home runs, then followed that up with a .292/.351/.511 line and 14 home runs as a sophomore before slashing .375/.433/.650 with 18 home runs as the centerpiece to Tennessee Tech's insane 2018 lineup that made a run all the way to the Austin Super Regional (college baseball's equivalent of the Sweet 16). As a senior this year, the Atlanta-area native slashed .382/.447/.691 with 15 home runs and a 45/26 strikeout to walk ratio over 54 games, finishing his career with an unreal stat line: 62 home runs, 246 RBI, .359/.418/.636 line in 234 games. Now, he lasted until the 21st round because unfortunately, his game is more suited for the college level than for pro baseball. Strohschein played at Tennessee Tech, a hitter-friendly stadium in a hitter-friendly conference, and the Ohio Valley Conference isn't the toughest competition out there anyways. He has plenty of power, but he may struggle to get to it in pro ball because of his so-so plate discipline, and his defense is just average and he's coming off Tommy John surgery. He has a chance to hit his way up as a fourth or fifth outfielder, but don't expect a starting outfielder here in the 21st round, though he is young for a college senior with a July birthday. He signed for $10,000 and has three singles in twelve at bats over his first three games in the complex-level Gulf Coast League.

35-1053: RHP Bryce Osmond (Jenks HS [OK], my rank: 53)
Osmond was easily the best prospect in the state of Oklahoma this year, but his high asking price knocked him down from a potential Day One selection to the 35th round. Since the Nationals don't have enough money left in their bonus pool to go over slot and sign him away from Oklahoma State, we'll see more of what Osmond can do for the Cowboys, not the Nationals, and we'll check back in on him in 2022. The Tulsa-area native has a premium arm that fires low 90's fastballs and a good slider from a projectable 6'3" frame, but he's raw at the moment and tends to lose his velocity as the game goes on. With that projectable body, though, some added strength could go a long ways into helping him hold that velocity and add more power to his slider, which gives him high upside. Like most high schoolers, he needs to work on his changeup and get more consistent with his command, though neither is a red flag at this point. Three good years in Stillwater, or at least a good junior season, could push him into the first round in 2022.

37-1113: SS Trei Cruz (Rice, unranked)
Cruz probably isn't signing either, as his talent level put him in Day Two discussion, and he slashed .305/.393/.519 with nine home runs and a 54/35 strikeout to walk ratio over 58 games as a draft-eligible sophomore at Rice this season. The Houston native turns 21 in July, making him just barely old enough to be drafted this year, and he shows a broad skill set that helps him impact the game in a variety of ways. Cruz has some power and sprays line drives around the field, and while his strikeout rates are a bit high, he's done a good job of getting on base for the Owls. There is a lot of hand movement before his swing, so cutting down on that may help him cut down his strikeouts. He played shortstop this year, but he's so-so there and will likely move over to second base in pro ball, where he should be above average. Cruz is the son of Jose Cruz Jr., who played twelve years in the majors and had his best success with the Blue Jays from 1997-2002, and the grandson of Jose Cruz, who played nineteen years in the majors, mostly with the Astros in the 1970's and 1980's.