2020 Prospect Depth Chart: Philadelphia Phillies

Recent first rounders Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott lead the way on offense, but this system stands out most for its starting pitching depth. Breakouts from Spencer Howard, Damon Jones, and Kyle Glogoski helped them join guys like Cole Irvin, JoJo Romero, Adonis Medina, and David Parkinson as guys who could compete for rotation spots in the near future, and nice steps forward from Francisco Morales and Erik Miller down near the bottom of the system were really nice to see. There's not a ton of ceiling anywhere in this system except for perhaps in Bohm and Morales, but the sheer depth of viable starting pitchers here is enough to say the system is in a fairly decent spot.

Affiliates: AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs, AA Reading Fightin Phils, High A Clearwater Threshers, Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, short season Williamsport Crosscutters, complex level GCL and DSL Phillies

Catcher
- Deivy Grullon (2020 Age: 24): Grullon has gradually added power throughout his time in the minors, and he really broke out in that sense once he got to the top two levels of the Phillies' system, which are naturally hitter-friendly. This year, he slashed .283/.354/.496 with 21 home runs and a 133/45 strikeout to walk ratio over 108 games at AAA Lehigh Valley, then he doubled for his lone hit in nine major league at bats. Grullon generates his power more from strength than from bat speed, though he also tends to swing over the ball and put more balls on the ground than he should. He's not the smoothest catcher behind the plate, but he does have a cannon for an arm that levels out his defensive value. Overall, he probably projects for about 15 home runs per season with mediocre on-base percentages, which puts him in line for a long-term role as a backup catcher.
- Rafael Marchan (2020 Age: 21): Marchan is probably the most balanced catching prospect in the system, and in my opinion, he's probably the best. In 2019, the switch hitter slashed .261/.333/.325 with no home runs and a 39/30 strikeout to walk ratio over 85 games at Class A Lakewood and High A Clearwater, and while he's yet to hit a home run in his 210 career pro games, he did set a career high with 20 doubles in 2019 and he's spent most of his career in pitcher-friendly contexts. Marchan is only 5'9", but he has a clean swing from both sides of the plate and a great eye for the strike zone, making easy contact and rarely striking out. That helps him behind the plate, too, where he should be above average all-around. Whether Marchan can ever break through as a starter will depend on his power, as he currently hasn't shown much in games and has instead settled for line drives, but he does have the potential to pop 5-10 annually. I think he probably ends up a backup long term, but I do like him.
- Rodolfo Duran (2020 Age: 22): Overall, Duran has a fairly similar profile to Grullon. Duran spent 2019 at High A Clearwater, where he slashed a fairly disappointing .240/.273/.369 with six home runs and a 53/10 strikeout to walk ratio over 66 games, though Clearwater is fairly pitcher-friendly. He generates good power despite his 5'9" frame, getting the barrel to the ball quickly with his quick wrists and powerful swing. He's very aggressive at the plate usually puts the ball in play, leading to a very low walk rate, and overall I think Grullon has the better long-term outlook. Duran will probably always post low on-base percentages but he has a shot to hit for some power, and his defensive profile is fairly similar to Grullon's as well, perhaps a hair better.
- Juan Aparicio (2020 Age: 19-20): This one might sneak up on a few people, but he's a sleeper to watch. In 2019, he slashed .303/.364/.457 with two home runs and a 41/12 strikeout to walk ratio over 52 games at short season Williamsport and Class A Lakewood, showing great feel for the barrel at a young age that should play up as he moves through the minors. He's very much a work in progress defensively, so he's far, far from a sure thing, but if he does shore up his play behind the plate, his bat profiles well back there and he's got some upside. He doesn't turn 20 until May.
- Keep an eye on: Abrahan Gutierrez, Andrick Nava, Freddy Francisco

Corner Infield
- Alec Bohm (2020 Age: 23-24): Bohm was the Phillies' first round (third overall) pick out of Wichita State in 2019, and his successful first full season (as well as Sixto Sanchez's trade to the Marlins) cemented his status as the top prospect in the system. The Phillies started Bohm off conservatively at Class A Lakewood, but he ended up hitting his way up three levels and finished with a .305/.378/.518 slash line, 21 home runs, and a 73/57 strikeout to walk ratio over 125 games at Lakewood, High A Clearwater, and AA Reading. He's got raw power in his 6'5" frame, but perhaps more impressive this year was his plate discipline, as he rarely struck out while drawing a healthy amount of walks, even after he got up to AA a year out of college. A 73/57 strikeout to walk ratio is not common for 6'5" power hitters, and his track record since his college days proves that it's absolutely not a fluke. The one nit-picky ding on Bohm's season may have been his power, as he only hit seven home runs in 62 games in A ball, though he also hit 19 doubles and those were pitcher-friendly contexts. 14 of his 21 home runs came in 63 games in Reading, his highest level, though that in turn was a very hitter-friendly context. Overall, he projects for 25-30 home runs per season and high on-base percentages, making him a true middle of the order hitter. The Phillies are hoping to keep him at third base, where he's adequate, but there's a non-zero chance that he shifts over to first base, where his bat will still easily profile.
- Darick Hall (2020 Age: 24-25): Behind Bohm, the Phillies have a few fringy prospects, but really nothing too too special going on. That enables Darick Hall, a 14th round pick out of Dallas Baptist in 2016, to stand out with his power. In 2019, he slashed .235/.344/.454 with 20 home runs and a 134/60 strikeout to walk ratio over 132 games, and while he does have a track record for hitting for power (he has 75 home runs over the last three seasons), most of that power in 2019 showed up at his hitter-friendly home park. Hall has a lot of power in his 6'4" frame, though while he does have that track record of getting to it, you have to question whether that will still be the case in the majors. His patient approach leads to plenty of walks but also a good amount of swing and miss, and as a first baseman, he'll have to hit. He hits lefties pretty well despite being a left handed hitter, so he has that going for him, and he projects as a power hitting bench bat.
- Keep an eye on: Austin Listi, Madison Stokes, Cole Stobbe

Middle Infield
- Nick Maton (2020 Age: 23): Maton has utility infielder written all over him, but he does have the upside to be a starting second baseman. In 2019, he slashed .266/.349/.376 with seven home runs, 12 stolen bases, and an 85/50 strikeout to walk ratio over 114 games at High A Clearwater and AA Reading. He doesn't have any loud tools that stand out, but he also doesn't really do anything wrong on the field, using his advanced approach, quick, left handed swing, and wiry strength to produce some surprisingly decent power and high on-base percentages. He probably doesn't have quite enough bat to start in the majors, and he'll profile well as a utility guy who does a bit of everything, but I get a good feeling here and he could easily outplay his projections.
- Bryson Stott (2020 Age: 22): Stott, the Phillies' first round pick out of UNLV in 2019, hit the ground running in pro ball and looks like he'll move quickly. In his pro debut, he slashed .295/.391/.494 with six home runs and a 39/24 strikeout to walk ratio over 48 games in the complex level Gulf Coast League and at short season Williamsport, showing off the broad array of skills that got him drafted 14th overall. He's added power throughout his time in college as he's filled out his 6'3" frame and started to focus more on driving rather than just hitting the ball, and it's turned him into a dangerous hitter given his exceptional hand eye coordination and feel for the barrel. He draws plenty of walks while avoiding strikeouts well, even after shifting his approach to hit for more power, and at this point he projects for about 15 home runs per season with high on-base percentages and a few stolen bases here and there. The fact that Alec Bohm has third base locked up bodes well for his ability to stick at shortstop, as he's solid but unspectacular there, though second base is also a future possibility. He has the bat to profile anywhere on the field and he has the ceiling of a true leadoff man.
- Luis Garcia (2020 Age: 19): He's one of five relevant Luis Garcia's in professional baseball, including one who pitched out of the Phillies bullpen in 2018, so it's hard to keep them all straight. This Luis Garcia signed out of the Dominican Republic for $2.5 million in 2017, then slashed .369/.433/.488 in a fantastic pro debut in the complex level Gulf Coast League as a 17 year old in 2018. The Phillies completely skipped him over short season ball and sent him straight to Class A Lakewood as an 18 year old, where his approach was exposed a bit and he slashed .186/.261/.255 with four home runs and a 132/44 strikeout to walk ratio over 127 games. Garcia's strong feel for the game enabled the Phillies to be aggressive with him, though now they may need to dial that back a bit. A switch hitter, his bat from the right side (.232/.317/.272) might be a bit ahead of his bat from the left side (.170/.240/.249), but he still shows a clean, simple stroke from both sides and his strong approach helps him put the ball in play regularly. I wouldn't be too worried about the tough season just yet, and a little more patience could see him develop into a contact-hitting utility man or starting shortstop with some speed to boot. He's very good defensively, and if he hits enough, it will likely be him who pushes Stott off of shortstop, not the other way around.
- Jamari Baylor (2020 Age: 19): The Phillies didn't have a second round pick in 2019, so they went for upside in the third round and signed Baylor out of a Richmond-area military high school. He played just four games in his pro debut and slashed .273/.333/.455 with a pair of strikeouts and a walk. Baylor has more talent than track record at this point, showing power, speed, and solid contact ability that could make him a well-rounded player. He's got some nice loft in his swing and does a good job of putting the ball in play, though he hasn't quite tapped his raw power too much yet and will need time to develop it. It's also not exactly known where he'll fit in on the diamond, as he's a shortstop for now but he has to play his way past Stott and Garcia if he wants to start there. For now, just think of him as an athletic kid who could develop in any number of directions, albeit with some bust risk.
- Keep an eye on: Arquimedes Gamboa, Daniel Brito, Kendall Simmons, Wilfredo Flores

Outfield
- Mickey Moniak (2020 Age: 21-22): I don't have to tell Phillies fans that Moniak has been one of the bigger disappointments in recent memory. Drafted first overall out of a San Diego-area high school in 2016, he's moved through the minors one level at a time and in 2019, he slashed .252/.303/.439 with eleven home runs, 15 stolen bases, and a 111/33 strikeout to walk ratio over 119 games at AA Reading. Those numbers are actually the best of his career, and it was nice to see that seven of his eleven home runs came on the road away from his hitter-friendly home park. Moniak is a great athlete with great feel for the game, and that's what got him drafted first overall, though in pro ball he hasn't hit for nearly as much impact as hoped. He's got a solid approach at the plate, especially for a kid who won't turn 22 until May, and he's good at spraying balls into the gaps (his 13 triples actually tied for second in the minors this year). It's hard to see him turning into the star the Phillies envisioned when drafting him, but he still shows just enough on both sides of the ball to potentially profile as a 10-15 home run guy with solid on-base percentages, some speed, and solid outfield defense.
- Jhailyn Ortiz (2020 Age: 21): Ortiz was a big time prospect when he signed out of the Dominican Republic for $4.2 million in 2015, more money than fellow Dominicans Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got the very same week. Ortiz hasn't quite developed as quickly, and in 2019 he slashed .200/.272/.381 with 19 home runs and a 149/36 strikeout to walk ratio over 115 games at High A Clearwater. There's no question about his raw power being among the best in the system, perhaps even better than Alec Bohm's when he gets into one. However, Ortiz's approach at the plate leaves some to be desired, and there are enough holes in his right handed swing that he hasn't been able to get to his power consistently. The good news is that Ortiz was playing the entire season in High A at 20 years old, and he still has time to figure himself out. Ortiz's ceiling is still that of a 30 homer bat with fluctuating on-base percentages, but he's more likely to end up a fringe starter with 15-20 home runs annually and low on-base percentages.
- Simon Muzziotti (2020 Age: 21): Muzziotti has been kind of a sleeper in this organization for a while, but he finally began to break out in 2019 by slashing .287/.337/.372 with three home runs, 21 stolen bases, and a 60/32 strikeout to walk ratio over 110 games at High A Clearwater. He's skinny and won't ever be mistaken for a power hitter, but he's very athletic and his great hand eye coordination and barrel control give him a combination of both low strikeout rates and gap power. He's one I expect to get better as he moves up through the minors and begins to fill out his 6'1" frame, and while the current projection is that of a contact-hitting fourth outfielder, he has a chance to be more.
- Matt Vierling (2020 Age: 23): A fifth rounder out of Notre Dame in 2018, Vierling had a highly successful pro debut where he slashed .321/.365/.496 between short season Williamsport and Class A Lakewood, and extremely impressive showing considering the majority of his games came at the higher level. He wasn't quite able to build off that in 2019, slashing .232/.297/.329 with five home runs, 22 stolen bases, and a 94/34 strikeout to walk ratio over 118 games in that talented High A Clearwater outfield, though many hitting prospects have had a tough time in the Florida State League. He doesn't stand out for any of his physical tools (besides his cannon arm), instead doing a little bit of everything well and using his advanced feel for the game to produce. He has a short, simple right handed swing that produces a lot of line drives and fly balls, the latter of which went to die in the cavernous Florida State League ballparks, and he avoids strikeouts well while using his above average speed to steal bases efficiently. Defensively, he has solid range and that great arm, and if he can get his bat back and humming, he has a good shot at being a valuable fourth outfielder.
- Keep an eye on: Cornelius Randolph, Grenny Cumana, Josh Stephen, Carlos De La Cruz, Johan Rojas

Starting Pitching
- Cole Irvin (2020 Age: 26): Irvin is just barely a prospect, but he still technically qualifies and he'll get a writeup here. After a strong 2018 season in AAA (2.57 ERA, 131/35 K/BB), the Phillies sent him back to the minors again in 2019 where he had a 3.94 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP, and a 65/14 strikeout to walk ratio over 93.2 innings at AAA Lehigh Valley – he also had a 5.83 ERA, a 1.39 WHIP, and a 31/13 strikeout to walk ratio over 41.2 major league innings. A fifth round pick out of Oregon in 2016, his stuff is average across the board, but he stands out most for his ability to control the strike zone and put himself in advantage counts. A low 90's fastball and a set of solid-average secondaries means he can fall victim to the long ball occasionally, as he allowed 20 in 2019, so the fact that he is good at avoiding mistakes is critical. Irvin is also extremely durable, as he's topped 135 innings in four consecutive seasons going back to college, which will play to his advantage in trying to crack a Phillies rotation with some question marks at the bottom. There are a lot of guys competing for those last couple of spots that have higher ceilings, so Irvin is most likely destined for a swing role, but should they falter or get hurt, he'll be right there to grab that fifth spot.
- Spencer Howard (2020 Age: 23-24): Howard, a second rounder out of Cal Poly in 2017, has been on an upward trajectory for a while now. He struggled out of the gate in 2018, but turned it around and finished strong, throwing a complete game no-hitter in the South Atlantic League playoffs. This year, he posted a 2.03 ERA, a 0.83 WHIP, and a 94/16 strikeout to walk ratio over 71 innings between High A Clearwater, AA Reading, and a few innings of complex level rehab work despite missing time with shoulder soreness. There's no one adjustment that helped Howard break out this year; he got better all around. He now sits easily in the mid 90's with his fastball and sharpened his secondary stuff, with his slider becoming a real weapon and his curveball and changeup coming along. Additionally, he's gotten more consistent with his command, which rather than working against him, now works in his favor as he attacks the zone with more confidence. Shoulder problems are always scary, but it looks like he's put them behind him. If he can stay healthy, Howard is on the kind of trajectory that could land him in the middle of the Phillies rotation at some point in 2021 or perhaps even in late 2020.
- JoJo Romero (2020 Age: 23): Romero had three strong seasons to start his pro career after going in the fourth round out of an Arizona junior college in 2016, but he hit his first speed bump in 2019. This year, he had a 5.82 ERA, a 1.55 WHIP, and a 92/47 strikeout to walk ratio over 111.1 innings at AA Reading and AAA Lehigh Valley, as he handled Reading (4.84 ERA, 52/12 K/BB) but struggled at the higher level (6.88 ERA, 40/35 K/BB). He's solid but fairly inconsistent with both his stuff and his command, and it was a slight regression in the command that hurt him at AAA. He typically sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball, which he can run and sink effectively, and he adds a full array of secondary pitches that he gets good deception on. He sometimes loses his release point, which can affect both the stuff and command, but he's still fairly young as far as upper minors prospects go and he has time to refine that. Doing so will be the key to success in the majors, as he may profile better as a left handed reliever if he's going to be inconsistent. He'll also have to battle Irvin, Howard, Enyel De Los Santos, Damon Jones, and active major leaguers like Vince Velasquez and Nick Pivetta if he wants to crack the rotation in 2020.
- Adonis Medina (2020 Age: 23): The Phillies have brought Medina along at exactly a one level per year pace, though 2019 was a bit tough as he reached AA. He posted a 4.94 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP, and an 82/41 strikeout to walk ratio over 105.2 innings for Reading, the hitter-friendly environment perhaps getting to him as he allowed eight of his eleven home runs at home. Medina's stuff is just about MLB-caliber; he sits in the low to mid 90's with his running fastball, gets nice, two plane break on his curveball, and gets nice fade on his changeup. He also doesn't hurt himself with walks too often. His problem, especially in AA, has been that he's not missing bats at the rate his stuff dictates he should, especially against left handed batters. While he doesn't walk a lot of guys, he needs to work on hitting his spots better and avoiding left handed barrels, and in order to start at the major league level, sharpening one of his secondary pitches into a true plus pitch will probably be necessary. For now he projects as a #4 starter with the chance to be a #3.
- Damon Jones (2020 Age: 25): Jones went in the 18th round out of Washington State in 2017, but he caught some eyes by pitching well in Class A in 2018 (3.41 ERA, 123/50 K/BB) before breaking out in 2019. This year, he had a 2.91 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and a 152/59 strikeout to walk ratio over 114.1 innings at High A Clearwater, AA Reading, and AAA Lehigh Valley, though he actually had a 1.34 ERA and a 119/33 strikeout to walk ratio in 80.1 innings before his promotion to AAA (6.62 ERA, 33/26 K/BB). The 6'5" lefty now sits in the low 90's with his fastball, and he's added power to his curveball that now makes it an out pitch. Additionally, he did a much better job of attacking hitters with strikes, at least at the lower levels, though his command fell apart and his lack of a real changeup exposed him in AAA. Jones has more work to do in those regards, and he profiles as a #4 or #5 starter if he can take even a small step forward there, and his fastball/curveball combination would play up well out of the bullpen.
- David Parkinson (2020 Age: 24): After drafting Parkinson in the 12th round out of Ole Miss in 2017, the Phillies tried to take it slow with the 6'2" lefty, but he dominated in A ball in 2018 (1.45 ERA, 141/35 K/BB) and forced a promotion to AA to start 2019. He spent the year there and posted a 4.08 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and a 118/39 strikeout to walk ratio over 119 innings for Reading, which was especially nice to see after he had spent all of 2018 pitching in pitcher-friendly environments. Additionally, not included in those stats are seven shutout innings in the Eastern League playoffs, which would bring his ERA down to 3.86. He pitches with largely average stuff, sitting just above 90 with his fastball and adding a nice curveball and an improved changeup, but his command has been better than expected in pro ball and that's enabled it to continue to play up at every level he's pitched at. Parkinson still has a limited ceiling as that of a #4 or #5 starter, but it's looking more and more likely that he'll get there.
- Connor Seabold (2020 Age: 24): Seabold got all the way up to AA in 2018, his first full season after being drafted in the third round out of Cal State Fullerton in 2017, though injuries kept him off the mound until the end of June in 2019. Once he returned, he looked as good as ever, putting up a 2.24 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, and a 58/11 strikeout to walk ratio over 56.1 innings between complex level rehab, High A Clearwater, and AA Reading. He only sits in the low 90's with his fastball and like Parkinson, adds a curveball and an improving changeup, though his command has been his bread and butter as he has gotten better at hitting his spots rather than just filling up the strike zone. Those 40 great innings at AA now have him in position to fight for a back-end rotation spot in the near future, but the Phillies also have so many arms near the top of the minors that it might be tough.
- Kyle Glogoski (2020 Age: 21): Here's a kid that came out of absolutely nowhere. Glogoski grew up in Auckland, New Zealand, where baseball isn't all that popular, to put it lightly. However, after discovering the game at the age of 12 (you can read a really good article on that here), he's taken off, and he signed with the Phillies in 2018, two days after his 19th birthday. After a strong showing in the complex-level Gulf Coast League in 2018 (2.31 ERA, 47/11 K/BB), he put himself firmly on the map with a huge 2019, posting a 1.68 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and a 90/28 strikeout to walk ratio over 80.1 innings at Class A Lakewood and High A Clearwater. The 6'2" righty sits around 90 with his fastball, adding a curveball with big drop and a nice changeup, but his stuff plays up both due to his command and his ability to mix pitches and keep hitters off balance (especially the latter). He'll be just 21 years old for all of 2020 with the chance to tackle the upper minors, and if he can refine his command a bit further, he could be a #3 or a #4 starter. Even at present, he's well on his way to being a #5.
- Francisco Morales (2020 Age: 20): Coming into the season, Morales was a young arm with emerging stuff that hadn't quite put it together. Now, after a strong full season debut, he's well on his way leading the next wave of arms in this system. In 2019, he had a 3.82 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and a 129/46 strikeout to walk ratio over 96.2 innings at Class A Lakewood, nice numbers when you consider he was 19 for the whole season. He now sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and his secondary stuff is beginning to come along, with both a slider and a changeup that are improved from a year ago. He's still very much a work in progress, as his command leaves some to be desired, but that too is improving and he's probably right where the Phillies want him to be in his development. The 6'4" righty is on the right trajectory, will be just 20 for all of 2020, and has breakout potential.
- Erik Miller (2020 Age: 22): Miller has always been a bit of an enigma, and he still is. A top prospect coming out of a St. Louis high school in 2016, he instead attended Stanford and rode an up and down career to a fourth round selection in 2019. His pro debut was much more up than down, as he posted a 1.50 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and a 52/15 strikeout to walk ratio over 36 innings in the complex level Gulf Coast League, at short season Williamsport, and at Class A Lakewood. He's a 6'5" lefty with a power, low to mid 90's fastball and a swing and miss slider, but he's been inconsistent with pretty much everything else. He sometimes struggles to keep his big frame in sync, which leads to elevated walk rates, and his changeup looks good at times but can also flatten out. That's a reliever profile on the surface, but I wrote before the draft that a pro team might be able to clean him up and get him to his mid-rotation ceiling. We've only seen 36 innings of him in pro ball, but the Phillies might be doing just that and he could end up being a fourth round steal if he the success holds up. He's certainly talented enough to do so.
- Victor Santos (2020 Age: 19-20): Despite still being just a teenager, Santos has thrown over 200 professional innings and has walked just 27 batters – that alone tells you most of what you need to know about the 6'1" righty. In 2019, he skipped over short season ball and went straight to Class A Lakewood still a few months shy of his 19th birthday, and he posted a 4.02 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and an 89/18 strikeout to walk ratio over 105.1 innings. He comes in with long arm action but his command is just about as pinpoint as you could possibly expect from a teenager, and that makes him really interesting. He sits around 90 with his fastball and adds a so-so slider and an advanced changeup, which he mixes effectively against older competition. His stuff at present will not play in the majors no matter how good his command is, but with that box checked and then some, he has plenty of time to refine that pure stuff. Even a few small improvements, such as a bump into the low 90's with his fastball or some sharpening of his slider, could make him a back-end starter, and just the fact that he's such a refined pitcher at such a young age makes him really interesting.
- Kyle Young (2020 Age: 22): Young, a 22nd round pick out of a Long Island high school in 2016, opened a lot of eyes in 2018 with a 3.10 ERA and a 44/7 strikeout to walk ratio at Class A. The Phillies were excited to see what he could do in 2019, but after posting a 4.29 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and a 25/1 strikeout to walk ratio over 21 innings at High A Clearwater, he went down with Tommy John surgery and missed the rest of the season. Young is physically imposing, to say the least, at 6'10", though his pinpoint command is what makes him the prospect he is. His stuff is average and his fastball sometimes struggles to scrape 90, but it plays up not only due to the command but also due to his height and extension, giving the ball nice angle. 2020 will be mostly about getting his feet back under him, but he'll be 22 for the whole season and he has a chance to work his way up as a back-end starter if he can stay healthy.
- Gunner Mayer (2020 Age: 19-20): Mayer, a fifth round pick out of a California junior college in 2019, is a real sleeper, but I like him a lot. Having just turned 19 in July, he's very much a work in progress, but as a 6'6" righty with a loose arm, he will get a lot of patience from the Phillies. His fastball already sits in the low 90's, he gets nice depth on his curveball, and he also shows a slider and a changeup, his easy delivery making it seem very likely that the stuff could tick up. His command still needs some work, but all the building blocks are here and I think pro refinement could help him take a big step forward, if not immediately in 2020 then perhaps in 2021. Mark him down as a sleeper to watch.
- Keep an eye on: Bailey Falter, Colton Eastman, Nick Fanti, Ethan Evanko, Kevin Gowdy, Brett Schulze, Jose Conopoima

Relief Pitching
- Enyel De Los Santos (2020 Age: 24): Originally signed by the Mariners in 2014, De Los Santos went to the Padres for Joaquin Benoit in 2015 then to the Phillies for Freddy Galvis in 2017. He's now had two short stints up in the majors with the Phillies, posting a combined 5.70 ERA, a 1.50 WHIP, and a 24/13 strikeout to walk ratio over 30 innings, but he retains prospect status. In the minors in 2019, he had a 4.40 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and an 83/35 strikeout to walk ratio over 94 innings at AAA Lehigh Valley, and in most organizations he'd still have a chance to start, but the Phillies are so deep in starting pitching in the upper minors that he'll probably have to shift to the bullpen. The 6'3" righty sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball, and while his curveball never really developed into anything special, he does have a nice changeup and decent enough command that have kept him in the rotation up to this point. In the bullpen, his fastball and changeup can play up, and his ability to go multiple innings will make him more than a matchup righty. He could also make spot starts where necessary, making him more of a pocket knife than a refined, one-role guy.
- Mauricio Llovera (2020 Age: 24): Llovera is probably in the same boat as De Los Santos. He pitched well in the low and mid minors and reached AA in 2019, posting a 4.55 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP, and a 72/28 strikeout to walk ratio over 65.1 innings as a starter for Reading, but the crowded rotation picture means he'll probably be better off in the bullpen. He's only 5'11" but sits in the mid 90's with his fastball and adds a nice slider to go with a curveball and a changeup, all of which he commands fairly well, but he'll be able to scrap one of those pitches and allow his power stuff to play up in shorter stints. He's the kind of guy who could take a big step forward in the bullpen, so it will be interesting to see how the Phillies handle that in 2020.
- Connor Brogdon (2020 Age: 25): Brogdon already made his transition to the bullpen, and his 2.61 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 106/24 strikeout to walk ratio over 76 innings at High A Clearwater, AA Reading, and AAA Lehigh Valley were evidence that the transition went really well. The 6'6" righty has solid command of his mid 90's fastball and good slider, and with the ability to go multiple innings, he had one of the more impressive seasons among minor league relievers. Watch out for Brogdon to try to crack the Phillies bullpen in 2020, as he may have pushed himself past Kyle Dohy as the top pure-relief prospect in the system.
- Kyle Dohy (2020 Age: 23): Dohy's huge 2018, in which he struck out 111 batters in 67.1 innings across three levels, put him on the map, though 2019 was a bit rougher as advanced hitters started to punish his mistakes. He posted a 5.32 ERA, a 1.74 WHIP, and a 105/59 strikeout to walk ratio over 67.2 innings at AA Reading and AAA Lehigh Valley, showing both major league stuff and minor league command. He sits in the mid 90's with his fastball and adds a swing and miss slider and a good changeup from a deceptive delivery, but his continued struggles with command likely mean that he'll be more of a seventh inning guy than a future closer. A small step forward with that command in 2020 should get him up to the majors.
- Dominic Pipkin (2020 Age: 20): Pipkin, the Phillies' ninth round pick out of an Oakland-area high school in 2018, is a starter for now, but his future is likely in the bullpen. In 2019, he had a 5.15 ERA, a 1.62 WHIP, and a 44/45 strikeout to walk ratio over 71.2 innings at Class A Lakewood, which are pretty ugly numbers until you realize he was 19 the whole time. Pipkin was fairly raw coming out of high school so I was a bit surprised when they sent him to full season ball to start 2019, and while his low 90's fastball was enough to get him through lineups of older hitters, the rest of his stuff wasn't quite consistent enough. He's more about projection than anything else, as he has a loose arm and a smooth delivery from a projectable 6'4" frame, and another year at the level might help him get back on track towards becoming a #3 or #4 starter. If he transitions to the bullpen, he could add some velocity and focus on one or two of his secondary pitches, then move more quickly than he would as a starter.
- Keep an eye on: Addison Russ, Jeff Singer, Andrew Schultz

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

Reviewing the Philadelphia Phillies Farm System

The Phillies are on the rise, and despite the slow start to 2016 first overall pick Mickey Moniak's career, so is their farm system. It's a balanced system that features plenty of both power and contact hitters, and the system is especially deep in pitching as they have managed to successfully develop many of their highly regarded arms into legitimate prospects.

Affiliates: AAA Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, AA Reading Fightin Phils, High A Clearwater Threshers, Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, Short Season Williamsport Crosscutters, complex level GCL and DSL Phillies

The Headliner: RHP Sixto Sanchez
The first time I saw now-20 year old Sixto Sanchez pitch was in 2017 when his Class A Lakewood BlueClaws visited the Orioles' Delmarva Shorebirds. I don't remember the exact velocities, but the first at bat of the game, against the unfortunate Cole Billingsley, went something like this: 98 MPH for strike one, 99 for strike two, 100 just low for ball one, and lastly a disgusting curveball that Billingsley swung over top of for strike three. Sixto was just 18 at the time while Billingsley was 23, and Billingsley did not stand a chance. Sanchez was soon promoted to High A Clearwater, but he had to return there this season as he battled elbow inflammation, still posting a 2.51 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and a 45/11 strikeout to walk ratio over 46.2 innings. He's just six feet tall and won't even be able to drink legally until July, but he throws his fastball in the mid to upper 90's while adding a very good curveball and changeup, all three of which he can command very well. He can also manipulate his fastball to get movement on it down in the mid 90's range, and the overall package gives him true ace upside. Signed for just $35,000 as a 16 year old out of the Dominican Republic, he has developed  a very special right arm that could have made him the top pitching prospect in baseball had he been healthy this season, but he is nonetheless one of the top prospects in the game and should be joining Aaron Nola at the top of the Philadelphia rotation soon.

Drafted Bats: OF Cornelius Randolph, OF Mickey Moniak, OF Adam Haseley, 3B Alec Bohm, OF Dylan Cozens, and OF Matt Vierling
The Phillies have had some high draft picks recently and have used their last four first round picks on bats with mixed results. I'll start in 2015, when they took now-21 year old Cornelius Randolph with their first pick (tenth overall) out of a Georgia high school, and he has been fairly disappointing so far. He was at his best by slashing .250/.338/.402 with 13 home runs at High A Clearwater in 2017, but he dropped to .241/.324/.322 with just five home runs and a 92/48 strikeout to walk ratio over 118 games at AA Reading this year. As a so-so defender in left field, his bat is his true calling card, so he'll have to reverse whatever happened in 2018 if he wants to stay relevant as a prospect. At his best, he shows a knack for hard contact, a patient approach, and an overall balanced skill set at the plate, but it hasn't clicked yet for any extended period of time at this point. In 2016, the Phillies selected another outfielder who is off to a slow start, first overall pick and now-20 year old Mickey Moniak. After a mediocre 2017 (5 HR, .236/.284/.341 at Class A Lakewood), he put up only slightly better numbers in 2018 by slashing .270/.304/.383 with five more home runs and a 100/22 strikeout to walk ratio over 114 games at Clearwater. Fortunately for Phillies fans, Moniak heated up in the second half after slashing .254/.272/.321 with a 56/5 strikeout to walk ratio in the first half, moving that up to a .286/.332/.442 line and a 44/17 ratio after the break. He's skinny at 6'2" but doesn't look like he has much room to add more weight, his speed being his best tool. At the plate, he's more of a line drive/gap hitter than a power hitter, and while it's increasingly unlikely that he develops more than average pop, I still think there is a chance he can be an above average hitter both when it comes to getting on base and hitting for power. Defensively he may be able to stick in center field, his work ethic and feel for the game helping him in that regard. Don't expect a future star out of Moniak at this point, but he could still be a productive big league regular if he gets back on track. Now-22 year old Adam Haseley was the Phillies' first round pick (eighth overall) in 2017, and unlike Randolph and Moniak, he has had plenty of success. In 2018, he slashed .305/.361/.433 with 11 home runs, seven stolen bases, and a 73/35 strikeout to walk ratio over 118 games at Clearwater and Reading with no loss of production after the promotion, even when accounting for league/ballpark differences (Reading is very hitter friendly; Clearwater and the Florida State League in general, not so much). He is a very balanced player who makes easy contact and rarely gets fooled at the plate, runs well, may be able to stick in center field defensively, and hits for just enough power to justify calling him an "impact bat." His walk rate is fairly low, but that is okay given his low strikeout rate and general knack for base hits. At this point, he has a high floor as a fourth outfielder because even if his development stagnates from here on out, he's good enough today to at least handle major league pitching. This past year, the Phillies took now-22 year old Alec Bohm out of Wichita State with the third overall pick, who then slashed a moderately disappointing .252/.335/.324 with a 23/12 strikeout to walk ratio and without a home run in 40 games between complex ball and short season Williamsport. Small sample slow start aside, Bohm is truly an impact bat who can hit for power while also getting on base at a high rate, giving him middle of the order upside. At 6'5", he can blast balls a long way, and his plate discipline has improved consistently enough that it's easy to envision him adding more power without adding too many strikeouts. Defensively, he has work to do if he wants to stick at third base, but the bat will play even if he is forced to move over to first base and despite the slow start; don't worry about 40 games in complex/short season ball. Moving off of first round picks, 24 year old Dylan Cozens was a second round pick way back in 2012 from high school near Phoenix, and though his trip through the minors has been slow, he's just about ready for the majors. The 6'6" outfielder was long considered a projectable bat who could add a ton of power, then after hitting 38 home runs over his first four pro seasons from 2012-2015, he crushed 40 with (hitter friendly) Reading in 2016 then followed that up with 27 at AAA Lehigh Valley in 2017. This past year, he slashed .246/.345/.529 with 21 home runs and a 124/46 strikeout to walk ratio over 88 games back at Lehigh Valley, then slashed .158/.273/.289 with one home run in a 26 game stint with the Phillies. His raw power is arguably the best in the system, possibly better than that of Bohm and Jhailyn Ortiz (more on Ortiz in the next section), but he strikes out far too much at this point and will have to make adjustments to survive at the major league level. I definitely don't see him as having an Aaron Judge-type breakout (Judge faced the same problems in the minors), but just a small improvement in his contact ability could make him a valuable pinch hitter or platoon bat and a big one (less likely) could make him an every day player down the road. Lastly, 22 year old Matt Vierling was a fifth round pick out of Notre Dame in 2018 who caught fire in the minors and slashed .321/.365/.496 with seven home runs, seven stolen bases, and a 40/13 strikeout to walk ratio over 62 games between Williamsport and Lakewood, handling the promotion to full season ball well and slashing .293/.342/.473 in his 50 games there. He has no standout tool but does a little bit of everything well, showing some power, on-base ability, and speed, as well as a strong arm from the outfield. He's likely a fourth outfielder down the road, but with his balanced skill set, lack of a glaring weakness, and hot start to his minor league career, more certainly is possible.

International Bats: OF Jhailyn Ortiz, 2B Daniel Brito, SS Arquimedes Gamboa, and SS Luis Garcia
The Phillies aren't as deep in bats signed internationally as they are with those they drafted, especially with Jose Gomez's disappointing season in High A, but there are a few bright spots here. 20 year old Jhailyn Ortiz hasn't quite lived up to his $4 million signing bonus from back in 2015, but he's still a solid prospect who slashed .225/.297/.375 with 13 home runs and a 148/35 strikeout to walk ratio over 110 games at Class A Lakewood. He packs tremendous raw power into his 6'3" frame, though South Atlantic League pitching found holes in his swing and was able to exploit them in 2018. Defensively, he has worked hard to remain in the outfield, where his strong arm helps him out, but he will have to start getting to his power consistently if he wants to remain one of the Phillies more well-regarded prospects. High A will be a real test in 2019, but he won't turn 21 until after the season and he has a chance to really define himself as a prospect. A tough transition will mean that Phillies fans will have to be patient and play more wait-and-see and I-wonder-if, but a few tweaks in his approach and a good season could take him from projection bat to true impact prospect. 21 year olds Daniel Brito and Arquimedes Gamboa find themselves in similar positions to each other, both coming off seasons where they didn't hit quite as well as hoped in A ball. Brito has the slightly better bat and he slashed .252/.307/.342 with four home runs, 16 stolen bases, and an 83/33 strikeout to walk ratio over 119 games at Lakewood and High A Clearwater, while Gamboa, with the better glove, slashed just .214/.304/.279 with two home runs, six stolen bases, and a 111/53 strikeout to walk ratio over 114 games, all at Clearwater. Both lack much power and will have to rely on getting on base to move forward, and both have good enough approaches at the plate that they can realistically get by without power. Brito, a second baseman who has steadily improved his defense and should be above average there, has shown just a little more sock in his bat and probably has a better chance to hit at the major league level, while Gamboa is a good defender at shortstop who will need to do at least something offensively in order to keep moving up. At this point, both look like future utility infielders if they can't get the bats going, but both will also spend the whole season at 21 years old with plenty of A ball experience under their belt. Lastly, 18 year old Luis Garcia (not to be confused with ex-Phillies/now Angels reliever Luis Garcia or highly-regarded Nationals prospect Luis Garcia) was just signed for $2.5 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2017 and spent 2018 in complex ball, slashing .369/.433/.488 with one home run, 12 stolen bases, and a 21/15 strikeout to walk ratio over 43 games with the Phillies' Gulf Coast League affiliate. It was an exceptional debut for a 17 year old who skipped over the Dominican Summer League entirely as he sprayed line drives all over the park, showed great awareness of the strike zone, and played great defense at shortstop. Now, it's very important to take complex level (and even rookie/short season) stats with a grain of salt, as competition in the GCL varies from other Latin American teenagers, recent draftees, and higher-level players on rehab assignments, but you can't play much better than Garcia did and given the high expectations coming into the season, he's in a great spot. At 5'11", he's unlikely to develop much power, but his defense at shortstop will take the pressure off his bat and with his on-base ability, he could be one of the top prospects in the system a year from now.

High Minors Arms: LHP Cole Irvin, LHP Ranger Suarez, RHP Enyel De Los Santos, RHP Drew Anderson, LHP JoJo Romero, and RHP Connor Seabold
The Phillies have a good group of arms that are near-major league ready, and that's a very good thing considering the team is just beginning what it hopes will be a long stretch of contention. Interestingly, most of the pitchers in this group are about command over stuff, so they may end up with an abundance of back-end starters who can be used as trade bait. 24 year old Cole Irvin is the most complete pitcher up at the top, coming off a very strong year where he went 14-4 with a 2.57 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and a 131/35 strikeout to walk ratio over 161.1 innings at AAA Lehigh Valley. With his low 90's fastball and full arsenal of average pitches from the left side, he has no true out pitch but mixes and locates everything extremely well, making all of his pitches play up and giving him a very good shot at sticking in the majors as a back-end, innings eating starter. He's already in the mix for a back-end spot out of spring training, and if he doesn't get it then, his name should be called upon early in the season. He'll be competing with 23 year old Ranger Suarez, a 6'1" lefty who posted a 2.75 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and an 85/35 strikeout to walk ratio over 124.1 innings at AA Reading and Lehigh Valley, also adding 15 major league innings with a 5.40 ERA and an 11/6 strikeout to walk ratio. He's a fairly similar pitcher to Irvin who has moved through the minor leagues just as quickly, though his stuff is a hair better and his overall feel for pitching is just a hair behind. Unlike with Irvin, his changeup stands out among his other pitches and it, rather than an excellent feel for pitching like Irvin's, makes his other pitches play up. His command is just as good as Irvin's and it will be interesting to see who can hang on to that back-end spot, if not both. 23 year old Enyel De Los Santos, over from San Diego in the Freddy Galvis trade, is a different pitcher from both Irvin and Suarez and posted a 2.63 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and a 110/43 strikeout to walk ratio over 126.2 innings at Lehigh Valley as well as a 4.74 ERA and a 15/8 strikeout to walk ratio over 19 major league innings. He's a 6'3" righty whose fastball sits in the mid 90's and who adds a good changeup, but while Irvin and Suarez get by on their command, De Los Santos is closer to average in that regard. When he's hitting his spots, he can be a better pitcher than both, but of course the opposite is true when he isn't. He also comes with more reliever risk, but his stuff would play up in the bullpen and he could be very valuable in that regard. Watching the three of them battle for starts will be very interesting in 2019. 24 year old Drew Anderson is also in that mix, though I think he'll be the first of the four to end up in the bullpen after posting a 3.87 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and an 84/29 strikeout to walk ratio over 104.2 innings at Lehigh Valley this year. He has a low to mid 90's fastball plays up because of its movement, but he otherwise has fringe-average stuff that he controls pretty well. Despite the extra velocity, he's not quite on the same tier as Irvin and Suarez in terms of control types because his arsenal is not as deep and he hasn't been able to stay on the mound as consistently, but I think he could do well in the bullpen as soon as this season. Lastly, 22 year old JoJo Romero put himself firmly on the map with a huge 2017 in A ball (2.16 ERA, 128/36 K/BB) and followed that up with a solid run through AA in 2018, posting a 3.80 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, and a 100/41 strikeout to walk ratio over 106.2 innings with Reading. He's listed closer to the end of this section because he probably won't be major league ready straight out of spring training, but it is plausible that he ends up with the best career in the group. While he has no single standout swing and miss pitch, he can throw pretty much any pitch in the book but a knuckleball, giving him plenty of weapons to use in any count and any situation, and unlike many young pitchers with such deep arsenals, he commands everything pretty well. The six foot lefty is crafty and has a very nice combination of ceiling and floor, and he has mid-rotation upside if he can stay healthy and maintain his ability to hit his spots with all of his pitches. 23 year old Connor Seabold is a control type who posted a 4.28 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and a 132/33 strikeout to walk ratio over 130.1 innings at High A Clearwater and Reading, keeping runners off the bases but also falling victim to the home run ball when he missed his spots in AA. Though his ERA jumped from 3.77 in High A to 4.91 in AA, he continued to be effective and even upped his strikeout rate from 23.8% to 25.5%, a modest jump but impressive nonetheless considering he was just drafted out of Cal State Fullerton in the third round (83rd overall) in 2017. Like Irvin, none of his pitches stand out, but he hits his spots consistently enough that hitters don't get many mistakes to try to do something with. He has back-end potential.

Low and Mid Minors Arms: RHP Kyle Dohy, RHP Adonis Medina, LHP David Parkinson, LHP Will Stewart, LHP Kyle Young, and RHP Francisco Morales
While most of the upper-minors pitchers are advanced control-types who get by more on instincts than stuff, there's more variation in the guys who aren't quite as close to the major leagues. In this group, Sixto Sanchez aside, 22 year old Kyle Dohy is the closest to the majors in this group, and he put up a crazy season statistically with a 2.54 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and a 111/42 strikeout to walk ratio over just 67.1 innings at Class A Lakewood, High A Clearwater, and AA Reading. He's a 6'2" left handed reliever with a great fastball/slider combination that misses bats in bunches and helped him strike out 40.7% of those he faced in 2018 (including 47.7% over 33.2 innings at Lakewood). However, his stuff also misses the strike zone as often as it misses bats, and he walked 15.4% of his opponents this year including 21.8% over his 22.2 innings at Reading. If he gets his command closer to average, he could be in the major leagues as soon as 2019, and in the long run he could be a very useful bullpen arm in Philadelphia. However, if he can't start at least getting close to hitting his spots, his stuff isn't quite electric enough to keep him from getting shelled in the major leagues. 22 year old Adonis Medina made it up to Clearwater in 2018 and posted a 4.12 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, and a 123/36 strikeout to walk ratio over 111.1 innings, which was not quite the breakout season the Phillies were hoping for out of their young righty but still solid. He throws his fastball in the low to mid 90's and adds solid secondary stuff in a slider and a changeup, and they along with his command have been sharp enough for him to post very good component ratios in A ball over the past two seasons. As it stands, he looks like a guy with mid-rotation upside and a larger possibility of ending up in the back-end of the rotation, but the Phillies are high on him and think he has a very good shot of reaching his ceiling. 2019 and his transition to AA should be enlightening. 23 year old David Parkinson absolutely dominated A ball in 2018, going 11-1 with a 1.45 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, and a 141/35 strikeout to walk ratio over 124.1 innings at Lakewood and Clearwater, though most of the season was spent facing younger competition down in Lakewood. The 2017 12th round pick out of Ole Miss made his average stuff play up in his first full pro season, and he has a much better chance to stick as a back-end starter than he did a year ago. The strong stint with Clearwater (1.24 ERA, 26/9 K/BB in 29 IP) was probably better news than the equally strong 95.1 innings in Lakewood considering his age relative to his competition, but it will be important to see if his stuff holds up over a longer run through High A and in AA this coming season to really feel confident about his future as a starter. 21 year old Will Stewart also had a dominating run through Lakewood, going 8-1 with a 2.06 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and a 90/21 strikeout to walk ratio over 113.2 innings. He's more of a sleeper prospect as a lefty without a ton of velocity, a high draft pedigree (20th round out of high school in Alabama in 2015), or a quick rise through the minors. Still, he makes his good command of a low 90's fastball and a very good changeup work for him, and because he was young for his class when he was drafted, he's not behind age-wise even though he didn't reach full season ball until his fourth pro season. The Phillies do very well with these types of guys (see Cole Irvin, Ranger Suarez, Connor Seabold up higher in the system) and while he looks more like a back-end starter right now, he could be a more well-known name come next season with success in High A. 21 year old Kyle Young posted a 2.73 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP, and a 50/9 strikeout to walk ratio over 59.1 innings mostly with Lakewood, and he's particularly interesting because he's just so darn tall. Standing 6'10" and coming at hitters from the left side, he throws fastballs that look like they're getting released right in front of your face and commands everything well for someone of his stature. While he doesn't throw as hard as a certain other 6'10" lefty (see Johnson, Randy), that command gives him a leg up and could make him a similar pitcher to right hander Chris Young (no relation). Injury risk is present though as he missed time in 2018 with elbow trouble, and personally there are quite a few other pitchers in this system that I see as better prospects. Lastly, 19 year old Francisco Morales doesn't quite have the numbers yet, but he's a high upside guy down in the low minors. The 6'4" righty posted a 5.27 ERA, a 1.54 WHIP, and a 68/33 strikeout to walk ratio over 56.1 innings with short season Williamsport in 2018, showing a low to mid 90's fastball and emerging secondary stuff. There is a lot he needs to work on, but the Phillies are high on him and with a big, durable frame, they see more velocity coming, with further improving his command and secondaries being the next lines on the to-do list. Think of him as a wild card for now, but he'll be interesting to track as a teenager in Class A next season.

Reviewing the Washington Nationals Farm System

Coming into the season, the Nationals' farm system was very top heavy, and with Juan Soto no longer a prospect and not much up to take his place, the system is pretty shallow behind top prospects Victor Robles and Carter Kieboom. Even with a heavy emphasis on drafting pitching in recent years, the system remains hitter-heavy as many of those pitchers have failed to materialize into legitimate prospects. Fortunately, the Nationals are fairly deep at two of the toughest positions to find: catcher and shortstop.

Affiliates: AAA Syracuse Chiefs*, AA Harrisburg Senators, High A Potomac Nationals, Class A Hagerstown Suns, Short Season Auburn Doubledays, complex level GCL and DSL Nationals
*AAA affiliate will move from Syracuse, NY to Fresno, CA in 2019

The Headliner: OF Victor Robles
21 year old Victor Robles was supposed to do what Juan Soto did in 2018, but an arm injury wiped out most of his season and he finished slashing .276/.371/.370 with a pair of home runs and 19 stolen bases over 52 games, showing a nice 32/26 strikeout to walk ratio at AAA Syracuse. He's an extremely advanced player for his age, showing power, on-base ability, speed, and great defense at a young age, and at this point all he needs is an extended shot. I don't think he's the future superstar that a lot of analysts have pegged him as, but I see him producing like an Adam Eaton-type player for a long time, making a few All Star teams and hitting at the top of the lineup as long as manager Dave Martinez realizes that hitting for power doesn't make you a bad leadoff man. In 21 major league games this year, he slashed .288/.348/.525 with three home runs and three stolen bases, showing that he's ready and that the Nationals should be prepared to make him their starting center fielder in 2019 and beyond.

Infield Prospects: SS Carter Kieboom, SS Luis Garcia, SS Yasel Antuna, SS Jose Sanchez, 3B Drew Ward, and 1B KJ Harrison
The Nationals system is fortunate to have plenty of shortstops in the minors, and while most of these guys will either have to move off the position or won't have the bat to hit in the majors, it's nice knowing at least one will probably work out as a starting shortstop. The most likely major leaguer is 21 year old Carter Kieboom, a shortstop right now who may be able to cut it at that position in the majors but whose more likely destination is second or third base, depending on Anthony Rendon. Kieboom missed time to injuries in 2017 but had a big 2018 by slashing .280/.357/.444 with 16 home runs and a 109/58 strikeout to walk ratio over 123 games at High A Potomac and AA Harrisburg, showing power, plate discipline, and good defense. His game is actually fairly similar to Rendon's, and while Rendon represents more of a ceiling than a most likely outcome for Kieboom, he could be a 20 homer bat with strong on-base percentages in the majors. 18 year old Luis Garcia did more than any other position player prospect to boost his stock this year, slashing .298/.336/.406 with seven home runs, 12 stolen bases, and an 82/31 strikeout to walk ratio over 127 games between Class A Hagerstown and Potomac. The bat is a little lighter than Kieboom's, but he is exceptionally young and won't even turn 19 until May. His strong performances in A ball, with no loss of production with the promotion from Class A to High A, point to a very advanced bat for his age. As of now, he also looks like he can stick at shortstop, so the big question will be how much power he can develop. Two more infielders from Garcia's class, 19 year old Yasel Antuna and 18 year old Jose Sanchez, have not developed as quickly. Antuna spent the year at Hagerstown, slashing .220/.293/.331 with six home runs and a 79/32 strikeout to walk ratio in 87 games, while Sanchez played at Short Season Auburn and slashed .230/.309/.282 with no home runs and a 56/24 strikeout to walk ratio in 64 games. Sanchez is considered the stronger defender, perhaps even ahead of Garcia, but both bats are clearly still transitioning to pro baseball. Right now, they look like utility men at best, but a lot can change for players of that age. 23 year old Drew Ward is a different type of prospect, wielding a more advanced bat but also obviously much older. In 2018, he slashed .249/.363/.422 with 13 home runs and a 115/62 strikeout to walk ratio over 115 games at AA Harrisburg and AAA Syracuse. He has a very nice power/patience combination, but he struggles to get to his power enough for it to make much of a difference at this point and he's looking more like a bench bat who could be up in the majors by September of 2019. Lastly, 22 year old KJ Harrison came over in the Gio Gonzalez trade and really struggled in his first full season after being drafted in the third round (84th overall) out of Oregon State in 2017. In 115 games at the Brewers' Class A affiliate, he slashed .228/.298/.384 with 12 home runs and a 147/39 strikeout to walk ratio, showing some power but overall not looking like the fairly advanced bat the Brewers thought they were drafting. He has a chance to turn it around in 2019, but he can't really afford another lost season like 2018.

Outfielders and Catchers: OF Daniel Johnson, OF Austin Davidson, OF Gage Canning, OF Telmito Agustin, C Raudy Read, C Tres Barrera, and C Israel Pineda
The outfield isn't as deep as the infield, with only five prospects with any kind of projection (the previously mentioned Victor Robles being the fifth), and all of them come with plenty of risk. 23 year old Daniel Johnson put himself on the map with a breakout 2017 in A ball (.298/.356/.505, 22 HR, 22 SB) but slowed down a bit in 2018 with a .269/.327/.412 line, seven home runs, 22 stolen bases, and a 92/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 96 games, mostly at AA Harrisburg. Last year, Johnson flashed a power/speed combination that's hard to find, but the power wasn't really there in 2018 and right now his projection looks something along the lines of a Michael A. Taylor. 25 year old Austin Davidson is an older prospect without much projection remaining, but he's coming off a nice season where he slashed .292/.374/.482 with 11 home runs and a 53/43 strikeout to walk ratio over 112 games at High A Potomac and Harrisburg. He could be a nice bench bat but probably not more. Deeper into the minors, 21 year old Gage Canning had a nice debut after being drafted in the fifth round out of Arizona State this year, slashing .253/.319/.470 with six home runs and a 54/16 strikeout to walk ratio over 45 games between Short Season Auburn and Class A Hagerstown, with the bulk of the production coming before his promotion. Right now, Canning has a fourth outfielder projection, but I would not count him out as a potential starter down the road as he has few weaknesses in his game as an all-around solid contributor. He's a breakout candidate for 2019. 22 year old Telmito Agustin has been very slow to get his minor league career going, and he just wrapped up his fifth minor league season by slashing .273/.338/.404 with six home runs and a 63/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 81 games between Auburn and Potomac. He's a good hitter that shows all-around skills at the plate when he's healthy, but he has never been healthy for long enough to really find his groove at the plate and show what he can do. The Nationals are hoping to get another potential fourth outfielder out of him, but he has to stay healthy to become that. Of the three notable catchers in the system, which the Nationals are fortunate to have, 25 year old Raudy Read is the most advanced. Read had a power breakout in 2017 by slugging 17 home runs, but he was then busted for PED's and came back to slash .279/.319/.401 with just three home runs at Harrisburg and AAA Syracuse after his suspension in 2018. He's a solid defensive catcher, but with a so-so bat, he's likely to compete with Pedro Severino and Spencer Kieboom for the backup catcher's spot in 2019. A little farther down the line, 24 year old Tres Barrera slashed .263/.334/.386 with six home runs and a 53/22 strikeout to walk ratio at Potomac, also showing a so-so bat to go along with good defense. There is definitely some power in the bat and he keeps his strikeout rate reasonably low, but as with Read, it looks more like a backup catcher's profile. Perhaps the highest ceiling catcher in the Nationals' system is 18 year old Israel Pineda, who slashed a very respectable .273/.341/.388 with four home runs and a 35/12 strikeout to walk ratio over 46 games down at Auburn. He's an advanced hitter for a teenager, especially for a catcher, and he should also be noted on that list of potential breakouts for 2019. If all goes well (which is definitely not a given with catching prospects), Pineda could occupy a very different spot in the Nationals' minor league depth chart a year from now.

Right Handed Pitchers: Wil Crowe, Mason Denaburg, Sterling Sharp, James Bourque, Jackson Tetreault, and Reid Schaller
The Nationals have traded away tons of pitching talent recently, and they're left with a fairly shallow pool. Among the right handers in the group, 24 year old Wil Crowe is the closest impact arm to the majors. He dominated at High A Potomac (11-0, 2.69 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 78/30 K/BB in 87 IP) but struggled upon his promotion to AA Harrisburg (0-5, 6.15 ERA, 1.78 WHIP, 15/16 K/BB in 26.1 IP). He's a big 6'2" righty from East Tennessee, and he gets by showing decent control of mid-rotation stuff. Crowe has to acclimate to the upper minors, as he has proven that A ball hitting is no match for him. His combination of stuff and command is good enough for the upper levels, so it's just a matter of time and he should end up as a #4ish starter. 19 year old Mason Denaburg, meanwhile, was the team's first round pick (27th overall) out of a Florida high school in 2018, and he's all ceiling and no floor. Denaburg has the stuff to be a #2 or #3 starter, and his good athleticism only makes him more likely to become one, but he has not pitched yet due to arm troubles and he has a lot to prove. He should be healthy for 2019, so look for him to start either in Short Season ball or up at Class A Hagerstown, where he could quickly become the system's top pitching prospect with some success out of the gate. 23 year old Sterling Sharp, aside from having an awesome name, just put up a solid season by going 11-6 with a 3.70 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP, and a 105/47 strikeout to walk ratio over 148.1 innings between Potomac and Harrisburg. He wasn't spectacular, but he showed good enough stuff and command to fit into the back of the rotation, and while his skinny 6'4" frame logically lends itself to increased velocity down the line, at 23 years old he probably is what he is at this point. 25 year old James Bourque is exclusively a relief-only prospect, having found success in the bullpen after being converted from starting over the offseason. This year, he put up a 1.70 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and a 76/26 strikeout to walk ratio over 53 innings at Potomac and Harrisburg, showing a power fastball/curveball combination that is good enough to get major leaguers out but which he needs to command better. Expect him up in the majors as a middle reliever some time in 2019. 22 year old Jackson Tetreault was one of two Florida JuCo Jacksons taken by the Nationals in the middle rounds of the 2017 draft, and while Jackson Stoeckinger hasn't been great, Tetreault just put up a 4.07 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, and a 138/41 strikeout to walk ratio over 132.2 innings between Class A Hagerstown and Potomac. Tetrault has a very good fastball/curveball combination, and he could be a mid rotation or back end starter if his changeup comes along. If not, he fits well as a reliever and would move quicker through the minors that way, though the Nationals rightly hold out hope he could be a major league starter. 21 year old Reid Schaller was a third round pick (101st overall) out of Vanderbilt in 2018, and though he's a college arm, he's more of the projectable type than the safe-bet type. Schaller throws hard, but at this point, that's about it, as he doesn't command his average stuff well. The Nationals will hope to develop him as a starter, but he looks more like a set-up man to me.

Left Handed Pitchers: Seth Romero, Tim Cate, Nick Raquet, and Ben Braymer
Currently, the Nationals have four notable left handed pitchers in their system, and they're a fairly diverse group. 22 year old Seth Romero is probably the most interesting not only in this group but in the entire system, having thrown just 47.1 professional innings since he was drafted in the first round (25th overall) out of the University of Houston in 2017. A top ten draft pick on talent alone, he fell because of severe disciplinary issues (he was actually kicked off of his college baseball team after multiple suspensions) and had to miss the start of the 2018 minor league season after more disciplinary issues. In seven starts after coming back, he posted a 3.91 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and a nice 34/8 strikeout to walk ratio over 25.1 innings at Class A Hagerstown, showing the possible front of the rotation stuff that earned him such a high draft pick. If he can just grow up a little bit, his excellent combination of stuff and command could make him a #2 starter, but he has to get on the mound and stay out of trouble at some point in order for that to happen. 21 year old Tim Cate was a second round pick (65th overall) out of UConn in 2018, and he posted a 5.02 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP, and a 45/16 strikeout to walk ratio over 52 innings between Short Season Auburn and Hagerstown in his pro debut. Cate is an undersized lefty at 6', but his curveball was considered one of the best in the draft and that is a good building block for now. He was inconsistent throughout his college career, but when he was on, he looked like a legitimate mid-rotation starter who could mix pitches and work off that great curveball, so he just has to work on getting more consistent with his command and other pitches. He still could be a mid-rotation starter, but there is a chance he ends up in the bullpen, where he could still be an impact arm. 22 year old Nick Raquet was a third round pick (103rd overall) out of William & Mary in 2017, and at the time I thought he profiled better as a reliever than as a starter. He was pretty good as a starter in 2018 though, posting a 3.74 ERA, a 1.46 WHIP, and a 92/39 strikeout to walk ratio over 122.2 innings between Hagerstown and High A Potomac. The low strikeout rate makes me think he still would look better as a reliever, where his stuff plays up and his command is better (based off of observations from watching him pitch in college), but it was nice to see him pitch well as a starter at Hagerstown then hold his own at Potomac. 24 year old Ben Braymer dominated mid level competition in 2018, going 9-3 with a 2.28 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and a 118/34 strikeout to walk ratio over 114.2 innings for Hagerstown and Potomac. He was older than most of the competition he faced, but he showed good command of average stuff and could make it to the majors as a #5 starter or a Sammy Solis-type long reliever. We need to see him at higher levels but don't count him out just for his age.