Format = Position Player | Age on 4/1/2027 | Highest Level Played | Estimated Time of Arrival
1. SS Eli Willits | 19 | AA | 2029
A sparkplug on the diamond and a hard-worker off of it, Willits checks every box for getting the most out of his tools, and as the son of former major leaguer Reggie Willits, he’s always had a pretty big edge in terms of learning and honing his game. He’s also a switch hitter at 6’1” 180 pounds, so he’ll be an everyday lineup mainstay if he can actualize at the highest level. So far so good in that regard. Willits reached Double-A the other day at the age of 18. He’s played just three games there but already has a four-hit night, a home run, two stolen bases, three walks and five RBI. This kid is not messing around.
2. SS Seaver King | 23 | AAA | 2027
A new front office meant a new lease on baseball life for King, who had struggled since being selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft as a high-floor shortstop out of Wake Forest. Under the new development group’s tutelage, King posted his best statistical season while climbing to the precipice of a major league debut that would’ve likely happened this season if Washington had remained in contention. In 109 games between Double and Triple-A, he slashed .306/.385/.517 with 20 home runs and 15 stolen bases. With CJ Abrams ticketed for second base, the Nationals might as well open the 2027 season with King at shortstop.
3. RHP Jarlin Susana | 23 | AAA | 2027
Listed at 6’6” and 235 pounds with a 103 mph fastball, Susana is among a handful of humans in the world who can potentially throw a projectile as hard as Jacob Misiorowski throws a baseball. That’s the world’s best pitcher right now, so you could do worse than having a J-Miz starter kit, and Susana has the nasty slide-piece to back up the pure fire. Whenever he’s been healthy over these last few years, he’s struck out roughly 40 percent of the hitters he’s seen. He has also walked a lot of hitters, but that goes with the territory of a large person learning to command premium stuff. Susana has that walk rate under ten so far, but it’s only been 17.2 innings across seven starts interrupted by a lat injury in his throwing shoulder.
4. RHP Travis Sykora | 21 | AA | 2027
Another enormous pitcher, this time at 6’6” 232 pounds, Sykora dominated the minor leagues with fastballs, sliders and splitters, all easy plus pitches. I observed in this space that he was throwing a lot of innings at a young age against lower-minor-league hitters who couldn’t touch him. Then he blew out his elbow and had a UCL reconstruction surgery in August of 2025 and missed the 2026 season. Theoretically, he’s still among the elite pitching prospects in the game. We just have to see it working like it once did before we can go all in.
5. RHP Miguel Sime Jr. | 19 | A+ | 2028
It opened up my eyes the first time I saw Sime Jr. throw a baseball. Wait. That doesn’t make sense. How could I see the Sime if my eyes were closed? Never mind. I thought he looked impressive the first time I saw Sime Jr., is all I’m trying to say. Listed at 6’4” 235 pounds, Sime looks a little like Miguel Sano at a glance, but the Nationals liked what they saw enough to pay him a two-million-dollar bonus that was way over-slot for a fourth round pick in the 2025 draft. Even while walking 20.3 percent of the hitters he’s seen this year, he’s been dominant in 72.1 innings sprinkled across 23 starts, recording 130 strikeouts (41.3%) with a 2.99 ERA. Clearly, he’ll need to throw more strikes in the future, but for now we can just enjoy the double-plus fastball-slider combination that nobody can hit.
6. 2B Devin Fitz-Gerald | 21 | AA | 2028
A key piece of the MacKenzie Gore trade, Fitz-Gerlad appeared to be having a bit of a breakout season in High-A, where the 5’10” switch-hitter slugged .530 with 12 homers, 11 steals, 30 walks (12.7%) and 42 strikeouts (17.7%) in 51 games. Reaching Double-A as a 20-year-old is no small feat, so the season still counts as a developmental win for Fitz-Gerald, but I’m sure he was hoping to play a little better at the level. His 85 wRC+ and .369 slugging percentage in 63 games at the level suggest he might need to add some quick-twitch strength over the-offseason.
7. 2B Chris Hacopian | 22 | A+ | 2028
The 11th overall pick this summer out of Texas A&M, Hacopian is listed as a second baseman, but his primary position is hitter. We’ve seen him tear up the Big Ten with Maryland for two years, we’ve seen him tear up the New England Collegiate Baseball League with a wooden bat for one summer as a 19-year-old, and we’ve seen him slash .319/.405/.578 with just 21 strikeouts (against 25 walks) in 42 games in the SEC. Washington sent him straight to High-A, where he posted a .396 on base percentage with eight strikeouts and eight walks in 13 games. He’ll be a target for me in first-year-player drafts.
8. 3B Ronny Cruz | 20 | A+ | 2030
Cruz bloomed early with Low-A Fredericksburg this spring, seizing his chance at a fresh lease on life in a new org after coming over from Chicago in the Michael Soroka trade last July. In 14 games, he slashed .333/.460/.627 with three home runs and a kleptomaniacal 15 stolen bases. The Nationals had seen enough of the constant thievery and sent Cruz onto High-A, where he managed to swipe another 37 bases in 104 games despite flailing at the plate. He slashed .220/.302/.367 with 12 home runs and popped some balloons for people who had sky-high hopes after the fast start.
9. OF Gavin Fien | 20 | A | 2031
Drafted 12th overall in 2025 as a shortstop, Fien has already become a full-time outfielder. It’s not a huge deal as long as he can keep hope alive that he’ll someday become an everyday center fielder. He’s a good athlete with a plus arm at 6’3” 200 pounds, so he’s certainly got a shot. The bat has been okay, though his 98 wRC+ in 76 Low-A games is perhaps not what Washington would’ve preferred after targeting him in the MacKenzie Gore trade.
10. OF Samil Serrano | 18 | DSL | 2032
This guy just obliterates fastballs like it’s a central tenet of his faith or something. Granted, you throw him anything with a wrinkle and it’s good night for Pedro. Oh wait, sorry, got my Serranos crossed up. This kid’s name isn’t even spelled the same as the MAJOR LEAGUE slugger’s. He does smash fastballs though, and at 6’3” and 173 pounds from the left side, he can probably be a little intimidating for the teenagers facing him in the Dominican Summer League. He signed with Washington for $1,969,000 this January and slashed .310/.430/.538 in with 28 strikeouts and 29 walks in 48 games, looking every bit the part of a quick list climber in the process.
Thanks for reading!
