Yesterday, Fangraphs released their top 100 prospect rankings. It is always interesting to see their rankings because they are not afraid to go against the grain. Eric Longenhagen always does a great job over there. At least when it came to Nats prospects, there were not any massive surprises. Eli Willits was ranked as the 15th prospect, Jarlin Susana was 29th, Harry Ford was 74th and Travis Sykora was one of the next 10 at 109th.
I wanted to dive into
his rankings and talk a bit about his writeups as well. Before I get started though, I wanted to mention that Longenhagen’s praise of number one prospect Konnor Griffin was unlike anything I have ever seen from him before. He said that Paul Skenes could be the Pirates second best player before too long and Griffin could leave a legacy like Mean Joe Greene in Pittsburgh if he sticks around. High praise from a publication that is usually on the conservative side when ranking prospects.
Back to the Nats, Eli Willits was unsurprisingly the team’s top prospect according to Fangraphs. He was the number one overall pick in the 2025 draft and had a very impressive pro debut as a 17 year old.
Longenhagen gave Willits 60 grades for his hit tool, his defense and his running. That is a very strong foundation to build on. Despite Willits not hitting for power in his pro debut, Fangraphs still projects him to have fringe average power. Longenhagen said it is easy to project that Willits will add strength to his frame. Based on the photos we have seen this spring, it looks like he has already done that.
However, Longenhagen also does not want Willits to get too big because his fluidity is a big part of his game. Interestingly, he said that Willits’ swing reminds him of Colt Emerson’s coming out of the draft. Now, Emerson is Fangraphs 11th ranked prospect and is the shortstop of the future for the Mariners. Willits is the highest ranked player from the 2025 class, and 32 spots ahead of Ethan Holliday.
Fangraphs and Longenhagen have been high on Jarlin Susana for years now. With that in mind, it is not surprising to see him rank 29th on their list. Logenhagen just can’t quit Susana’s off the charts stuff. Even with control questions and an injury that will keep him out until midseason, Susana is still in the top 30.
He has always gushed about Susana’s slider. In this write-up, he called it one of the nastiest pitches on the planet. Longenhagen compared it to Brad Lidge’s slider, only Susana’s is harder. He gave the pitch an 80 grade. Here is a look at that slider in action against a stacked Double-A Erie lineup.
While Fangraphs views the slider as Susana’s best pitch, let’s not forget that this guy sits at 100 MPH. He can even touch 104 MPH on the heater. Before Susana got hurt last year, the command was showing signs of improvement. If that is even average, Susana can be an ace.
As long as he is healthy, the worst case for Susana seems to be him becoming a lights out bullpen arm. The fastball-slider combination is reminiscent of Mason Miller. I would love for Susana to be a starter, but a dominant closer is not a bad contingency plan.
Harry Ford is the only prospect the Nats acquired this offseason in Fangraphs top 100, and he ranks 75th. The Nats picked him up from the Mariners in exchange for Jose A. Ferrer. Ford has been known for a long time, but was blocked in Seattle due to Cal Raleigh.
Longenhagen gave all five of Ford’s tools an average grade. However, he noted that Ford’s excellent plate discipline could allow his average power and hitting ability to play up. Some scouts are low on Ford’s defense, but Fangraphs projects it to become average.
They noted that Ford has slowly but steadily improved his defensive game over the years. His framing went from bad to mediocre. He has also gotten better controlling the running game over the years. Ford’s athletic ability has always made him very good at things like popping out of his stance for dribblers and other quick reaction plays. He also totally eliminated his passed ball problem.
Overall, Fangraphs views Ford as a solid prospect, but not an elite one. They think he is a very smart pickup for the Nats and has a good shot of being a quality starting catcher. However, the lack of a clear above average tool does worry them a bit.
While Travis Sykora is not in the top 100, Fangraphs did rank an additional 10 prospects and had him at 109th. If not for the Tommy John Surgery that will cost him this season, Sykora would have likely been a top 50 prospect. He is already on the road to recovery though and has started doing some light throwing this spring.
Longenhagen’s assessment of Sykora was pretty glowing. He mentioned that Sykora’s velocity was up from 2024 to 2025. That was probably due to him feeling better after his hip surgery in the 2024 offseason. He was averaging 96 MPH on his heater and could run it up to triple digits.
Fangraphs sees Sykora as a complete pitcher, not just a flamethrower. They project his slider and splitter to be plus pitches. Also, they gave his command an above average projection. Sykora’s funky release traits, feel for pitching and raw power just overwhelmed lower level hitters.
Longenhagen also described Sykora as an articulate kid who wants to know the ‘why’ not just the what. That mental game could help Sykora reach that top of the rotation upside once he gets back on the mound.
Based on the writeup, Sykora seems like a prospect you can fast-track once he gets back from injury, assuming the health checks out. He already has a coherent arsenal, top tier velocity and a feel for pitching. At the end, he noted this injury could be a blessing in disguise for the Nats because Sykora’s service time window will now line up perfectly with the Nats new contention window.
Gavin Fien did not make the list, which was not overly surprising to me. Longenhagen really values swing mechanics, and Fien does not have the cleanest looking swing. However, if Fien performs to start the year, he will force his way on to the list.
The Nats are a farm system on the rise, and I think Fangraphs is starting to realize that. Right now the Nats may only have three players in the top 100. However, I think there could be double the number next year.
