The Nationals minor league rosters are here. We now know where all of the Nats prospects will start the season. Every level has intriguing names, but the Fredericksburg Nationals and Rochester Red Wings look like must watch teams. With a new player development focused regime in place, it will be very interesting to watch the Nats minor league teams this season.
The Fred Nats are the team I am most excited about, so let’s start with them. They have some of the best collection of 18-20 year old talent
you will see in the minor leagues. Eight of the Nats top 30 prospects will start the season in Low-A, including four of the top 10. The star of the show is number one overall pick Eli Willits, but there is so much more than just him.
This team is stacked across the board. Gavin Fien, who was the headlining piece of the MacKenzie Gore trade, will also start his season in Low-A. Interestingly, Fien was listed as an infielder/outfielder. Most evaluators thought Fien would be a third baseman in pro ball, but the Nats seem like they will give him reps in the outfield.
Another infield prospect who will be getting time in the outfield is Luke Dickerson. The Nats second rounder from 2024 is repeating Low-A after a lackluster first season. However, he has the tools to be a breakout candidate. One guy on this team who has gotten a lot of buzz this spring is Ronny Cruz, who came over in the Michael Soroka deal. He played last season in rookie ball, but was really impressive in my viewings of him and always seems to be on the tip of Paul Toboni’s tongue.
On the pitching side, we saw some aggressive assignments. I figured Landon Harmon and certainly Miguel Sime Jr. would start their seasons in rookie ball. However, they are both with the Fred Nats. That shows the Nats front offices’ belief in these two teenaged arms. Both have massive upside.
Moving on to High-A Wilmington, the Blue Rocks are not as stacked but have some interesting names. They should also be seeing some of the players who are on the Fred Nats right now at some point this season. To start the year, they have a couple solid names though.
Two guys who stick out are Devin Fitz-Gerald and Angel Feliz. Fitz-Gerald has only played 10 games in Low-A and Feliz has only played 31. However, with the amount of infield talent the Nats have at the lower levels, some of those guys had to go to High-A. Picking those guys shows confidence in their skills, as well as their ability to handle adversity.
Ethan Petry is another intriguing name to watch. He has big power upside but will have to keep his swing and miss in check. Former top prospects who have lost their shine, such as Elijah Green and Cristhian Vaquero are also here. Wilmington is a bit light on the pitching side, with Yoel Tejada being the best arm there.
Moving up to Double-A Harrisburg, the Senators roster is filled with a mix of journeymen, bounce back candidates and some top prospects. Seaver King is one guy I will be watching very closely. He has performed in the AFL and in Spring Training, but he needs to do it in the real games.
An under the radar name in Harrisburg is Sam Petersen. He has not been very durable in his pro career, but whenever he has been on the field, he has raked. Caleb Lomavita is another guy who is trying to regain some momentum.
On the pitching side, it is a weird and interesting mix. The top prospect here is Alex Clemmey. Despite being around for what seems like a long time, he is still just 20 years old. That means he is ahead of schedule being in Double-A. I am interested to see how his game evolves this year. Davian Garcia and Eriq Swan are two more arms to watch. Shinnosuke Ogasawara is also down here.
We have already talked a bit about the Rochester Red Wings, but I am going to talk about them some more. It is such a fascinating roster filled with prospects and guys who used to be top prospects. Of course, the biggest name down here is Dylan Crews, who is trying to get his career back on track.
However, Crews is far from the only guy at this level. Harry Ford, Robert Hassell, Abimelec Ortiz and Christian Franklin are a few more big name bats in AAA. All of these guys are hungry to establish or re-establish themselves as big leaguers. Most should get an opportunity at some point this season, but they will have to earn it.
It is not just bats though. There are a number of really intriguing arms. Mitchell Parker was a mainstay in DC the last two years, but he is a Rochester Red Wing now. Luis Perales and Riley Cornelio are two fun prospects in the Red Wings rotation. Andrew Alvarez proved himself last September, but he is back in Rochester.
There are also a number of relievers with MLB experience. We will see a lot of current Red Wings in Nats uniforms this year. This is the most exciting AAA team I think the Nats have ever had.
There is a lot of depth throughout the organization now. That is so exciting and it is a new phenomenon. The biggest names are in Low-A and Triple-A, but every level has guys who fans should be interested in seeing. If you are a Nats fan into minor league baseball, you should have a blast this year.
