One of my favorite places to go for prospect content is Baseball America, and I would highly recommend subscribing. This morning BA dropped an updated top 100 list that featured two new Nats. Those two new players
are Ronny Cruz and Seaver King, who rank 96th and 99th on the list.
Cruz and King are two of the biggest breakout prospects in the organization, but they are breaking out in different ways. King was a top 10 pick in the 2024 draft, but lost a lot of his luster after a disastrous first pro season. He turned things around in the Arizona Fall League, and has carried that into the new season. For Cruz, he is a 19 year old who is bursting on to the scene with his crazy athleticism and big time power.
Those two join Eli Willits and Jarlin Susana as the four Nats prospects in the top 100. Willits is ranked the highest at 24th, while the injured Susana ranks 59th. The new guys are in the 90’s right now, but are on a major upward trajectory. I think another infield prospect in Devin Fitz-Gerald could be joining these guys soon as well.
To begin the season, the Nats had 3 BA top 100 guys, with the two holdovers mentioned above and Harry Ford. After a miserable start to the season, Ford has dropped off of the top 100, but the Nats still have more top 100 guys than they had at the start of the season. They also have several other guys on the fringes as well. Fitz-Gerald is likely the closest, but Miguel Sime Jr., Gavin Fien and Ethan Petry could play their way on the list.
I want to discuss the two new guys though. First, let’s go over Seaver King. After being a surprising pick at 10th overall, King had a brutal first season in pro ball. His OPS was just .631 and he was chasing way too much. The athletic tools were still there, but the bat looked so far away.
However, after getting advice from Tigers star Kevin McGonigle at the Arizona Fall League, something clicked for King. He has looked like a different player this year in AA. The former first rounder is hitting .304 with a .952 OPS to start the year. After walking 23 times in 80 AA games last year, he already has 18 walks in 26 games this year.
This newly refined approach is allowing King to make the most of his tools. He is back on track and looks like someone who can be a spark plug towards the top of a lineup. King has reached base in all 26 of the games he has played this season and looks poised for a promotion to AAA before too long.
Defensively, King should play up the middle somewhere, but it is still unclear if that will be shortstop. One of the reasons King is still down in AA is to work on his defense. However, he has the athleticism to play up the middle somewhere, whether that is shortstop, second base or even center field.
While King’s turnaround has been impressive, Ronny Cruz’s breakout may be even more exciting. The Nats got Cruz in a deal that sent Michael Soroka to the Cubs. Cruz had not played above rookie ball at the time of the trade, but the Nats may have hit the jackpot here.
Cruz has insanely loud tools and has been incredibly productive to start this season. In 26 games between Low-A and High-A, Cruz is hitting .343 with a 1.070 OPS. He has 6 homers and 18 steals in that time as well. That power/speed combination is what makes him such an exciting prospect.
For a slender guy, Cruz has unbelievable power and bat speed. His swing looks a bit like Junior Caminero’s where he goes into a coil before exploding with tremendous bat speed. At just 19 years old, Cruz has power to all fields.
As a younger, more raw prospect, Cruz’s profile is more volatile. There are some flaws he will need to patch up as he rises through the ranks. His contact rates are a bit lower than you would like to see and his chase rates are on the higher end. However, he is a freakishly athletic 19 year old that is dripping with tools and is producing.
Eventually, Cruz will need to add some polish to his game. With the way his trajectory is going though, I am bullish on him making further improvements. He is so much better than he was last year and is still so young. As he rises through the minor leagues, Cruz will learn what he can and cannot get away with.
Reports indicate that this is a kid with a high baseball IQ, so I have faith that the adjustments will come when they are needed. Cruz will likely always be a fairly aggressive hitter, but with his tools, he can make that work. We saw Javier Baez be one of the most electric players in the league while chasing and whiffing a ton.
Cruz is not likely to be that extreme, but that is the sort of player we could be looking at if he hits. The power, speed and defense are all very good. He can play all over the infield and hit for a ton of power. If he keeps producing, he will keep climbing this list.
There is more upward mobility in the Nats system right now than there has been at any time in recent memory. King and Cruz are just a couple of the breakout prospects in this system. The Nats may have four top 100 prospects right now, but that number could double by the end of the year. It is a very exciting time to be following the Washington Nationals farm system.
