Washington Nationals: Top 10 Rookie-Eligible Prospects for 2018

We have reached the point of the offseason where prospect lists abound. We continue our top 10 prospects for every team with the Washington Nationals!

Our team top 10 prospect lists at Call to the Pen are spearheaded by Benjamin Chase. Today, he gives us the top ten prospects for the Washington Nationals.

This season, we will be going through teams by division, in order of 2017 record. The AL East will be first, followed by the AL Central and AL West. Then the focus will shift to the National League in the same order.

The format will be as it was last season for the same lists, with a system review, which will include last season’s list. The top 10 will follow in reverse order, two players per page in order to give adequate space to each player. Major trades or international signings will lead to an updated top 10!

Finally, don’t go away after #1 is revealed as each list will also contain a player either signed in the 2017 international free agent class or drafted in 2017 that isn’t part of the top 10 and should be tracked. Last season’s mentions in that area made over half of the top 10s this season, so this is a great way to get to know a player who could be making a big splash in the organization.

System overview

Last year’s list

The Washington Nationals used their prospect capital last offseason to acquire pieces for the major league club, specifically Adam Eaton. They continued to do more of that in the season, making trades to put together a fairly solid bullpen for their playoff run.

That has left the system dry of the top-100 types of prospects, but that certainly does not mean the team is devoid of talent as the Nationals continue to work the Latin market well, arguably scouting middle infielders in Latin America better than any team in baseball.

With this being quite possibly the last season for the main core of their players, the Nationals could cash in more chips on this list to make a run in 2018, but Nationals fans should not fret as the team has shown the ability to replenish in a hurry and develop well.

Let’s take a look at that system….

Next: #9 and #10

10. Raudy Read, C

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 10/29/1993 (24)
2017 teams/levels played for: AA Harrisburg Senators, MLB Washington Nationals
2017 Stats: Minors: .265/.312/.455, 442 PA, 17 HR, 2 SB, 27/79 BB/K; Majors: .273/.273/.273, 11 PA

Info: Read has received consistent praise for his work ethic and been a guy the Nationals have been fairly protective of in any trade deals since signing him in 2011 out of the Dominican Republic. In 2017, some of those excellent progressions in tools and skills really jumped forward, and Read ended the season with a trip to the bigs in September.

(Read) has a rare blend of short swing and above-average power

Read has filled out into his frame, listed at 6′ and 170 pounds, but likely more like 200 pounds, but he maintains good athleticism and footwork behind the plate, and he has a fringe-plus arm as well. His defensive profile has always been about his ability to control the running game, but he’s made significant strides the last two seasons in his ability to keep his body in front of pitches.

Offensively, he has a rare blend of short swing and above-average power that should allow him to be able to hit for a decent average, though with his lack of speed, he doesn’t get any additional hits from beating anything out and very feasibly loses hits due to speed as much as anything.

However, Read’s ability to hit for power and play quality defense is something that is not a common occurrence, and it could mean the Nationals stick with Read behind the plate in 2019. He’ll likely play 2018 in AAA, but could find his way to the big league club if there are struggles behind the plate in DC.

9. Yasel Antuna, SS/3B

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 10/26/1999 (18)
2017 teams/levels played for: Gulf Coast League Nationals
2017 Stats: .301/.382/.399, 199 PA, 1 HR, 5 SB, 23/29 BB/K

Info: The Washington Nationals broke their organizational record for an international amateur when they signed Antuna to a $3.85 million bonus in July of 2016. He had the reputation for making quality, mature contact from both sides of the plate along with a glove to stay on the left side.

Antuna’s swing could certainly use some loft as he does have a very level, line-drive swing, but when he connects, he impacts the ball, so adding some angle to his swing could certainly generate some power. Antuna seems stronger from the left side, but doesn’t have notable difference in impact off the bat from either side, so his better power results from the left side very well could have something to do with seeing the ball better from that side.

The Nationals like Antuna’s physical projection, feeling he’s a likely move to third base long-term with an above-average arm and good quick reactions, but rough footwork for shortstop range and struggles throwing moving laterally.

Most likely, Antuna will open 2018 in full-season ball, but whether he spends some time in extended spring before heading there will be determined likely by whether the Nationals want him to move to third base and get some more reps at the position in complex before heading out to Hagerstown.

Next: #7 and #8

8. Wil Crowe, RHP

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 9/9/1994 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: Gulf Coast League Nationals, short-season A-ball Auburn Doubledays
2017 Stats: 9 GS, 24 1/3 IP, 2.96 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 4.2% BB, 17.7% K

Info: Crowe was dominant early in his collegiate career and entered the 2016 college season as one of the most intriguing arms to follow, but he ended up missing the entire 2016 season due to Tommy John surgery and chose to return to school, where he had flashes of brilliance for South Carolina before the Washington Nationals picked him in the 2nd round.

Crowe’s more than just a big arm, though he certainly does offer premium velocity, with a heavy fastball that runs up to 97 but typically works in the low-90s. He showed marked improvement in his draft season in his change over his freshman collegiate campaign, showing good arm deception, but still struggling with consistent movement on the pitch.

His offspeed pitches will be what determines how high Crowe can be in a rotation. Built strong and durable, he has shown a curve and slider that are at least average to above-average. His slider has flashed plus and the curve can certainly show better. If those pitches can tick up from average-ish to more like above-average to fringe-plus, he could bump his profile from a mid-rotation inning eater guy to a solid #2 starter.

The Washington Nationals have shown excellent ability with handling pitchers off of Tommy John, so it will be intriguing to see where they place Crow to open 2018, but it will most likely be an A-ball level with a chance to possibly finish the season in AA.

7. Daniel Johnson, OF

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 7/11/1995 (22)
2017 teams/levels played for: low-A Hagerstown Suns, high-A Potomac Nationals
2017 Stats: .298/.356/.505, 549 PA, 22 HR, 22 SB, 35/100 BB/K

Info: Even though he was coming out of college in the 2016 draft, Johnson was seen as a tool-heavy guy that could take some time to develop his tools into baseball-polished skills. The Washington Nationals pulled the trigger on Johnson in the 5th round.

Johnson has plus speed that he used to turn his hard contact into gaps into extra bases

Johnson didn’t do much in 2016 in his post-draft pro debut to dissuade those who thought he might take a few years to work through the low minors. However, he exploded onto the scene in 2017, and he very well could prove this ranking to be significantly low.

Johnson has fringe plus raw power that he was able to tap into much better this year, and part of tapping into that power was a more controlled approach in the box, which allowed him to have more consistent contact as well. Johnson has plus speed that he used to turn his hard contact into gaps into extra bases frequently as well.

There are still some things that Johnson needs to work on defensively to improve his consistency in the outfield, and he has a tendency to be over-aggressive at the plate, but Johnson has already shown a lot more than many thought he would this early, so if he heads to AA this season and needs two seasons at that level, he would still be worth that gamble for his immense raw talent to possibly all come to fruition.

Next: #5 and #6

6. Seth Romero, LHP

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 4/19/1996 (21)
2017 teams/levels played for: Gulf Coast League Nationals, short-season A-ball Auburn Doubledays
2017 Stats: 7 GS, 22 IP, 4.91 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 8.6% BB, 37.6% K

Info: All the talent in the world doesn’t require a major league career if you don’t earn it, and Romero seems to sadly be on the way to being the latest example of just that.

Arguably the best left-handed arm in the college class in the 2017 draft, Romero was first suspended and then kicked off of his college team in the spring (he’d been suspended in 2016 as well), which allowed him to slip to the Washington Nationals with the 25th overall pick.

Romero has a mid-90s fastball that he shows impressive ability to both manipulate and command. He compliments that with a ridiculous slider that draws a ton of swing-and-miss. He has some deception in his delivery, but he’s shown an ability to repeat that delivery.

While the ability to get feel for a changeup would determine his path as a starter or reliever, Romero needs to stay on the field first, and he’s already been sent home from spring by the Washington Nationals due to violation of team policies, so the maturity issues that plagued Romero have already surfaced before he even got in his first pro season.

5. Luis Garcia, SS

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 5/16/2000 (17)
2017 teams/levels played for: Gulf Coast League Nationals
2017 Stats: .302/.330/.387, 211 PA, 1 HR, 11 SB, 9/32 BB/K

Info: While he didn’t get their top bonus in 2016, it’s not any question that Garcia was the Latin American prospect that the Washington Nationals pursued the hardest and were willing to do whatever it took to bring into the fold (even if it meant losing other possible signees).

(Garcia has) elite range and arm strength, and his incredible hands can gobble up everything

Garcia has an easy left-handed swing that makes a ton of gap contact right now and should fill out well as he grows into his frame. On top of that, he was one of the best pure shortstops in the entire class.

While Garcia was one of the best shortstops in his class, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have things to learn on the field, as he’s got elite range and arm strength, and his incredible hands can gobble up everything, but often that means he gets to balls that he then should really hold onto or be more aware of game situation before firing the ball across the infield.

While he has tremendous bat control, at times Garcia can sacrifice quality of contact for simply putting bat to ball, using his plus-plus speed to get on base on weakly hit balls, and he will need to stay back and use his lower half better to truly impact the ball as he develops, but he should be able to be a guy who has double-digit home run potential along with plenty of doubles and triples.

The Washington Nationals will take things easy with Garcia, working him on the finer points of his game awareness in extended spring, and he could move from there to their short-season A-ball club or straight to a full-season team, depending on how ready the team feels Garcia is.

Next: #3 and #4

4. Erick Fedde, RHP

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 2/25/1993 (25)
2017 teams/levels played for: AA Harrisburg Senators, AAA Syracuse Chiefs, MLB Washington Nationals
2017 Stats: Minors: 29 G, 13 GS, 90 1/3 IP, 3.69 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 6.2% BB, 21.4% K; Majors: 3 GS, 15 1/3 IP, 9.39 ERA, 2.15 WHIP, 10.5% BB, 19.7% K

Info: Coming out of UNLV, Fedde had elbow issues, allowing him to fall to the Nationals at the back of the first round in 2014. He had surgery in his draft season, but the Nationals showed no worries.

Fedde has the frame and pitch mix to be a very good mid-rotation starter

Fedde’s arm has bounced back well, flashing 97 out of the bullpen, but sitting more in the low-90s in the rotation with heavy sink from his high arm slot and 6’4″ frame. He adds in a change that has shown plus for extended stretches in 2017 and a plus slider that is an excellent pitch at generating both swing and miss and ground balls. He will also use a fringe-average curve that works to get weak pop ups or ground outs, but can also be hit hard when it hangs.

Fedde has the frame and pitch mix to be a very good mid-rotation starter. However, his reliance in the low part of the zone requires precise command. He struggled with his command (though he showed his typical plus control). Fedde will pound the zone, so when he misses his spot within the zone, he can end up getting hit hard.

Fedde likely is going to AAA to continue starting, unless a spring injury opens a spot in the Washington rotation.

3. Carter Kieboom, SS

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 9/3/1997 (20)
2017 teams/levels played for: Gulf Coast League Nationals, short-season A-ball Auburn Doubledays, low-A Hagerstown Suns
2017 Stats: .297/.396/.493, 255 PA, 9 HR, 3 SB, 32/42 BB/K

Info: Kieboom has siblings already in the minor leagues, though he was certainly considered the best talent in the family when he was one of the best prep talents in Georgia in 2016. The Washington Nationals snagged Kieboom in the first round of that season’s draft.

Kieboom started the year on an absolute tear before he hurt his hamstring and ended up missing a bunch of time. When he did come back, he was obviously not 100%, but he still showed an advanced approach at the plate with plus pitch and zone recognition.

Along with that advanced approach, Kieboom has above average power with plus bat speed and above average contact ability. He could certainly turn into a guy who has an offensive profile somewhere between Michael Young and Chase Utley.

Defensively, Kieboom has advanced feel for the game that allows him to naturally position himself well to make up for average speed. He also has an average arm, but he seems to get himself in great throwing position to get good zip on the ball with each throw. That could be something that leads to a move to 2B eventually, but if he does slide there, he should be a very good defender at the position.

Either spot up the middle he plays defensively, his bat should be an asset. Kieboom should open 2018 in high-A, though the Nationals might open him at low-A because he got just 255 PA at that level.

Next: #1 and #2

2. Juan Soto, OF

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 10/25/1998 (19)
2017 teams/levels played for: Gulf Coast League Nationals, low-A Hagerstown Suns
2017 Stats: .351/.415/.505, 123 PA, 3 HR, 1 SB, 12/9 BB/K

Info: If Soto had not been essentially hurt all season in 2017, he could have possibly shown out with his incredible talent. Soto signed with the Washington Nationals in 2015 and simply dominated the Gulf Coast League in his debut in 2016.

Soto has very good zone and pitch recognition at the plate, and he has a lightning-quick swing that allows him to put good wood on balls throughout the zone, even when he’s initially fooled on the pitch. His quick bat and developing frame portends future power, though he’s more contact than power currently in game. Some scouts project plus power and plus contact coming from Soto’s sweet lefty swing.

Defensively, Soto is not a lost cause in the outfield, but he’s certainly not elite defensively due to average speed and below-average arm. That means his bat will have to be his feature skill, but as good as that bat is, it very well could be good enough to have Soto be incredibly elite. He should be at an A-ball level to open the year, but what level will be determined by his spring.

1. Victor Robles, OF

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 5/19/1997 (20)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Potomac Nationals, AA Harrisburg Senators, MLB Washington Nationals
2017 Stats: Minors: .300/.382/.493, 496 PA, 10 HR, 27 SB, 37/84 BB/K; Majors, .250/.308/.458, 27 PA, 0/6 BB/K

Info: Robles has been exploding through the minor leagues since signing with the Washington Nationals out of the Dominican Republic in 2013 for “just” $225,000. His advanced approach at the plate has significantly impacted this meteoric rise up he Nationals system.

Where Robles is best and should really excite Washington Nationals fans is on defense

While the BB/K ratios may not shine, it’s primarily due to Robles’ aggressive approach at the plate, but it is notable that he did not strike out in even 17% of plate appearances in 2017 in the minors, and combined between both levels, he had a strikeout rate of just barely over 17%, certainly not a rough K rate by today’s standards.

Robles may not ever be a guy to hit 30 home runs, but he makes excellent contact with his line-drive swing, pounding the gaps and then using his plus-plus speed to leg out plenty of extra base hits. He’s shown a knack for taking an extra base on the bases, though his stealing still needs polish.

Where Robles is best and should really excite Washington Nationals fans is on defense, where he is a plus to plus-plus center fielder, with a plus arm. He uses his speed to overcome any misreads off the bat, but he has not rested on his laurels, instead working hard to improve his defensive abilities beyond the plus defender that he’s already regarded.

While the Nationals don’t have a space in their 2018 outfield, barring injury, Robles likely will be looked to to ease the loss of Bryce Harper in the 2019 Washington Nationals outfield.

Next: Newcomers to watch