For years, Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has been unable to build a deep farm system. Over the years, the Nationals have had plenty of stars at the top of their system, from Bryce Harper to Juan Soto, and now James Wood. However, the system has long been top-heavy, with a massive drop-off after the first couple of names. Even after receiving all the assets from the Juan Soto trade, the depth of the system lagged behind. Things are finally starting to shift for the Nationals after some solid drafting and improvements in their player development. There’s a long way to go before they are churning out players like the Tampa Bay Rays, but there is reason for optimism.
Nationals Building Deep Farm System
Building Through the Draft
Even Mike Rizzo’s biggest supporters will acknowledge that his drafting track record is spotty at best. Since 2014, only the San Francisco Giants have gotten less bWAR from their first-round picks than the Nationals. This is inexcusable no matter how you slice it. However, Rizzo has realized a change in approach was needed and has taken a more hands-off approach to the draft over the past few years. This offseason has brought even more change, with the hires of Danny Haas and Brad Ciolek. Haas was a senior scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks, whose productive homegrown talent delivered them a National League pennant. Ciolek, who was the director of draft operations for the Baltimore Orioles, is an intriguing hire. The Orioles have built one of the best teams in baseball through drafting and developing, something Ciolek has played a part in.
The 2024 draft showed the new philosophy. The Nationals went underslot on Wake Forest shortstop Seaver King, passing up on sexier names. Based on the draft rankings, King was a reach, but the reason they went underslot was to get better players later in the draft. Athletic catcher Caleb Lomavita and infielder Luke Dickerson were seen as borderline first-round talents and were paid accordingly. Dickerson received the largest signing bonus of any second-round pick in draft history at $3.8 million. He is a toolsy player who has star upside but is a long way away from the big leagues. Catcher Kevin Bazzell and pitcher Jackson Kent are other guys who should slide into the Nationals’ top 30. It was a quantity-over-quality approach, but it did bring depth to the system.
the KING is crowned
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 19, 2024
Trading for Prospects
Rizzo has a long track record of trading for prospects who become big-league contributors. From trading Matt Capps for Wilson Ramos, to the Trea Turner trade, to the Soto trade, Rizzo has gotten good value. The crown jewel of the Nationals system, James Wood came in the Soto trade and looks like a potential superstar. Pitcher Jarlin Susana has finally turned a corner in the past two months, after a bumpy start to the season. Robert Hassell has stalled out in development, but with Wood, Abrams, Gore, and Susana, the Nationals could have four impact players from the Soto trade.
There has been no blockbuster like the Soto trade at the past two deadlines, but Rizzo has found some intriguing pieces. The Jeimer Candelario trade has already paid dividends with the emergence of DJ Herz. Herz has shown big-time flashes in his first taste of MLB action, with multiple 10-plus strikeout, 0 walk performances.
The Lane Thomas trade also gave the Nationals some intriguing depth. The headliner in that deal was 19-year-old left-hander Alex Clemmey, who has massive upside but major control issues. Clemmey already sits at 95 MPH and has a nasty breaking ball to go with it. After a disastrous April that inflated his ERA, he has turned his first professional season around. In his last 11 starts, Clemmey has a 2.29 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings. Infielders Jose Tena and Rafael Ramirez are also interesting pieces, with Tena a close-to-MLB utility infielder and Ramirez an athletic shortstop.
The Hunter Harvey trade also netted quality assets. The Royals traded the 39th pick to the Nationals, which they used to take Lomavita. Lomavita is an athletic catcher with power and hitting ability, but needs to work on his plate discipline. They also received Cayden Wallace, a well-rounded third baseman who should be a big-league contributor at some point.
Waves of Prospects
These names give the Nationals farm system more depth than it has seen in recent memory. The Nationals 2023 draft picks, Dylan Crews, Yohandy Morales, and Travis Sykora give the system even more punch. Crews is almost big-league-ready, and Sykora has been stellar in Low-A Fredericksburg. The Nationals have a stable of roughly 15 prospects with big-time upside, something that has not been the case in the past. With the Nationals rebuild hopefully ending soon, these players can either be future contributors, or trade bait once Mike Rizzo decides to push his chips in.
Photo Credit: © Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports
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