Washington Nationals Minor Leagues: Four Nats Make MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospect List
By Ricky Keeler
Last night, four Washington Nationals players were named on MLB Pipeline’s preseason top 100 prospect lists
On MLB Network last night, MLB Pipeline had its top 50 prospects special while revealing their full list of the top 100 prospects. Out of those 100 players, four of them were Washington Nationals. Those four players were right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde (#78), outfielder Victor Robles (#63), shortstop Trea Turner (#11), and right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito (#3).
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Giolito was named as the top right-handed pitching prospect in the game and ended up being the top pitcher with left-handed pitcher Julio Urias from the Dodgers coming in at number four on the list. The only two prospects that finished ahead of Giolito were Twins’ outfielder Byron Buxton and Dodgers’ shortstop Corey Seager.
Last season, Giolito went 7-7 with a 3.15 ERA in 21 combined games for low-A Potomac and double-A Harrisburg. This spring, the 21-year-old will be in Major League Camp as the Nats made him one of their non-roster invitees. He moved up five spots from last year’s top 50 list.
As for Turner, he didn’t join the Nationals until June last season because he couldn’t be officially traded till Washington from San Diego since he was the Padres’ first round pick in June 2014, but he ended his 2015 season with the Major League club. After 10 games with Harrisburg and 48 games with triple-A Syracuse, the 22-year-old hit .225 in 27 games with the Nats. Even though Turner will likely be in triple-A to begin the 2016 season, his speed should play a factor for the Nationals at some point this year.
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As for the final two Nats prospects that made the list, both Robles and Fedde are on the top 100 list for the first time. Robles, who is only 18 years old, hit .352 in 61 games in the Gulf Coast League and short-season Auburn with four home runs, 27 RBI’s, a .445 on-base percentage, and 24 stolen bases in 29 attempts.
In Fedde’s first season of professional baseball after undergoing Tommy John surgery, the 22-year-old went 5-3 with a 3.38 ERA in 14 starts with Auburn and low-A Hagerstown. He held opponents to a .247 batting average and only had one start in which he gave up more than three earned runs.
While Giolito and Turner are the prospects with the best chance to crack the Major Leagues in 2016, all four of these prospects have shown good things at the minor league level. Plus, Giolito and Fedde have each had Tommy John surgery, but continue to make positive steps in their professional careers. It will be interesting to see what these four prospects do during this upcoming minor league season.