Washington Nationals: The organization’s best prospect at each position

With several prospect lists coming out ahead of the new season, we look at the best prospect at each position in the Washington Nationals organization.

Major outlets around America are currently releasing all manner of prospect lists ahead of the 2019 season. So in the spirit of looking at the minor leagues, we look at the top Washington Nationals prospect at each position.

The Nats have a fairly middle of the road system, however, it’s pretty top heavy with three highly ranked prospects and not too much after that. Victor Robles, Carter Kieboom and Luis Garcia are ranked in pretty much every top 100 list going at this point and could be the future of the Nationals.

Robles is a player that we all expect to firmly take his chance and claim the Opening Day centerfield job heading into 2019. Kieboom could also make his big league debut this year as he rapidly rises through the system and may be able to force the issue over the summer.

Last season, no Nationals fan needs reminding of the rapid rise of Juan Soto, proving that the organization can still develop top-end talent when it needs to. Soto wasn’t supposed to be this good this soon, but he was up to the task and is now a budding superstar.

So in this piece, we’re going to give you an overview of the Nationals prospect depth at each position on the diamond. We’ll give you the best prospect at each spot and then give you three other names to watch at that position in the system.

First up, is a position that’s previously been a long-term problem in the Nats farm system. Catcher.

Catcher – Israel Pineda

Next up: Raudy Read, Tres Barrera, Tyler Cropley

The Washington Nationals have had a few solid but not spectacular catching prospects come through the ranks in recent seasons. But now, Israel Pineda is likely the team’s best catching prospect since they acquired Wilson Ramos from the Minnesota Twins back in 2010.

After a brief but impressive pro debut in the Gulf Coast League in 2017, Pineda spent 2018 with the Auburn Doubledays in short-season A-ball. With the Doubledays, he posted a solid .273/.341/.388 slash line while impressing defensively with a strong arm behind the plate, earning him New York-Penn League All-Star honors.

Unfortunately, his season was cut a bit short by a broken left hamate bone which forced him to miss the last few games of the year. it will be interesting to see if the team eases him back in to start next season given his growing stature within the organization.

Pineda could realistically start the season with the Single-A Hagerstown Suns as the Nats may want to let him loose in full-season ball as the next step in his development. He has a chance to keep ascending prospect rankings and could conceivably be a top five prospect in the organization this time next year.

Behind Pineda, it’s a mixed bag with Raudy Read as a bat-first catcher, the glove-first Tres Barrera coming off of an All-Star season in Potomac and the recently drafted Tyler Cropley. The catcher position has long been a problem area in the minors for the Nationals, but they at least seem to be developing prospects in that area now, with Israel Pineda the shining light.

First Base – KJ Harrison

Next up: Jose Marmolejos, Blake Chisholm, Andry Arias

The Washington Nationals major league first base situation seems to be under control for a couple more seasons at least with Ryan Zimmerman and Matt Adams. But after that, their minor league depth there is thin, with newly acquired KJ Harrison potentially the best of the bunch.

Harrison came over to the Nationals in the trade that saw Gio Gonzalez head to the Milwaukee Brewers last August. Although he was drafted out of Oregon State as a catcher, he doesn’t appear to have a future there and has been slowly shifting to a full-time first baseman.

In his pro debut in 2017, Harrison slashed an impressive .308/.388/.546 to go with 10 home runs in just 48 games with the Helena Brewers. However, he slowed down a little in 2018 slashing just .228/.298/.384 in Single-A with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers before he was traded.

But despite the down season, Harrison’s bat should bounce back and be a good fit at first base in the future. The raw power is there as he profiles to be a guy who can hit at least 30 homers a year, but he has to cut down on the strikeouts that plagued him in his first full season.

Although this is the first list like this we’ve done here at District on Deck, had we done it in previous years, this would basically have been the Jose Marmolejos spot at first base. Blake Chisholm and Andry Arias are both still in rookie ball but have flashed some impressive talent at a young age.

Second Base – Carter Kieboom

Next Up: Cole Freeman, Carson Shaddy, Viandel Pena

Even though Carter Kieboom has almost exclusively played shortstop in the minor leagues to this point, it’s pretty clear second base is his path to the major leagues. The Washington Nationals are expecting him to be close to major league ready this year.

Kieboom firmly placed himself among some of the game’s top prospects with an impressive 2018 season that saw him slash .280/.357/.444 with 16 home runs and 69 RBI. He was an All-Star with the P-Nats, played in the Futures Game at Nats Park and even went down the Arizona Fall League. Oh, and he was named the Nats minor league player of the year. Not bad.

The young infielder has impressed at every level he’s been at, and it’s just a matter of time until he forces the Nationals’ hand to call him up. However, he now needs to learn a new position to get there with Trea Turner entrenched as the team’s shortstop.

Thankfully, the Nats don’t need to rush Kieboom after the signing of Brian Dozier to a one-year, $9 million deal to keep the keystone warm for him. Even with Dozier around, we should still see Kieboom this season, perhaps as a September call-up, and he could help form quite an exciting double-play combination with Turner for many years to come.

The organization’s second base pool is extremely thin, with recent draftees including both Cole Freeman and Carson Shaddy who are solid at everything, without being outstanding in any area of their game. Viandel Pena is a recent signee who participated in the DSL last year with solid results but is a long way away from popping up on the prospect radar.

Shortstop – Luis Garcia

Next up: Yasel Antuna, Jose Sanchez, Osvaldo Abreu

With Carter Kieboom being classified as a second baseman in this list, we get to put promising young infielder Luis Garcia here at shortstop. The Washington Nationals are very excited by the 18-year-old’s development so far, and he should continue that in 2019.

All Garcia has done in pro ball is hit, and hit at a high level. He’s currently got a career .299 batting average and .735 OPS and has shown an ability to steal some bases with 23 so far in his pro career. However, he appears to just be scratching the surface.

He has a very similar swing to current Nats shortstop Trea Turner and should start hitting the ball harder as he fills out his 6-foot frame. And while he doesn’t have Turner’s speed, which is hard enough for anybody, he should be able to consistently swipe 20-30 bases a season once he refines this area of his game a bit more.

As he quickly rises in stature in the organization, it’s easy to forget that he’s just 18 years old and is probablyat least two years away from having an impact at the major league level. But when he does get there, Garcia profiles as a potential leadoff hitter who peppers balls to all fields while stealing plenty of bags and playing above average defense.

Yasel Antuna was another international signee back in 2016 and had an impressive year in 2017 before taking a step back in 2018. Jose Sanchez was also in that 2016 international class and is a bit more defensively oriented player than the others. Meanwhile, Osvaldo Abreu used to be really highly regarded by the Nationals but has fallen off the radar somewhat with a few poor seasons.

Left Field – Telmito Agustin

Next up: Chuck Taylor, Yadiel Hernandez, Austin Davidson

While the Washington Nationals are strong in the corner outfield spots in the major leagues, that’s not necessarily the case in the minors. That could change if some of the centerfielders move to the corners, but until then Telmito Agustin might be the best corner outfielder in the system.

Agustin flashed some solid potential in 2018, posting a .302/.368/.454 slash line and five home runs with the Potomac Nationals. While it looks as though he has a bit more raw power he can tap into with his frame, he rolls over a lot of balls and keeps it on the ground more than he should.

If he can tap into a bit more of that power moving forward, then it’s possible Agustin could become similar to the recently traded Daniel Johnson. Johnson won the organization’s minor league player of the year back in 2017, and Agustin has the same ceiling if he can figure it all out.

Agustin was eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this offseason, but the Nationals decided to leave him unprotected. Thankfully, no rival team claimed him, likely because he’s still a fair way off the majors, which should give him a chance to build on his positive 2018 season.

The rest of the left field depth is mostly fringey prospects. On-base machine Chuck Taylor is a recent Triple-A Rule 5 draft selection from the Seattle Mariners but doesn’t have much power to go with it. Yadiel Hernandez came over from Cuba as a 30-year-old but has flashed nice tools, and Austin Davidson is a versatile late bloomer who made it to Double-A last season.

Center Field – Victor Robles

Next up: Gage Canning, Rafael Bautista, Armond Upshaw

The clear-cut best prospect in the system is still Victor Robles, and he’s now finally expected to get a shot in the big league full-time. Washington Nationals fans have been excited for this moment for a while, and he shouldn’t disappoint.

Robles likely would have already graduated this list if it weren’t for a hyperextended elbow that he suffered early on last season. Thankfully, the outfielder was able to make it back before the end of the season and got a cup of coffee with the major league team to flash his potential to the Nats fans.

In his 21 big league games in 2018, Robles slashed an impressive .288/.348/.525 with three home runs, 10 RBI and three stolen bases. He also displayed good defense in centerfield, though it was clear there was still some refinement needed in that area of his game, with some inefficient routes at times.

Some will remember that the young Dominican was actually ranked above Juan Soto in practically all outlets before last season, with good reason. Robles has the potential to be a five-tool stud with a possible MVP-level ceiling if everything goes right for him. He’s already the NL Rookie of the Year favorite and could be a star for years to come in the bigs.

Elsewhere in the minors, Gage Canning got his pro career off to a nice start with a bit more power than expected last year. The Nats also have a pair of somewhat forgotten speedsters in Rafael Bautista and Armond Upshaw who both profile as no-power all-speed prospects.

Right Field – Rhett Wiseman

Next up: Jacob Rhinesmith, Nick Banks, Jorge Hurtado

A little like left field, right field is also quite thin in terms of prospect depth, though again, that could improve if centerfielders move to the corners. Perhaps the best of the group is Rhett Wiseman who has displayed a good power stroke while in the Washington Nationals system.

The Vanderbilt product is coming off a solid season in High-A for the Potomac Nationals in which he hit .253 while slugging 21 home runs. Wiseman was also named to the post-season Carolina League All-Star Team, finishing third in the league in homers and slugging percentage.

After two seasons with the P-Nats, he could finally be set to make the jump to Double-A with the Harrisburg Senators to test himself at the next level. However, he’ll still need to find a way to control the strikeout issues that continue to plague him so far in his pro career.

Last year, he had 122 strikeouts in 106 games and ends up chasing pitches outside the zone far too often. If he can gain a bit more plate discipline, which he started to do a little in 2018 as evidenced by his career-high 63 walks, he could become a solid power bench bat in the majors.

In terms of other rightfielders, though he was only an 18th round pick just last year, Jacob Rhinesmith got off to a nice start with the Auburn Doubledays. Nick Banks shared some time with Wiseman last year in Potomac showcasing a nice all-around game. Finally, Jorge Hurtado had a nice season with the DSL Nationals that included a remarkable seven triples in just 54 games.

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Starting Pitcher – Mason Denaburg

Next up: Wil Crowe, Seth Romero, Jake Irvin

Somewhat infamously, the Washington Nationals have generally struggled to develop quality starting pitching within their own system in recent years. They haven’t had a top 100 pitching prospect since Erick Fedde, but Mason Denaburg could easily change that this season.

Perhaps the only reason their most recent first-round pick isn’t in there already is that he’s only had two instructional league outings since signing with the Nats. After suffering from a bit of bicep tendinitis, it was wise for them to take it easy with their young new pitcher.

In high school, Denaburg spent time behind the plate and in the outfield, but now with the Nats, he has a chance to hone his craft on the mound. He has an electric fastball that sits in the mid-90s with a power curveball that’s his main out-pitch and a changeup that should be a good third offering.

Expect the right-hander to open the season either in the Gulf Coast League, or potentially short-season if they feel he’s up to it. But with his raw ability on the mound, Mason Denaburg could easily move up the system once he gets his feet under him in pro ball, with a 2021 or 2022 ETA not out of the realms of possibility.

While he has a lower ceiling, Wil Crowe has the safest floor of anyone in the system and should make a fine back-end starter at the major league level. Jake Irvin has a similar profile, but a year behind after being drafted in 2018, followed by Seth Romero who will sit out in 2019 after TJ Surgery.

Relief Pitcher – James Bourque

Next up: Austen Williams, Tanner Rainey, Taylor Guilbeau

Just like their starting pitching, the Washington Nationals have definitely improved their relief pitching development recently. Although James Bourque has only one season of experience as a reliever, he’s flashed tantalizing upside and could make his major league debut this year.

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The right-hander initially struggled as a starter in his career, as he continued to struggle with command and had an ERA above 5.00 in 2016 and 2017. But last year, Bourque posted a sparkling 1.70 ERA in 41 games with 76 strikeouts in just 53 innings between High-A and Double-A.

He has a fastball that has risen to the upper 90s as a reliever and is now a dominant pitch that he pairs with a big breaking curveball. Bourque also told Lacy Lusk of Baseball America that he plans to bring back his changeup in 2019 that could make for another average pitch should he need it.

Overall, as a reliever, Bourque profiles as a high-leverage pitcher with potentially electric stuff if he can continue to showcase the filthy arsenal he did last year. With the Nats current so-so bullpen at the major league level, they won’t be scared to promote the righty if

Elsewhere, Austen Williams and Taylor Guilbeau have followed similar paths to Bourque as converted starters and turned their careers around. Tanner Rainey probably has the best arsenal in the entire organization among relievers with the ability to touch triple digits, but his control is a huge issue which will need to be corrected before he can be trusted late in games.

The Washington Nationals farm system isn’t as strong as it used to be, but there is certainly talent across the diamond at each position. Now the organization needs to make sure that it can keep its players on the right track in 2019 and we could see the farm system flourish.