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

By Blake Finney

WEST PALM BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 28: The Washington Nationals logo on one of the practice fields at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches prior to a spring training game against the Houston Astros on February 28, 2017 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 28: The Washington Nationals logo on one of the practice fields at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches prior to a spring training game against the Houston Astros on February 28, 2017 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /
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Washington Nationals Drew Ward
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Third Base – Drew Ward

Next up: Jake Noll, Jacob Wilson, Gilbert Lara

Rounding out the infield on our list is a Washington Nationals prospect who feels like he’s been around forever in Drew Ward. Drafted in the third round back in 2013, it’s taken him a while to move up the minors, but he might finally be close to the majors.

At one point, Ward was viewed as a potential successor to Ryan Zimmerman at third base, with Anthony Rendon filling in at second. But now Rendon may have third locked up if he can be extended and Ward’s ceiling isn’t quite as high as initially thought.

Ward made his first appearance at Triple-A last season despite a sluggish start in Double-A slashing just .221/.343/.389 at the time of his promotion. But he had a rough go of things with the Syracuse Chiefs, hitting below the Mendoza line during his time there, prompting a demotion back to Harrisburg.

Thankfully, Ward was able to have a torrid finish to the season with a ludicrous .351/.455/.617 slash line, even if it did come via an unsustainable .444 BABIP. With the Nationals’ new Triple-A affiliate now located in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, the Nats may try out Ward again in Triple-A to see if he can figure it out with the Fresno Grizzlies next year.

While Luis Garcia may end up at third base in the long-term, the current situation isn’t particularly pretty. Jake Noll is fresh off of an All-Star nod in High-A with the P-Nats and even went to the Arizona Fall League and could kick on in 2019. Jacob Wilson is a former Triple-A Rule 5 selection who was solid if not spectacular last year, and Gilbert Lara was the other piece the Nationals received in the Gio Gonzalez deal.

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