The Washington Nationals are in the middle of some exciting times if you are a fan of this team. After a tough ending to what was a very successful run at the helm of the organization for previous General Manager Mike Rizzo, his long-term replacement has been named in Paul Toboni. Along with Toboni, the team brought on Blake Butera to be the new manager of the club, replacing both Dave Martinez and Miguel Cairo.
While Toboni is set to have a big focus on player development at all levels of the organization, who are a trio of Nationals' prospects who could make the big leagues as early as next season?
1. Jarlin Susana (RHP)
Jarlin Susana, ranked as the third-best prospect in the Nationals organization, as well as the 87th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline. He came to the Nationals in the Juan Soto deal from the San Diego Padres in 2022 and would be the last player from the deal to get called up to the big club. In parts of four minor league seasons, his win-loss record may not be impressive, at 6-20, with a 4.03 ERA and a WHIP of over 1.3; however, he has 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings, including 15.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 2025 between High-A Wilmington and Double-A Harrisburg, despite his 1-4 record between the two levels.
The Nationals organization, still run by then-GM Mike Rizzo, saw some great potential in Susana and was a part of the massive package the Nationals got in return for Juan Soto. He will strike out many batters, but if he limits the runs he allows, he will be a future All-Star. With Pipeline having his MLB ETA set for 2026, we could see him next year, if a pitcher on the MLB roster is designated for assignment, traded, or suffers an injury. The Nationals need pitching help, and Susana's strikeout numbers will contribute to the help the team needs.
2. Christian Franklin (OF)
Christian Franklin, ranked as the 12th best prospect in the Nationals by MLB Pipeline, was drafted in the 4th round of the 2021 Draft by the Chicago Cubs. He came over to the Nationals in the trade for Mike Soroka this past season. While Franklin may not get many home runs or drive in a lot of runs, he gets on base often. In Triple-A this past season, between both the Cubs and Nationals organizations, he had a .390 on-base percentage, and his on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) was .817. Franklin's OPS indicates that he has great potential not only for getting on base but also for hitting extra-base hits, which increases the likelihood of creating runs
3. Yohandy Morales (1B/3B)
Yohandy Morales, ranked as the 18th best prospect in the Nationals organization by MLB Pipeline, was drafted by Washington in the 2nd round of the 2023 Draft out of the University of Miami. Morales, like Franklin, doesn't have much power as of yet, but he does have the potential to become a 20-home run player, having hit 49 long balls in college over his three seasons with the Miami Hurricanes, posting 11, 18, and 20 home runs in each of those seasons. He gets on base a decent amount, but his batting average is low--something that can improve is his strikeout numbers, because with a career .800 OPS in three minor league seasons (his first being partial, due to getting drafted that year), it shows that if he strike out less, not only will he become an on-base and extra-base hit machine, he might become the future face of the franchise for the Nationals, and will be a key to their rebuild.
The Nationals have achieved great success with player development in the past. Now, with new leadership and a new President of Baseball whose background is in scouting and player development, we can only anticipate how well the Nationals' farm system can develop prospects into star players.