On Thursday, the Washington Nationals officially compiled a list of all of their non-roster invitees to 2025 Spring Training. Let's take a look at the guys that are currently not on the 40-man roster that will get a chance to compete to make the big league club down in West Palm Beach next month.
There is a TON of young talent that was invited to Spring Training this year, and you can reference the team's Top 30 Prospects list from 2024 here just in case you want to see for yourself. In fact, a whopping 17 out of the Top 30 prospects in the organization will be with the big league club for Spring Training, and the progress of the young stars will make this team a must-watch.
Pitchers
This category obviously has the most names, and there is a healthy mixture of veterans and Top 30 Prospects that are vying to make the club with a great showing in West Palm. 2023 3rd round Rule 5 Draft pick Daison Acosta will be in camp, as will offseason signings Konnor Pilkington, and Clay Helvey. Additionally, 2021 16th Round pick Jack Sinclair will be in camp, as will former prospect Joan Adon, who was recently DFA'd to make room for Amed Rosario on the 40-man roster.
Top 30 Prospects Brad Lord (#30), Tyler Stuart (#19), Jarlin Susana (#4), and Marquis Grissom Jr. (#27) will all be in camp, and each of them should push to make the club at some point in the 2025 season. Stuart, a midseason addition from the Mets in the Jesse Winker trade, and Lord, one of the biggest risers in the organization in the 2024 season, should both be on the short list for a call-up in the event that a starting pitcher gets hurt. Grissom Jr. should factor into the bullpen at some point this year, and might even have a chance to break camp with the club, given the lack of depth in the bullpen at the moment, and features legitimate closer upside with his love for pitching in pressure-packed situations.
Of course, all eyes will be on Susana, who had one of the most dramatic stock changes in all baseball last season. He went from being a true wild card in the Juan Soto trade back in 2022 to a 20-year-old phenom with a seemingly unlimited ceiling. Susana ended last season as a Top 100 Prospect in all of baseball, and should only see his stock will continue to rise. His starts and appearances will be must-see TV during his time in West Palm.
Catchers
This is an interesting group, as veteran Andrew Knizner was recently added to the organization on an MiLB deal, and he figures to factor into the battle to be the backup for Keibert Ruiz. The 40-man roster already includes Ruiz, Drew Millas, and Riley Adams, but perhaps Knizner can make a push as well, being a former backup for Yadier Molina in St. Louis and having 5 years of big league experience.
Max Romero Jr. is a guy that the Nationals are trying to advance through the organization, as the 2022 9th round pick spent some time in the Arizona Fall League this offseason as well. However, the name to watch out of these 3 is Caleb Lomavita (#10), the only 2024 Nationals draft pick to be invited to big league camp. Selected with the draft pick that the team got back along with third base prospect Cayden Wallace in the Hunter Harvey deal, he is an athletic catcher with some very real potential to become the future of the position for the Nationals.
let that spring training content begin! 🌴 pic.twitter.com/1woFFfxzVV
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) January 23, 2025
Infielders
All 3 of the infielders who were invited to West Palm are all guys who could be the future of the third base position for the Nationals. Brady House, the team's #3 prospect, has long been considered the future of the position, and a strong showing in Spring Training should put him on track to make his MLB debut at some point this season.
Yohandy Morales (#9), the team's 2nd round pick in 2023, is hoping to bounce back from an injury-riddled 2024 season that saw him finish the season strong. He has fantastic power upside and could have a future at either corner infield spot for the club.
Cayden Wallace (#11), as I mentioned when talking about Caleb Lomavita above, was the prospect that Nationals got back in the Hunter Harvey deal with the Royals last summer, and could factor into the equation at third base as well for the future. As with House and Morales, he too, has struggled with injuries, and the biggest key for him in 2025 will be staying healthy.
Outfielders
As for the outfielders, Daylen Lile (#12) and Andrew Pinckney (#28) will get a chance to compete with the talented crop of outfielders in the organization, and it will be exciting to see whether or not either of them could make a legitimate push to be on the big league roster.
Lile had an awesome 2024 season and ended the year with AA Harrisburg, while Pinckney was promoted to AAA Rochester after the promotion of Dylan Crews to the majors. Both of them are very underrated prospects in the system, and I truly believe they both could have a shot at getting a cup of tea in the majors by the end of the 2025 season.
Which of these players are you most excited to see in Spring Training? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.