Before they were leading the Washington Nationals back to the promised land in the big leagues, guys like Dylan Crews, James Wood, and others were once grinding through the team's minor league system waiting to get their opportunity in the show. As the 2024 season nears a close, I will continue seeking to provide daily Minor League updates by taking a page out of hockey's playbook, and award the 3 Stars of the Night for Nats minor leaguers that aren't with the big league club. This is an attempt to shine a spotlight on 3 future Nats who happen to have big time performances the night before, in hopes to give them a bit of limelight and exposure that they wouldn't normally get to experience.
In case you are unfamiliar with hockey's concept of the 3 Stars of the Game, according to Wikipedia: "The three stars in ice hockey are the three best players in a game, with the "first star" considered the best of the three players, akin to the player of the match in other sports. Media representatives of the home team choose the three stars, who are usually the top point scorers or outstanding goaltenders from either team."
The organization had a rough go of things down on the farm on Saturday night. For the first time since beginning this series, 3/4 affiliates lost, with only the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks emerging victorious. The 3 losing affiliates of Rochester, Harrisburg, and Fredericksburg, combined for just 4 runs and 14 hits, not the greatest showing. Spoiler alert, all of my selections are going to be players from the Blue Rocks...
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Third Star of the Night: SP Riley Cornelio, High-A Wilmington
Saturday's Third Star of the Night goes to 24-year-old righty and the Nats' 2022 7th-round pick out of TCU, Riley Cornelio. On Saturday, he reeled in his 9th win of the season, throwing 5 innings, striking out 8, walking 2, and scattering 6 hits for just 2 earned runs. Admittedly, Cornelio has struggled since being drafted back in 2022, as his season ERA of 5.56 is on par with his career MiLB number of 5.19. However, he was very solid on Saturday night, getting some early run support and not looking back in order to set the stage for his 9th victory.
⭐️⭐️ Second Star of the Night: OF Johnathon Thomas, High-A Wilmington
The next selection is another 2022 draft pick in outfielder Johnathan Thomas. The 561st selection in that 2022 draft out of Texas Southern, Thomas operated out of the leadoff spot for the Blue Rocks on Saturday, going 2/5 with an RBI triple in the first inning, showing off his speed that has allowed him to steal 22 bags this year. The 24-year-old Fresno, TX native has struggled this season with a .190/.270/.259 slash line to go along with a .529 OPS, but Saturday night was hopefully a springboard game for him to finish the season on a high note.
⭐️ First Star of the Night: SS Armando Cruz, High-A Wilmington
Finally, the First Star of the Night goes to 20-year-old SS Armando Cruz, who was once rated as highly as the 9th best prospect in the organization back in 2022. Cruz, who signed for $3.9M out of the Dominican Republic back in 2021, went 2/4 with 2-run single on Saturday night, giving Riley Cornelio all the run support he needed to lock down the victory. In my opinion, Cruz profiles similarly to Nasim Nuñez, as a speedy, glove-first shortstop whose bat could take a little while to fully develop. The organization clearly saw something they liked in Cruz back when they signed him in 2021, and the hope is that he will continue to develop and earn his way back onto the team's Top 30 prospects list. Given that he's one of the younger minor leaguers in the system, I'm optimistic he can become a legitimate piece of the big league club in a few years.
Which of these 3 prospects are you most excited to see in Washington one day? Do you think I missed someone more deserving? As always please let me know your thoughts on X,@DCBerk.
All stats in this article were provided by MiLB.com and MLB.com.