WASHINGTON – The Nationals held a pregame ceremony Monday to honor five prospects as the organization’s 2026 Minor League Award winners at Nationals Park.
The winners – selected by Washington’s player development leadership – participated in a press conference and pregame autograph session while assistant general manager Devin Pearson also spoke about their accomplishments this season.
Hitter of the Year: INF Seaver King (Nats’ No. 4 prospect, No. 71 overall)
Age: 23
Levels played in 2026: Double-A, Triple-A
How acquired: 2024 Draft, 1st round (10th overall)
King leads Washington’s Minor League system with a .316 average and .942 OPS. He has set career marks in nearly every offensive category, including home runs (19), RBI (70), on-base percentage (.397), slugging percentage (.545) and OPS.
“Just hitting the ball in the air as much as possible,” King said of the area of his game he has been the most focused on this year. “I think when I do that, I'm successful. Obviously my speed helps me when I do hit it on the ground, but more times than not, I'm out. So as much as I can hit the ball in the air, I'm going to try, and the results kind of back that up.”
Pitcher of the Year: RHP Miguel Sime Jr. (Nats’ No. 10 prospect)
Age: 19
Levels played in 2026: Single-A, High-A
How acquired: 2025 Draft, fourth round
Sime leads Washington’s Minor League system with 130 strikeouts and is tied for second with 23 starts. He leads all of Minor League Baseball (minimum of 65 innings pitched) with 16.18 strikeouts per nine innings and is second with a .153 opponents’ average.
“I think just taking in the information that they gave us, starting on day one of Spring Training, and just performing out there,” Sime said of his adjustments to the different levels of competition. “Trusting my stuff, and believing that I'm good enough to be there and I'm there for a reason.”
Defensive Player of the Year: OF Andrew Pinckney
Age: 25
Levels played in 2026: Triple-A, MLB
How acquired: 2023 Draft, fourth round
Pinckney led all Nationals Minor League outfielders with 211 putouts.
Pinckney made his MLB debut on Aug. 5 and recorded a home run the following day as his first career hit. He became the seventh player in Nationals history (2005-pres.) to hit a home run as his first career hit.
“Just seeing him, another one, challenge himself: 'How can I continue to get better?'” Pearson said of Pinckney’s growth this season. “Even up here in the big leagues, he's trying new things. And with his athleticism and toolkit, when you want to get better and you challenge yourself, this is kind of what happens.”
Baserunner of the Year: INF Eli Willits (Nats’ No. 1 prospect, No. 4 overall)
Age: 18
Levels played in 2026: Single-A, High-A
How acquired: 2025 Draft, first round (first overall)
Willits leads the organization with 57 stolen bases and 96 runs scored. His stolen bases rank eighth in all of Minor League Baseball, while his runs are tied for 16th. Willits is one of only four players in the Minors with at least 50 stolen bases and at least 90 runs scored this season.
“The goal is to be in the big leagues by the time I'm 20,” Willits said. “So I feel like the organization's done a great job with me taking that next step in my career. And I feel like I just got to keep going and keep grinding this offseason, and hopefully make another leap next offseason into next season.”
Nationals Way Award: C Maxwell Romero Jr.
Age: 25
Levels played in 2026: Double-A, Triple-A
How acquired: 2022 Draft, ninth round
Romero received the award given to the Nationals Minor Leaguer who best demonstrates the professionalism, leadership, loyalty, passion, selflessness, durability, determination and work ethic required to play the game the “Washington Nationals Way.”
“It's just controlling what we can control,” Romero said of his own area of focus this year. “I think that's what helped me the most this year. I just stopped worrying about things I couldn't control. This game is all about results, and it's the one thing we can't control. So I think this org really helped me just realize like, 'Hey, just control what you can control,' and I think that's what I just strive to do every day.”