Nationals prospects, meet … your fellow Nationals prospects.
It’s no secret that Washington is undergoing a foundational rebuild under the guidance of new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni and a remade front office, and with that comes a lot of new faces on the club’s Top 30 prospects ranking, released by MLB Pipeline on Monday.
Of the 30 on the list, 16 have joined the Nationals organization as Draft picks or trade pickups since last July.
The most notable fresh face this spring is shortstop Eli Willits, last year’s No. 1 overall pick. Only 17 on Draft Day, the switch-hitter moves to the top of the Washington Top 30 with strong grades on his hit, run and fielding tools, and though it may take him years to reach the capital, his ceiling is as high as the Capitol dome.
Among the others still in introduction mode: No. 71 overall prospect Harry Ford, acquired from the Mariners in an offseason trade; electric arm Luis Perales, who came over from Toboni’s old organization in Boston and all five prospects involved in the MacKenzie Gore deal with the Rangers (Gavin Fien, Devin Fitz-Gerald, Alejandro Rosario, Yeremy Cabrera, Abimelec Ortiz).
There are notable holdovers in right-handers Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana, both of whom ended 2025 on the injured list due to Tommy John and lat surgeries, respectively. But both Top 100 prospects have dynamite stuff that could be featured at or near the top of future Washington rotations.
After going into talent acquisition mode these past few months, the Nationals now must turn the dial to develop and get the most of this prospect base. But it’s a stronger, deeper base now than it was only a few months ago and is getting into a shape that could be a future contender in D.C.
Here’s a look at the Nationals’ top prospects:
1. Eli Willits, SS (MLB No. 13)
2. Travis Sykora, RHP (MLB No. 54)
3. Harry Ford, C (MLB No. 71)
4. Jarlin Susana, RHP (MLB No. 80)
5. Gavin Fien, INF
Complete Top 30 list »
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2025 preseason list to the 2026 preseason list:
Jump: Yoel Tejeda Jr., RHP (2025: NR | 2026: 13)
Tejeda was a 14th-rounder in 2024 after stints at both Florida and Florida State, but his height (6-foot-8) at least made him intriguing entering his first full season. A year later, he’s more intriguing than just his size with a fastball that’s been sitting in the mid 90s this spring, a low-80s sweeper, a mid-80s slider and a fading splitter. He sported high chase and whiff rates, and now with some Minor League success under his belt, the 22-year-old righty could take off in Year 2.
Fall: Cayden Wallace, 3B (2025: 11 | 2026: NR)
Acquired from the Royals in a move for Hunter Harvey in July 2024, Wallace looked like a potential Major League third baseman with decent power and a plus-plus arm at the hot corner. But he was uneven as a 23-year-old at Double-A in 2025, finishing with a .242/.310/.376 line in 121 games while struggling to slug against velocity. The increased depth of the Nats system has squeezed him out until he can prove more consistent with the bat.
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools – 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is plus and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 60 – Eli Willits
Power: 60 – Ethan Petry (Abimelec Ortiz)
Run: 80 – Andrew Pinckney
Arm: 70 – Andrew Pinckney
Defense: 60 – Eli Willits (Yeremy Cabrera)
Fastball: 70 – Jarlin Susana (Luis Perales, Miguel Sime Jr.)
Curveball: 55 – Miguel Sime Jr.
Slider: 70 – Jarlin Susana
Changeup: 70 – Sean Paul Liñan
Splitter: 60 – Travis Sykora (Alejandro Rosario)
Cutter: 60 – Luis Perales
Control: 60 – Alejandro Rosario
How they were built
Draft: 18 | International: 4 | Trade: 8
Breakdown by ETA
2026: 6 | 2027: 9 | 2028: 7 | 2029: 6 | 2030: 2
Breakdown by position
C: 2 | 1B: 2 | 2B: 0 | 3B: 1 | SS: 8 | OF: 6 | RHP: 9 | LHP: 2