WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Nationals have a dedicated section in their Spring Training clubhouse at CACTI Park of The Palm Beaches that manager Dave Martinez likes to call “Hope Row”. Walk in the front entrance, immediately turn to your right and that’s where you’ll find the lockers of several members of MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 for the organization -- Dylan Crews, James Wood, Brady House, Robert Hassell III, Trey Lipscomb, Darren Baker.

It’s a group of top-tier talents the Nats want standing shoulder-to-shoulder for a long time to come.

“Whoever designed that, kudos,” said Nationals vice president and assistant general manager of player development and administration Eddie Longosz. “They all mesh together. They’re moving as a group, which we did last year. Trey and James are always together. They’re different ages. They come from different backgrounds. Some are college. Some are high school. But the way they mesh as teammates [despite] barely even playing with each other, it’s fun.”

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Now that the group is together, the Nationals have to sort through playing time for their top prospects, particularly at the center-field and third-base positions.

Focusing up the middle, Crews, Wood and Hassell are each at least above-average runners capable of covering ground in center. The trio ganged up at Double-A Harrisburg at the tail end of 2023 and rotated through all three spots, though Hassell got a little extra time in the corners. That group got even more crowded when 2023 fourth-rounder Andrew Pinckney joined up, adding another layer of Eastern League outfield depth.

So far this spring, Crews -- last year’s Golden Spikes winner at LSU and the No. 2 overall pick in the Draft -- appears to have the upper hand in center, playing 60 innings there compared to 15 in the corners. Wood (more on him later) has gotten the majority of his looks in right field with 57 innings there and 16 in center. Hassell saw 24 innings in left, 14 in right and four in center before suffering a groin strain.

It's a pattern that could continue, whether the group returns to Harrisburg or heads to Triple-A Rochester.

“With all those guys, we’re going to still play them at every spot,” Longosz said. “Eventually, they’ll find their own [position] and where they want to be, but they’re still going to move around wherever they start whether it’s as a group or they go different ways. But the majority of that group, they’ll move around in the outfield.”

Over at the hot corner, 2021 first-rounder House transitioned to third full-time last year as he ascended three levels, finishing at Harrisburg. The Nats also drafted Miami third baseman Yohandy Morales in the second round and were ecstatic to add his plus power potential to their mix at 40th overall. Morales hit .349 with a .917 OPS in 42 games in his pro debut, earning his own cameo in Double-A, and both he and House could share a dirt. Friday’s Spring Breakout offered a potential glimpse into Washington’s plans with House -- the former shortstop -- holding down third and Morales moving across the diamond to first.

“You want Brady to get over there as much as possible at third base,” Longosz said. “Morales will still play, whether it’s at first or DHing. When Brady needs a day, he’ll probably DH, and YoYo can jump in there. It’s a good problem to have.”

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Good systems have impressive prospects. Great systems have multiple impressive prospects at the same spot, increasing the organization’s likelihood of developing a long-term star at any given position. With its star potential and depth in center and third, Washington is approaching those desirable qualities on the position-player side.

“I know what the excitement is like in DC,” Longosz said. “It has to be awesome. They’ve all performed too. It’s special to be in that clubhouse to begin with and to get that experience, but then to perform and carry yourself that way, you couldn’t ask for more.”

Spring standout: James Wood

The 6-foot-6 left-handed slugger enters Tuesday with a .325/.460/.625 line, three homers and three steals over 19 Grapefruit League games played, and that’s very much vintage Wood. The former Padre has near top-of-the-line raw power, and he eats up ground with his long strides on the basepaths and in the field. Strikeouts remain a concern, especially against softer stuff, but the 21-year-old has some across the game calling for him to crack the Majors on Opening Day.

The Nats aren’t quite ready to make that push at this stage of spring, but they are excited about the ways Wood, along with Crews, has shown small-scale development on the Major League side.

“It’s the little things they’ve worked on and done a great job -- the hit-and-runs, throwing over a ball, moving a guy over,” Longosz said. “They’re learning some of the other things to where it’s not just trying to go up there and hit a homer, hit one to the gap. There are other parts of the game that they’re teaching them right now, which is great. They’ll need that at every level too.”

Breakout candidate: Travis Sykora

A third-round pick out of a Texas high school last season, Sykora already has one of the highest ceilings among Washington prospect arms, and he backed that up by sitting 96-97 with his fastball and showing a decent mid-80s slider Friday when he retired three Mets batters over seven pitches in his scoreless Spring Breakout inning.

The 6-foot-6 righty admitted to having ample adrenaline in his appearance in Port St. Lucie, but Washington wanted him throwing in that game for a reason. His fastball could be plus-plus, his slider is already showing improvement on the pro side, and his splitter looked like a potential plus pitch as an amateur.

If Sykora can hold that stuff over his first full season, he could rocket higher than his current ranking of No. 11.

“A guy like Sykora, where he hides the ball really well with the extension, it’s a tough at-bat,” Longosz said. “No one wants to face it. I know he compared himself to Nolan Ryan, but I was thinking Walker Buehler when I was watching him because of the way he hides the ball. He’s really working on his secondaries. His slider has looked good, so it’s been fun to watch.”

Something to prove: Robert Hassell III

Once considered a potential plus hitter, Hassell slashed just .225/.316/.324 with eight homers and a 31.9 percent strikeout rate over 106 Double-A games last season. Questions arose about the aftereffects of a broken hamate suffered during the 2022 Arizona Fall League, and this spring was set to provide at least some early answers. Hassell shot out of the gate, going 5-for-14 (.357) with three extra-base hits, including an opposite-field homer on Feb. 27, before the groin injury sidelined him.

The former Top 100 prospect is a distant third behind Crews and Wood when it comes to Nationals upper-level outfield prospects, but that isn’t to say the 22-year-old couldn’t carve out his own place in the capital soon once healthy.

“I know that knock, looking at him, has been, ‘Has he really dominated a level,’” Longosz said. “But we moved him quick as well. It’s an advanced approach. He’s taken stuff the other way a couple of times. He can fly. He can really run. He’s a great kid too. The work ethic, the drive, it’s been all the above.”