WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Under a new front office led by president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, the Nationals have worked to build up the depth of their farm system this offseason. In doing so, they’ve built up a logjam of infield prospects at the lowest levels of the farm system.
It’s just the type of crowded depth chart that can define a promising rebuild.
Last year’s No. 1 overall pick Eli Willits is the obvious headliner of the group as he enters his first full season, and Washington’s top prospect -- and MLB Pipeline's No. 13 overall prospect -- is expected to be the priority shortstop at Single-A Fredericksburg.
Beyond that, it gets tricky.
Fellow infielders Gavin Fien (No. 5) – the 12th overall pick in last year’s Draft – and Devin Fitz-Gerald (No. 9) were the top prospects acquired from the Rangers in the offseason trade for MacKenzie Gore. Both ply their trades on the dirt, and they have a combined 20 games of Single-A experience. Luke Dickerson (No. 8), Coy James (No. 17), Angel Feliz (No. 23) and Ronny Cruz (No. 25) are all seen as potential shortstops too who should open in the lower Minors.
COMPLETE NATIONALS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Where they open -- and what position they play -- was still a theme of late Spring Training as of last week.
“We're still trying to figure out the matrix of how all these guys are going to play,” said Nationals assistant general manager Devin Pearson. “The reality is some of them are probably going to have to go to [High-A] Wilmington to start, but it's a good problem to have a lot of infielders we really like. We're still working through it, but they've all shown up in a good place.”
Here’s how it seems likely to shake out: Willits will get the majority of looks at the shortstop with Fredericksburg. Fien has already expressed that he’s likely to slide over to third base, and Pearson noted that Fitz-Gerald will get a majority of his looks at second base with some third and even the outfield sprinkled in. Dickerson will see time at both second base and the outfield to make use of his plus-plus wheels.
The Nationals believe enough in Feliz’s defense at shortstop that he could be among those pushed to High-A Wilmington after only 31 Single-A games last year because they want to prioritize his defensive work at the premium position.
It’s going to be a giant puzzle, one that was going to be complicated anyways before the arrivals of Fien and Fitz-Gerald from Texas, but that hasn’t tempered any of Washington’s excitement for the pair. Fien -- who underwent November surgery to address a bone spur in his right hand -- gave a taste of his potential by going 3-for-4 with two doubles and five RBIs as the DH in last Thursday’s Spring Breakout game.
Fitz-Gerald comes from a baseball family led by his father Todd, the head coach at Florida’s Stoneman Douglas High School, the alma mater of Roman Anthony and Jesús Luzardo among others.
“What’s funny with Fitz-Gerald is I’ve known him and his family for a long time,” said Pearson, who previously served as the Red Sox director of amateur scouting. “I’ve seen him mature as a human, but also with his approach, you would think he's been in pro ball for five years with the way he battles through at-bats.
"Then with Fien, I saw him a lot as an amateur. The swing is really good, and he's open to coaching. He's been getting better every day here. Getting him back and healthy from his wrist injury has been part of it, too.”
The spotlight will still remain on Willits, however, given his impressive bat-to-ball skills, plus running and potentially special defense at short. The Nats haven’t shied away from that either, sending the 18-year-old switch-hitter over to the Major League side twice this spring and batting him leadoff in the Breakout game against the Cardinals.
“He showed up early in camp and hasn’t left,” Pearson said. “Every day, he shows up and works his tail off. It’s been cool to see him interact with our group that came over from the [Dominican Summer League], work with those guys and take them under his wing. He’s shown some leadership skills too. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
How the others revolve around Willits will sort itself out in the weeks and months to come, but in the Nationals’ view, it’s better to have a solar system of infield prospects than a single shining star.
“One of my favorite things to do,” Pearson said, “is go watch that group work defensively in the morning.”
Turnaround candidate: Seaver King (No. 7)
The 2024 10th overall Draft pick shouldn’t get lost in the sauce when talking about the organization’s shortstop depth. He slashed just .244/.294/.337 with six homers and 30 steals in 125 games at High-A and Double-A in his first full season but showed signs of a return to his collegiate form with a .359/.468/.563 line over 18 contests in the Arizona Fall League.
The key there, the Nationals believe, was that he cut his chase rate from 36 percent in the regular season to only 26 percent in the desert. The trendline for the former swing-happy infielder could only improve given the organization’s new hitting philosophies and teachings.
“I think the AFL was really good for him because he started to learn a little bit more about the importance of swing decisions, and he's carried that into camp,” Pearson said. “We're super intentional about making every swing a decision, and he's done that every day in his training. The moment he steps in the cage to the game, every swing is a decision, and you're seeing that in games. He’s making a lot better decisions right now. He’s just got to keep that up.”
Camp standout: Ronny Cruz (No. 25)
From Toboni to Pearson to even Major League manager Blake Butera, key Nationals decision-makers have taken every open opportunity to praise Cruz, who came over from the Cubs in a Deadline deal last year for Michael Soroka.
The 2024 third-rounder hit .270/.314/.431 with two homers, six triples and 10 doubles in 48 games in the Arizona Complex League last season before the trade, and because of its timing, he still hasn’t played an official game for a Washington affiliate. Still only entering his age-19 season, he could be someone that repeats Rookie-level ball, where he walked only 5.3 percent of the time in ‘25, if the Nationals are serious about getting him as many shortstop reps as possible.
“He's been the guy of camp that's lit everybody up,” Pearson said. “One, for his range and ability at shortstop, and then second, how hard he hits the ball consistently at good angles. If he continues to progress from a swing decisions standpoint, he’s going to be pretty good.”
Breakout candidate: Miguel Sime Jr. (No. 16)
If you like pure velocity, seek out Sime outings in 2026.
Taken in the fourth round last year, the New York City native has been lighting radar guns across the backfields in his first Spring Training, and he brought that heat to the public in the Breakout game when nine of his 21 pitches exceeded 100 mph. He topped out at 101.9 mph -- no Nats pitcher threw harder than 100.5 in Grapefruit League play -- and went viral for blasting a 100.8 mph four-seamer past No. 5 overall prospect JJ Wetherholt for a strikeout.
Sime finished with two strikeouts and one unearned run allowed on one hit and one walk over his one inning against the Cardinals. He also showed a short 88-91 mph slider, and he’ll need quality secondaries to stick as a starter. But anyone who sees the 6-foot-4 righty comes away floored by his present velocity before his 19th birthday in May.
“I don’t think he’s thrown a fastball below 98 in camp,” Pearson said.