After Nationals prospect Phillip Glasser struggled down the stretch of the 2024 season, he went into last winter determined to establish consistency throughout this entire year.
That start-to-finish approach earned him the 2025 Nationals Minor League Hitter of the Year Award.
Glasser slashed .302/.389/.404 with a .793 OPS. He played 112 games in Double-A Harrisburg, and he was promoted to Triple-A Rochester in September for his final 12 games of the year.
“A big thing for me was the finish,” Glasser said. “... Not picking my head up till the season's over.”
Glasser, a 10th round pick in the 2023 Draft, led the Nats’ farm system in multiple offensive categories.
The 25-year-old infielder/outfielder ranked first in batting average, on-base percentage and hits. His 143 hits were the most by a Washington Minor League player since Andrew Stevenson tallied 152 in 2022.
Glasser finished second in OPS and walks (60), tied for third in stolen bases (32), ranked fourth in runs (71), fifth in total bases (191) and slugging percentage. He also tied for sixth in triples (four) and seventh in doubles (19).
“It’s easy to look up two, three weeks left in the season,” Glasser said. “But those at-bats and those games are just as important as the Opening Day ones where everyone's excited for them.”
Glasser began the 2024 season with Single-A Fredericksburg. He advanced to High-A Wilmington, where he batted .305 with 16 doubles and 31 RBIs in 75 games.
Glasser was promoted to Harrisburg last Aug. 14, but his production dipped. He slashed .172/.294/.172 in 18 games with the Senators.
By the end of last season, Glasser was already focused on a better next September. He quickly got back to work in the 2024 Arizona Fall League.
Glasser opened the season batting .400 with a .452 on-base percentage and .529 slugging percentage in his first 22 games this year. As the season progressed, he hit safely in 15 consecutive games from June 17-July 3. He batted .365 with five doubles, one triple, two homers, one triple, 11 RBIs, seven runs, two walks and three stolen bases during that stretch.
Glasser earned the opportunity to ascend in the Nationals system at the end of the year. This time, he hit safely in 11 of his 12 games (including nine in a row) with the Red Wings. In his introduction to Rochester, Glasser slashed .391/.481/.522.
Glasser was named to the 2025 Eastern League All-Star Team as an outfielder. He appeared in 91 games in left field, 20 as designated hitter, 11 at second base and three in right field.
“Baseball’s a long season, and it’s a tough season,” Glasser said. “I’ve had a couple stretches where it’s 2-for-25, and just dealing with that and making sure it’s not 2-for-50. Don’t let yourself snowball, that’s the biggest thing.”