Yesterday, I released my preseason top 30 Washington Nationals prospects, which you can find here. The driving focus of my rankings was a combination of prospects’ performances so far in their careers, their underlying numbers for those performances, and the tools they have, which could lead to future success. Here are the 3 biggest takeaways from my list that you should know about.
#1: The Nationals’ farm system is the deepest it’s been in a long time
For the last few years, the Nationals’ farm system has had plenty of top-end talent, with names such as Dylan Crews and James Wood, but lacked the depth that rebuilding teams should be accumulating. Thanks in large part to the 2025 draft, where the Nationals selected Eli Willits first overall and acquired even more talent in the later rounds with the savings from the pick, 1-for-1 deals this offseason such as Jose A. Ferrer for Harry Ford and Jake Bennett for Luis Perales, and the big MacKenzie Gore trade this offseason, the Nationals farm system has depth it hasn’t had perhaps ever, with prospects ranked in the 10 to 20 range who could be plus big leaguers one day.
An important part of building depth in the Nats’ farm system is not only acquiring players in trades, but acquiring the right kind of prospects in those deals. Mike DeBartolo and Paul Toboni have done an excellent job acquiring prospects in deals that have the tools required to succeed at the big league level, such as power potential in hitters and strikeout stuff in pitchers.
Pitchers like Griff McGarry and Eriq Swan, who take up spots at the backend of my top 30, are valuable not because they’re excellent now in the minor leagues, but because they have the stuff and projection to be good MLB players one day. Once you have enough of these high-risk type prospects, over time, a few of them will break out and give you great major league talents.
#2: The MacKenzie Gore trade was a shot of adrenaline for the farm system
Speaking of the MacKenzie Gore trade, the deal is unique because not only did the Nats acquire 5 prospects in the deal, but all 5 prospects have tools that make them more than just throw-ins, with all 5 ranking in my top 15 Nats prospects, and 3 within the top 10.
Fien and Fitz-Gerald could wind up as top 100 prospects by the end of 2026, Rosario was a top 10 pitching prospect in the sport before his injury and could wind up being a steal if he returns fully healthy, and Cabrera and Ortiz have the tools to be solid regulars one day. All in all, while the headlines may say the Nats received 0 top 100 prospects in return for Gore’s services, the truth is they received a package with a high chance of producing 2 or more impactful big leaguers one day.
#3: Marconi German is a name to watch in 2026
The prospect in my top 30 Nationals prospects you are least likely to recognize is Marconi German, a 17-year-old, switch-hitting shortstop, and while my ranking may seem rather high for a player who’s only played in the Dominican Summer League in his career, I have complete faith this ranking will be justified once the 2026 season gets underway.
German was one of the best hitters in the DSL in 2025 while also being one of the younger ones, posting a 159 wRC+ and hitting 8 home runs in 53 games. He showed great plate discipline, posting a 1.02 BB/K ratio, and punished pitchers when he got his pitch, with a .513 slugging percentage. He also has great speed, with 33 stolen bases in those 53 games.
German’s first major test will come in 2026 when he heads stateside to play in the complex league. If he continues to hit well there, he’ll likely get a chance in Low A, his first taste of affiliated minor league play. I’m excited to see how German progresses in 2026, as I believe he has the tools to be a very good shortstop or second baseman in the big leagues one day.