There are no guarantees when it comes to prospects. Some of the best never make it to the major leagues. Some of the lesser-known names wind up enjoying long and productive careers.
The five young players who sat in the press conference room at Nationals Park this afternoon as the organization’s annual minor league award winners, though, need only look back at their predecessors from a year ago to see how significant a stepping stone it can be.
Last September, Dylan Crews, Brad Lord and Daylen Lile were among the 2024 honorees. All three now hold prominent roles on the Nats’ major league roster, with Lord and Lile in particular bursting onto the scene as full-fledged rookies this season.
“When you look at who was in that (press conference) room last year and who is now in that clubhouse, it’s something for them to build off of,” said Eddie Longosz, the Nationals’ assistant general manager for player development. “Everyone wants to get into that clubhouse. They feed off each other, and they know what it takes to get in there.”
This year’s award winners included three prospects who finished the season at Triple-A Rochester (outfielder/infielder Phillip Glasser, outfielder Andrew Pinckney, right-hander Riley Cornelio), which makes each a potential candidate for promotion in 2026.
In an organization with bigger-name prospects, Glasser (a 10th-round pick in 2023) stood out from the pack by leading the entire farm system in batting average (.302) and on-base percentage (.389) while ranking second in OPS (.793), earning Hitter of the Year honors. The 25-year-old was promoted to Triple-A after slashing .293/.379/.391 in 112 games, then performed even better in 12 games with Rochester (.391/.481.522).
“Obviously, the numbers have been pretty similar throughout every level,” he said. “I’m just trying to control my at-bats, a guy who gets on base, can run into some balls.”
Pinckney, winner of the “Nationals Way Award” that went to Lord and Lile last year, was honored for the way he conducts himself on and off the field. But the 24-year-old’s performance was plenty impressive on its own merits: he hit 20 homers and stole 34 bases in 125 games with Rochester.
“I think it means a lot, because when you get the results on the field it’s great. But going about your business is just as important, if not more,” the 2023 fourth-round pick said. “So, being recognized for something like that – leadership, hustle and all that sort of stuff – it’s just validating knowing that what you do behind the scenes is still being recognized.”
Cornelio burst through the system this season, the 2022 seventh-round pick earning promotions from Single-A Wilmington to Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A. The right-hander’s totals across three levels: a 3.28 ERA, 1.146 WHIP, 135 strikeouts in 134 1/3 innings, earning him Pitcher of the Year honors.
A close friend of Lord, who had a similar path up the organizational ladder last year before becoming a big leaguer this season, Cornelio laughed when asked if he could’ve predicted where he’d end his 2025 considering where he started it.
“I don’t know what I would’ve said. I was very surprised,” he said. "I was, and I wasn’t, honestly. Coming into spring training, I felt like I knew mentally where I wanted to be at to be successful. Gaining that confidence was important, as well. For me, a lot of this year was mentality as well as some of the physical changes. So yes and no, surprising and not so surprising.”
The only first-round pick among this year’s award winners was Seaver King, the 2024 first-round pick who was named the organization’s Baserunner of the Year. King also ascended through the farm system in rapid fashion, reaching Double-A one calendar year after the Nationals used the No. 10 overall pick on him. The talented shortstop admits he hoped for better offensive results (he had a .600 OPS in 80 games with Harrisburg) but was proud of his defensive work and leadership skills as a 22-year-old playing with older teammates.
“It was a tough year. I excelled at some things and didn’t meet my expectations on others,” King said. “But I learned a lot this year. That was kind of the most important thing for me. I get to go into next year and use this whole full year of ups and downs and be able to try to be more consistent.”
The winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award, outfielder Cristhian Vaquero, is the youngest of the entire group, having just recently turned 21 even though he’s been in the organization since January 2022, when he signed as an international free agent from Cuba. Vaquero has now spent two full seasons at Single-A Fredericksburg, where in addition to his defensive prowess he also showed significant improvement at the plate, raising his OPS from .593 in 2024 to .738 in 2025.
“Every day, I have to remind myself that I’m still young and I still have a lot of years in front of me,” he said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “Very happy and very proud. I’ve worked very hard to get to where I am. And I’m just going to keep working hard and, hopefully, keep winning these awards.”