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While there’s been plenty of discussion around here about the Nationals’ Opening Day roster and what holes still need to be filled between now and then, there’s been less discussion about some of the organization’s most intriguing young players who aren’t part of the immediate plan but certainly are part of the long term plan.
The Nats’ farm system has experienced some real ups and downs in recent years. What had been one of the sport’s worst systems was reinvigorated with the Juan Soto trade in 2022 and began showing up in the top-10 rankings of several major publications one year later.
The “graduations” of James Wood, Dylan Crews, Daylen Lile, Cade Cavalli and others, though, in the last year-plus have left the organization back towards the bottom of the pile. New 2026 preseason rankings haven’t been published yet, but Baseball America had the Nats at No. 21 last summer and MLB Pipeline had them at No. 23.
We know one of Paul Toboni’s primary goals as president of baseball operations is to build a consistent player development machine that pumps out quality big leaguers year in and year out. That takes time, but the cupboard he inherited isn’t entirely bare, either.
The Nationals have four top-100 prospects in the game, according to MLB Pipeline’s most recent rankings: Eli Willits (15), Harry Ford (42), Travis Sykora (49) and Jarlin Susana (87). The rest of the organization’s current top-10: Luis Perales, Luke Dickerson, Alex Clemmey, Landon Harmon, Seaver King and Ethan Petry.
The only player out of that entire group with a shot to make the Opening Day roster is Ford, the recently acquired catcher from the Mariners who will have a chance to beat out Keibert Ruiz for the No. 1 job or potentially serve as his backup. But there are a few others who could make their debuts sometime later this year, if things go well.
Sykora and Susana very much looked like they’d be part of the 2026 plan last summer, until each right-hander’s progress was halted by major arm injuries. Sykora needed Tommy John surgery in July and will miss most (if not all) of this coming season while rehabbing. Susana needed surgery to repair a torn lat muscle, one that may prevent the young flamethrower from being ready until after the season begins.
If Susana proves he’s healthy – and effective – sometime during the first half, there’s a chance he could make it to D.C. sometime during the second half. But the club won’t rush him to make that happen if he’s not clearly ready. He could, in theory, be lapped by Toboni’s other significant trade acquisition this winter: Perales.
Like Susana, the 22-year-old Perales has an electric arsenal of pitches, with the same concerns about command. The Red Sox added the right-hander to their 40-man roster in 2024, only to watch him need Tommy John surgery, which limited him to only 36 total innings pitched the last two seasons. He’s healthy now, and he’s already used up two of his options, so there may be motivation on the Nats’ part to get him into the big leagues if he enjoys a strong first half in the minors.
The others from the top-10 are probably farther away from D.C. At 22, King is the oldest of the group, and the shortstop was only drafted 18 months ago out of Wake Forest. A debut sometime in 2027 is more plausible. Same for left-hander Alex Clemmey, still only 20 but coming off a strong season that ended at Double-A Harrisburg.
Even further down the line are Dickerson (20-year-old shortstop drafted in 2024), Petry (21-year-old outfielder/first baseman drafted in 2025) and Harmon (19-year-old right-hander drafted in 2025).
And then there’s Willits. Last summer’s No. 1 overall pick only recently turned 18, and he has only 15 games of professional experience to date. Even in a best-case scenario, he would seemingly need two full minor league seasons before being considered for the majors, which pushes his debut to at least 2028.
Then again, the kid did say his goal is to reach the big leagues by age 20. If he proves he’s as good as advertised on the field, who’s to say he can’t do it?
