The Orioles and Nationals have had great stars run through the DMV/Baltimore area, like Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, and Stephen Strasburg in the 2010s as well as Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and James Wood and others that have been on the rise recently. Through all of it, have you ever stopped to think about where these guys started? All these names heard their names called on draft day in the first/second round and were highly touted prospects featured at the top of prospect rankings before they reached the big leagues. So, for this exercise, let's look at the top ten prospects combined between the Orioles and Nationals. Even though they have graduated three number one prospects in the past three years such as catcher Adley Rutschman, shortstop Gunnar Henderson, and second baseman/shortstop Jackson Holliday in that order, as well as everyday left fielder Colton Cowser, the system still remains in the top ten at number six according to FanGraphs, while the Nationals sit at number fourteen according to FanGraphs. The Orioles young talent they have worked up through the farm has fueled them to back-to-back 90+ win seasons and playoff appearances, even though they have been swept out both times. Along with Henderson, Rutschman, Holliday, and Cowser, Grayson Rodriguez could be one of few Orioles homegrown aces ever. Jordan Westburg was an All Star in 2024 and showed a very refined game this past season. Cade Povich was acquired for Jorge Lopez in 2022 and has shown shades of Max Fried at times. Kyle Bradish came to Baltimore for Dylan Bundy in 2020 and pitched like an ace in 2023 before going down with Tomm John Surgery in 2024. Even Joey Ortiz with a smooth glove on the left side of the diamond and flamethrowing lefty DL Hall netted the Orioles a much-needed ace in Corbin Burnes, and the system didn't feel it at the time. All of these prospects along with others have aided the Orioles return to relevance after a rebuild with ugly seasons that helped get the talent they have. The Nationals hope to bear the same fruits as the O's, as they look to move forward and see what their major league ready talent has to show, which will be mentioned in the top ten. Much of their young talent has been outsourced, which is what trading Juan Soto, Max Scherzer, and Trea Turner will do. In 2021, the Nats dealt future hall of famer Scherzer and star shortstop Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers for catcher Keibert Ruiz, right-handed pitcher Josiah Gray, and others who haven't surfaced in the majors. While the battery mates haven't done that much for DC, Josiah Gray did make the All-Star team in 2023 and Keibert Ruiz signed an 8 year 50-million-dollar extension that same year, so both can still make an impact for the Nationals. For sending Soto to the San Diego Padres, they got solid shortstop CJ Abrams who made the All-Star team in 2024 and crafty left hander MacKenzie Gore who both were top ten prospects in baseball at one point. James Wood broke out after the trade to become a top two prospect in baseball prior to getting called up in 2024. These teams have seen so much talent run through their farm systems, and here's a look at who could be next.
1. Coby Mayo 3B/1B/OF Baltimore Orioles
Yes, Coby Mayo is at one over Dylan Crews. Could that be bias? Possibly. However, I like Coby Mayo's ceiling ever so slightly more right now than Crews, and I think he could be more exciting if all goes right. While Crews might have a better MLB career, Mayo's peaks could be higher. Mayo was an over slot pick in the fourth round in the shortened 2020 draft out of Stoneman Douglass, a Florida high school and the birds signed him away from a Miami commitment for a well over slot 1.75 million dollars. The power is through the roof with this kid regardless of where the wall is in Baltimore which he showed in 2023 by blasting 29 home runs between Double-A Bowie/Chesapeake and Triple-A Norfolk and was a key piece in Norfolk's championship run which won them the Triple-A title. The 2023 Norfolk Tides may be one of the best minor league teams in recent memory with prospects like Jackson Holliday, Joey Ortiz, Colton Cowser, Connor Norby, Cade Povich, and Chayce McDermott elevating the roster to new heights. While he has power for the ages via his strength and bat speed, he can still get on base at a solid clip even though he can get swing happy at times. Mayo has worked hard in the minors on his approach as well. The glove may not be good enough to stick at the hot corner, but the bat is still prolific at first base or a corner outfield spot where he can show off a cannon of an arm. The O's will find a spot for him even though they have a slew of minor league talent to sort out. While the miniscule big-league sample wasn't great, it was very small, and he still poses as a 30-home run threat every year and draws similarities to Austin Riley, who at his peak is an MVP candidate. While Mayo may not be as good as Riley, he's a potential middle of the order producer when he's settled in as a big leaguer.
2. Dylan Crews OF Washington Nationals
I know. Very controversial Crews slots in behind Mayo. Crews might be the better big leaguer at the end of the day. However, the ceiling on Crews may not be as high as we thought when he was drafted number two overall behind his LSU teammate Paul Skenes. Crews was one of the best college players we've ever seen during his time in college. He was a great talent in high school and could have been a first-round pick as an 18-year-old in the shortened 2020 draft but opted to go to LSU and turned into what looked like a generational talent. In his LSU career, he posted a monster slash line of .380/.498/.689 while play center field at a very high level. He also led the charge along with Skenes to lead LSU to a national championship at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. He looked like a slam dunk number one pick in the 2023 draft initially, but the ox on the mound in Skenes prevailed due to a historic season on the mound that compared to Stephen Strasburg (and both look like the best college arms in history) as well as money/circumstance issues surrounding Crews. His 9 million dollar signing bonus went over slot value at the number two pick with DC and he quickly shot through minor league baseball and took a quick stop at the Futures Game before making his debut in late August this past year. While the numbers weren't eye popping in the minors, Crews still put up a .275/.351/.455 slash line and poses as a well-rounded profile who can do everything at a solid-great level. He can still play center field at a high level, run really well, and hit for a solid average and homerun output. He's projected to be on the Nationals roster opening day since he basically has nothing left to prove in minor league baseball.
3. Samuel Basallo C/1B Baltimore Orioles
As much as I wanted to put Basallo at two, I couldn't let Crews fall THAT much. It may be the positional situation with Basallo, since he is a 6'4''loose cannon behind the plate with big boom or bust potential and may be destined to be a 1B-DH hybrid, but the bat is the main talking point here. The Orioles signed Basallo back in the 2021 international signing period for 1.3 million dollars, which set an organization record at the time. After performing well in the Dominican Summer Leage in 2021 and the Florida Complex League in 2022, he broke out in 2023 getting a cameo Double-A Bowie/Chesapeake as a teenager. He then continued a strong performance in Double-A before appearing in the Futures Game and getting some run at Triple-A Norfolk in 2024. Basallo's blended ability of being solid hitter a big power threat and having a really good eye at the plate gives a glimpse of a promising bat that can fully capitalize on the short porch at Camden Yards. The offensive profile is as good as it gets, and that bat will be successful one way or another in MLB. When Aram Leighton and Jack McMullen of Just Baseball Media discussed Basallo on the prospect podcast The Call Up, they drew comparisons to Red Sox third base masher Rafael Devers for his ability to crush baseballs outside the zone, and that can get Orioles fans excited considering that Devers has killed Baltimore in years past. Michael Marcantonini, broadcaster for the Orioles High-A affiliate Aberdeen IronBirds, got a long look at Basallo and said he had the size of a football player, more specifically a Baltimore Ravens linebacker. With all things considered, Basallo does so many things well for his size and any questions come defensively. Basallo should be a contributor in the big leagues in 2025 and, as sad as it sounds, could replace Adley Rutschman as his time bomb of team control ticks.
4. Jarlin Susana RHP Washington Nationals
Another piece in the Juan Soto trade, Susana is exciting. The San Diego Padres initially signed him in the 2022 IFA class for 1.7 million dollars, and he was quickly dealt to Washinton on the pedigree alone. However, this kid can be way more than a high-profile talent. He has a borderline elite fastball, with outlets MLB Pipeline putting a 75 grade on it and Just Baseball putting a 70 on it, which are incredible grades on the 20-80 scale. Susana can consistently get the pitch up to triple digits and at the very least sit in the upper 90s. The 60-grade slider serves as is best secondary pitch with gyro type break that flummoxes right and left-handed hitters. He is currently in progress with a changeup, which is tracking to be a third pitch at the highest level. The command is also a work in progress and looks like it'll be average in MLB. With all these components, he posted a 4.34 ERA in 2024 between Low-A Fredericksburg and High-A Wilmington with a 103 innings and 157 strikeouts, as well as holding opponents to a .228 batting average. Aidan Dougherty got to see Susana as he called games for the Wilmington Blue Rocks and said, "he's just a different animal and overwhelms everyone with the fastball and his slider is starting to be an A+ pitch." He has electric stuff but might just be a high-end mid rotation piece at the end of the day as his control could limit him, with the fallback of being a closer caliber arm if he bottoms out in the worst way possible.
5. Brady House 3B Washington Nationals
House has had a slower burn to the big leagues, but don't let that deceive you. He's still really good player. House was in a pool of great high school shortstops in the 2021 draft, but stood in the shadows of Marcelo Mayer, Jordan Lawlar, and Khalil Watson (who had more hype even though he went after House in that draft.) Washington got House 11th overall out of high school in Winder-Barrow, GA for an above slot 5 million dollars, and it's been a project ever since. he's another guy where the bat matters more than the glove, since he has not stuck at shortstop and settled in at the hot corner since 2023 where his plus arm can play. He has dealt with injuries, which makes sense with his 6'4'' 208 lb. frame, but he has shown great things as recently as 2023, where he put up a .312/.365/.497 slash line in 88 games as he went from Single-A to Double-A. It was a down year in 2024 as a .699 OPS split between Double-A and Triple-A is nothing to write home about, and House saw the numbers take a hit in Triple-A which took a toll on the overall stats as he slashed a meager .250/.280/.375 in Rochester. He honestly has a similar idea to Coby Mayo on a lower level, since both have potential for power to all fields and have a tendency to expand the zone. House can also solve the woes DC has seen at the 3B position since Anthony Rendon left. He'll look to join his teammates in DC in 2025 on a bounce back as he could project as a solid everyday third baseman.
6. Travis Sykora RHP Washington Nationals
Travis Sykora is a very interesting arm. The Nationals selected him 71st overall in the 2023 draft with him being a prep arm higher up on draft boards in a weaker high school arm crop and got him to forego a commitment to be a Texas Longhorn for 2.6 million dollars, which equates to first round money. Reading up on him, it makes sense. He brings a lot to the table. The fastball can be tantalizing, and it garners much love from MLB Pipeline as they put a 70 grade on it and called it one of the best in the draft. On the other hand, Just Baseball doesn't love it as much with a 50 current/60 future value grade, but here's the consensus: it's a really good heater. Sykora got it to touch triple digits in high school and it can consistently sit in the mid to upper 90s. The catch is the command not being as sharp, but that can come with time. The slider serves as the top secondary offering, which can get hitters to bite at the break as an 83-85 MPH pitch. He rounds it all out with a mid 80s splitter which has more drop action as it dives onto the plate, and with more development could tick up to be a plus pitch. All his action took place in Low-A Fredericksburg where he logged 85 innings, a 2.33 ERA in 20 starts, and 129 strikeouts. He also impressively only walked 27 hitters in that span, held opponents to a .168 batting average, had a whip at .91, and only allowed two homeruns the entire year. He's poised for a bigger workload in 2025 and could fit into the same mold as his organizational teammate Jarlin Susana as a mid-rotation piece with a higher ceiling and lower floor.
7. Seaver King INF/OF Washington Nationals
King is one of the better stories on this list. He started his colligate career playing DII baseball at Wingate and had an unheard of 47-game hit streak before transferring to Wake Forest to show he could play at the DI level in 2024. He went on to slash .308/.377/.577 for a loaded Deamon Deacons squad that featured electric right hander Chase Burns (who also transferred in, but from Tennessee) and first base slugger Nick Kurtz. Unfortunately Wake Forest didn't make it to Omaha, but all three guys I mentioned went in the top ten which is a massive win for the Wake Forest. Burns went second overall to Cincinnati; Kurtz went fourth overall to the Athletics, and King landed at 10th for Washington to select and sign to an under slot 5.15-million-dollar deal. King might be one of the best athletes on this list, as there are so many different things he can do on the field. In the box, he can hit really well and put the ball in play with the best of them but struggles with being patient and recognizing pitches which causes poor plate discipline. This will need to be refined as a pro, but he has time since he only played one DI season. He also has solid power potential, but he hasn't fully maximized it with his flatter swing path. On the other side of the ball, he has great speed and defense to boot and can play multiple positions. This was on full display when he started at four different positions at Wake, and this ability helps the floor a ton. The results were good in a small sample at Low-A Fredericksburg with a .295/.367/.385 slash line, and he'll look to improve his weaker areas. Washington will experiment with him as a full-time shortstop, but he's at least a high-end utility piece who can field many positions well, similar to Los Angeles Dodger Christ Taylor at his peaks, and he can be way more dynamic player than he already is with his tools.
8. Vance Honeycutt OF Baltimore Orioles
Honeycutt also comes from the 2024 draft class and is in a place that can fully optimize his game. He was a standout athlete in high school playing football & baseball and did serious damage over three years in the ACC, consistently posing as a 20-20 threat and playing gold glove caliber defense in centerfield. His career .293/.412/.638 slash line led to him leaving the UNC Tar Heels with the most home runs in program history at 65. He set the single season home run record as well with 28 in 2024. He was able to compete in the College World Series in 2024 and showed people his fun and dynamic playstyle which got him drafted by Baltimore in the first round 22nd overall for an over slot 4 million dollars. Honeycutt does offer plus raw power, but it couples with poor strikeout rates that ranged between 20-30 percent in his college career. The O's will look to develop his power even more and refine things such as chase, in zone contact, and using the power to all fields. On defense, Honeycutt is a true standout with great speed (also used as a threat to steal) and a plus arm that could stand out in MLB right now. While the numbers were poor at the end of the year as he hit .176, got on base at a .250 clip, and slugged .196 between Low-A Delmarva and High-A Aberdeen in 51 plate appearances, he now has a full offseason to polish up his tools that can lead to success. Michael Marcantonini, who saw him at the end of the year in High-A called him "legit in centerfield in every way. He takes excellent routes to the ball... he just needs to cut down on the swing and miss." (Some of these words apply to the next guy). If Honeycutt can get where he needs to be, he serves as a true and legit power speed threat in centerfield. However, we'll keep an eye on the competition with the next guy vying for that job long term in Baltimore.
9. Enrique Bradfield Jr. OF Baltimore Orioles
Speed. That's Bradfield's #1 weapon. He was gritty as a Vanderbilt Commodore and is the stereotypical leadoff hitter. In three years playing SEC ball, he racked up a comical 130 steals which set the conference record by a long shot and had more walks that equaled his stolen base output than strikeouts (130/122). He slashed .311/.426/.447 for the historic program while also making highlight reel plays in centerfield (seriously, go look at his defensive highlights. It's insane what he's able to do.) His 80-grade speed and defense according to MLB Pipeline was enough to draw Kenny Lofton comps and go 17th overall to Baltimore in the 2023 draft for a full slot 4.17 million dollars. Watching some film, he offers a plain swing geared for singles and doubles but may be limited in the true impact department. At the same time, he makes up for it with his innate feel on the basepaths where all it takes is for him to get on first base, and he'll have a good chance to quickly turn that single or walk into a double or triple the way he runs. In center, you simply can't teach what he can do. His ability to cover ground and make it look easy on defense is unmatched, as it feels like a sure fire bet the ball will find his glove. His career MiLB slash line of .272/.358/.371 signals that he may not have added much pop, he's stayed true to who he is and what got him to this point, which will get him to the big leagues. Marcantonini said the same things about Bradfield's defense as he did Honeycutt's, as he also is "legit in centerfield in every way. He takes excellent routes to the ball, and of course he's just so fast. I think Bradfield is going to hit more than people expect. Marcantonini also believes Bradfield has more staying power in center over Honeycutt but thinks one could potentially get traded to make room. he can set the table at the highest level and rack up Gold Gloves perennially.
10. Chayce McDermott RHP Baltimore Orioles
In 2022, the Orioles dealt fan favorite first basemen Trey Mancini at the trade deadline to the Houston Astros in a three-team trade. Houston walked away with Mancini, and while he didn't perform up to expectations, he still got a world series ring out of it. Tampa Bay was also included in this deal, as the received Astros outfielder Jose Siri and traded right hander Seth Johnson to Baltimore. Johnson was later used to get Gregory Soto from the Philadelphia Phillies, but we are here to discuss the Astros pitching prospect dealt. McDermott made a statement after the trade: he wanted to make it worthwhile for the O's. He is one of the older prospects on this list, being drafted as a Ball State arm in the fourth round of the 2021 draft and has been more of a project as a college pitcher. I could have included Nationals right hander Cade Cavalli, but I don't see him as a true prospect since he would have graduated if he was healthy. The stuff has never been in denial since he has an above average mid 90s fastball with good carry, a slider that plays similar to a sweeper, with an average curveball used more so against lefties and fringy changeup that has looked like a splitter at times. The problem is his control has capped his potential. After a poor showing in the second half of 2022 when he entered Baltimore's system, as he posted a 6.08 ERA in 26.2 Double-A innings, he came back in 2023 to win the Orioles Minor League Pitcher of the Year, he put up a 3.10 ERA in 119 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, as well as racking up 152 strikeouts. It's an interesting profile since he's a volatile yet safe arm, which can put him in the mid to back end of the Orioles rotation, but the floor can be a nasty reliever that could get leverage looks, as the fastball slider combo can play up in short spurts.
I-95 LINEUP
C- Samuel Basallo (BAL, #3)
1B- Coby Mayo (BAL, #1)
2B- Griff O'Ferrall (BAL)
SS- Seaver King (WAS, #7)
3B- Brady House (WAS, #5)
LF- Vance Honeycutt (BAL, #8)
CF- Enrique Bradfield Jr. (BAL, #9)
RF- Dylan Crews (WAS, #2)
DH- Dylan Beavers (BAL)
P- Jarlin Susana (WAS, #4), Travis Sykora (WAS, #6), Chayce McDermott (BAL, #10)
Comments
Post a Comment