Three Nationals Prospects That Could Benefit From a Bounce-Back in 2026
In this story:
Despite firing general manager Mike Rizzo in part because of his inability to build the farm system of late, the Washington Nationals prospect list look better than it has in a few years. It's now time for new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni to capitalize on that and continue to build it up as a former scout himself.
The system is headlined by first overall pick Eli Willits and pitchers Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana, but it has gotten deeper in just the last year. There are currently eight prospects competing in the Arizona Fall League, one of whom will appear on this list.
The fall league is important for prospects who are on the fringes or need more at-bats to face elite caliber opposition, but there's only a certain amount of players who get to go. So, if someone had a bad season, they'll most likely need to wait a year. Doing over the course of a regular season is all that matters, though, especially if one needs to turn the tide.
SS Seaver King
King also appeared on the "Three Nationals Prospects to Watch" earlier in the month, and his need for a bounce-back is the reason why. King was the final pick for Rizzo and went 10th overall in the 2024 draft. The shortstop out of Wake Forest showed a nice power-speed combination in his final season.
He played just 20 games after being draft, hitting three triple and swiping 10 bases, but it was a small sample size. The 22-year-old played his first full season in 2025 and was pretty disappointing.
In 125 games, King hit .244 with a .631 OPS, 19 doubles, five triples, six homers and 30 stolen bases. Although he set a career high in stolen bases at any level, which is a big part of his game, the power was almost non-existent. A .337 slugging percentage on the season is tough to overcome.
Not only did King not hit for power, but he didn't get on base and struck out 21.1 percent of the time. A player can get away with striking out if he's hitting for power, but that wasn't the case.
King was one of the players sent to play in the Fall League and he's taken full advantage of it. In seven games, he's hitting .419 with five doubles and two home runs, posting a 1.260 OPS. His performance is showing he can compete against high-level pitching and could fast track his upcoming bounce-back.
RHP Andry Lara
Lara is a player that already made his Major League debut in 2025, but had a weird season overall. The right-hander signed with the team in 2019 and reached Triple-A and the majors at a 22-year-old, but things spiraled pretty quickly thereafter.
Lara was coming off of an excellent season in 2024. He started 25 games, posting a 3.34 ERA and striking out 132 batters in 134.2 innings. The right-hander showed excellent control, posting a 2.9 BB/9 and 1.158 WHIP.
Upon his promotions to Triple-A and MLB, Lara was take out of the rotation for the most part. In 17 games at Triple-A, he started only six and he made nine relief appearances in the big leagues.
He was called up straight from Double-A to the majors where he made nine relief appearnaces, throwing 14.1 innings, walking eight while only striking out 10. He posted an 8.79 ERA before being sent back down to Triple-A, where he had an 8.92 ERA, 6.4 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9.
It all came undone for Lara in 2025, but the jump from Double-A to the majors is extremely difficult, especially when you're asked to do something you've never done in career and come out of the bullpen. From what he had shown in previous seasons, it's possible that he could find a spot in the rotation in the future, but he needs to settle in at the higher levels.
OF Elijah Green
Time is running out for the former top five pick as he heads into 2026. Selected at number five overall in the 2022 draft, Greene was seen as one of, if not the top high school bat in the class. Since enetering pro ball, it just hasn't worked out for the 21-year-old who hasn't made it to Double-A yet.
Green's first full season came in 2023 when he was 19. In 83 games, Green hit .218 with a .663 OPS, two triples, five homers and 31 stolen bases. It appeared that there could be a bit of a strikeout problem creeping up which ultimatley reared its ugly head in 2024 when he struck out 204 times in just 106 games.
Green his a career high 13 homers and stole 39 bases that season, but the OPS and on-base percentage dropped in what was ultimately his worst season.
He course corrected a bit though, and in 81 games in 2025, struck out only 127 times and raised his on-base percentage from .293 to .320, which was monumental. His slugging percentage was the highest it's ever been at .372, but the OPS still didn't crack .700.
It's though to see the road to stardom for the once well thought of prospect. But because there is so much talent, it's difficult to give up on him. According to his MLB Pipeline scouting report from the 2024 top 30 list, four of his five tools were given plus grades. He's a plus-plus runner with 60 grade power who can play good outfield.
The issue is a 30 grade hit tool, which will make it incredibly difficult to succeed because there just isn't much contact. The once sky high ceiling is gone, but Green needs to make some steps forward in 2026 if he wants to continue on in his career.
