Nationals' New Updated Top 30 Prospects List Sees Some Notable Changes
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MLB Pipeline just updated their top 30 prospects for every team across Major League Baseball, and there were some notable changes when it came to the Washington Nationals' list.
With members of the 2026 draft class now making their professional debuts at their respective affiliate levels across the minors, those players have been included in the rankings. Same with prospects who were acquired ahead of this year's trade deadline, which makes this update the most accurate when it comes to where things currently stand on the farm around the majors.
Below are the rankings and were each of the Nationals' top 30 prospects fall.
Nos. 26-30
-No. 26: INF Marconi German
-No. 27: RHP Yovanny Cruz
-No. 28: OF Yeremy Cabrera
-No. 29: OF Sam Petersen
-No. 30: C Caleb Lomavita
Starting with Marconi German, there was a lot of buzz surrounding him after what he did in the Dominican Summer League last season. The 18-year-old came stateside this season with the Florida Complex League affiliate. He flashed a bit with a .246/.425/.486 slash line, seven home runs and 31 RBIs across 50 games. He's someone to keep an eye on.
Yovanny Cruz was acquired from the New York Yankees in the Luis Garcia Jr. trade. He likely isn't long for this list since he's on the major league roster and will graduate soon. So someone will have to backfill his spot.
As for Yeremy Cabrera and Sam Petersen, they dropped to the outer level of the rankings. Cabrera, after tearing up Single-A, has struggled at High-A. It seems like the 21-year-old has some more development to do, which is probably the reason for his fall. Petersen, however, is already at Triple-A in his second full season of professional baseball, and he's hit well along the way. His ceiling might be lower, which could be the cause for his modest ranking. But he looks like he can contribute.
Caleb Lomavita is interesting. He's slashing .245/.314/.457 at Double-A. He's hit 12 homers with 32 extra-base hits and 46 RBIs through 77 games. Yet, he dropped in the rankings and it's not clear what the ceiling is for the 23-year-old.
Nos. 21-25
-No. 21: RHP Ben Grable
-No. 22: INF/OF Luke Dickerson
-No. 23: SS Luke Williams
-No. 24: RHP Cooper Harris
-No. 25: RHP Yoel Tejeda Jr.
This range is really where the first crop of new faces can be seen.
For starters, shortstop Luke Williams and right-handed pitcher Cooper Harris were part of the 2026 draft class, as Williams was taken in the third round out of Franklin Regional High School in Pennsylvania and Harris was selected in the fourth round out of Flower Mound High School in Texas. Both players signed substantial over-slot deals, which allowed Washington to get them into their pipeline now instead of losing them to the college ranks.
Ben Grable was another returning piece from the Yankees in the Garcia trade. He's looked like a high-end reliever this year during his first professional season with a 2.21 ERA across 36 appearances, including four scoreless innings with Harrisburg where he's rung up seven and walked none.
Sticking with pitchers, Yoel Tejeda Jr. was a faller in this update. He's struggled in his four starts at Double-A, and there are some questions about his long-term ceiling. So it wasn't shocking to see him get bumped down the list. However, Luke Dickerson falling to outside of the top 20 was notable. Drafted in the second round out of high school in 2024, there was a lot of hype about what he could become. But there still appears to be a learning curve there, which likely is why he dropped.
Nos. 16-20
-No. 16: OF Samil Serrano
-No. 17: 1B Ethan Petry
-No. 18: LHP Alex Clemmey
-No. 19: 1B Abimelec Ortiz
-No. 20: RHP Alejandro Rosario
Right off the bat, Abimelec Ortiz is not long for this list. He's been called up to The Show, and he looks the part of a future star in the majors based on what he's done to start his big league career. So this list will see another update once he officially graduates from prospect status.
Another player who was acquired as part of the MacKenzie Gore return package from this past winter was right-handed pitcher Alejandro Rosario. But he hasn't been able to showcase what he can do after he underwent Tommy John surgery.
Seeing Ethan Petry and Alex Clemmey drop to where they are in the rankings was a bit surprising. Petry has crushed the ball this year with 18 home runs, 37 extra-base hits and 61 RBIs. But despite hitting the ball over the fence with Harrisburg, he's struggled with a slash line of .212/.280/.424 and 63 strikeouts over 47 games. His development is something to keep an eye on, as he might just be a boom-or-bust hitter in his career. Similarly, Clemmey has taken a bit of a step back this season with a 4.51 ERA across 23 appearances (21 starts) with 110 K's to 68 walks in 103 2/3 innings.
Samil Serrano was signed as part of the 2026 international free agent class. He's 17 years old and is a 6-foot-3, 175-pound outfielder with a smooth left-handed swing that could generate some pop when he gets older. He slashed .312/.433/.543 with the DSL this season while also hitting five home runs, nine doubles, four triples and 24 RBIs across 46 games.
Nos. 11-15
-No. 11: RHP Landon Harmon
-No. 12: RHP Luis Perales
-No. 13: OF Chase Brunson
-No. 14: RHP Jack Cebert
-No. 15: INF Coy James
This is an interesting group that also features some new faces, as Chase Brunson -- 2026 second-round pick -- and Jack Cebert -- part of the Garcia return from New York -- make their debuts in Washington's top 30 at Nos. 13 and 14, respectively. There are high hopes for what both of them can accomplish, as Brunson brings two-way potential to center field and Cebert adds a big-time starting arm to the mix.
Landon Harmon is someone who was supposed to be in the next crop of stars for the Nationals when he was taken in the third round of the 2025 draft out of high school. The 19-year-old has looked good for Single-A Fredericksburg with a 1.67 ERA, but an injury has limited him to just nine appearances (eight starts) throughout the season.
Luis Perales is an interesting prospect to keep an eye on. After Jackson Kent was promoted to the bigs, there's a chance Perales could be the next one who gets the call. He has had ups and downs this year, but he is coming off a sensational month of July and could finish the season in The Show.
As for Coy James, the 2025 fifth-round pick has set an affiliate record with Fredericksburg by hitting 18 home runs. There's still a clear developmental curve for the 19-year-old since he's slashing .231/.346/.431 with 105 strikeouts across 98 games. But he might be the most underrated prospect in this pipeline based on what he's done at his age and what his ceiling could be.
Nos. 6-10
-No. 6: INF Chris Hacopian
-No. 7: INF Ronny Cruz
-No. 8: OF Gavin Fien
-No. 9: LHP Jackson Kent
-No. 10: RHP Miguel Sime Jr.
Getting into the upper echelon of Washington's updated pipeline rankings, 2026 first-round draft pick Chris Hacopian makes his debut at No. 6. Considering the hit tool he has, there is a lot of excitement about what he could become. He was sent to High-A and wasted little time getting his first professional hit.
Ronny Cruz slowed down after his scalding start to the season. He's slashed .226/.303/.356 with Wilmington across 85 games. He has hit eight home runs with 25 extra-base hits and 42 RBIs, but the 19-year-old no longer seems like he's on a rocket ship trajectory like he appeared to be on at the start of this campaign.
Kent won't be long for this prospect list after what he showed in his MLB debut. The Nationals seemed prepared to let him finish the season in their big league rotation, and that was before he flashed some really high-end stuff against the Chicago Cubs. So his spot will have to be backfilled once he graduates from status.
However, the duo of Miguel Sime Jr. and Gavin Fien will likely be on this list for a while. Both are 19, and both have a lot of developing to do after being drafted out of high school. Sime has flashed more upside at this stage of his career based on the ridiculous stuff he possesses, but Fien has started to remind people why he was drafted in the first round in 2025.
Nos. 1-5
-No. 1: SS Eli Willits
-No. 2: RHP Travis Sykora
-No. 3: RHP Jarlin Susana
-No. 4: INF Seaver King
-No. 5: INF Devin Fitz-Gerald
It should be no surprise that Eli Willits continues to sit atop Washington's prospect rankings. After all, he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft, and he's lived up to that billing every step of the way during the early part of his career. Now with High-A Wilmington, he's added the longball to his game, as he's hit seven homers with nine doubles, two triples and 26 RBIs across 45 games with a slash line of .239/.428/.458.
Travis Sykora is still on the shelf recovering from Tommy John surgery. So him staying as a top three prospect in this improving farm system shows what type of ceiling he has. Jarlin Susana has returned after undergoing lat surgery late last season. And he'll try to position himself for a potential major league callup in 2027.
Seaver King is hoping his big league promotion doesn't take that long. He's had an incredible bounce back year, as he's slashing .296/.368/.486 with Triple-A Rochester in his first taste of that level. He's also added pop to his game with double-digit home runs.
Devin Fitz-Gerald tore up High-A to start the year. That caused the Nationals to send him to Harrisburg. He's been challenged more at that level with a .200/.263/.261 slash line across 42 games. But the 20-year-old has a huge ceiling, and getting this experience now should benefit him long term.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai