17-Year-Old Nationals Prospect Could Be Their Next Big Thing
In this story:
The Washington Nationals are in need of as much talent as possible to get out of their current rebuild.
While many of their former top prospects are now starring at the major league level, the fact this team has taken a step back in terms of their record compared to the past two years is a bit alarming. It also signals that much more help is needed to truly have them competing at the upper end of the MLB.
Because of that, fans should be paying plenty of attention to the players on the farm to see who can become a future star for the organization, with Eli Willits being the one who will garner the most attention as the No. 1 overall pick.
However, there's another young shortstop who is impressing in his own right, with 17-year-old Marconi German tearing up the Dominican Summer League as he pushes for a potential stateside promotion.
Marconi German Doing Historic Things
Signed in January of 2025, German has wasted little time impressing during his professional debut, as the switch-hitting shortstop ha slashed .283/.479/.513 with eight home runs, nine doubles, a triple and 30 RBI through 53 games. He also has drawn 43 walks compared to striking out 42 times, stealing 33 bags as well.
Those are impressive numbers for the youngster, and as Paul Cubbage of Federal Baseball points out, those are statistics being put up that are rivaled only by what some of the organization's best have done over the years.
"Since 2006, his 162 wRC+ ranks 4th among all Nats prospects in the DSL, including 2nd among 17-year-olds. Among all DSL prospects in 2025, German ranks 8th in wRC+, 3rd among 17-year-olds at the level. For reference, Jesus Made, a consensus top 10 prospect in baseball currently, had a 167 wRC+ in the DSL last year, and top 50 prospect Lazaro Montes had a 165 wRC+ in 2022," Cubbage wrote.
Nats 17-year-old switch hitting shortstop Marconi German’s ranks in the DSL:
— Paul Cubbage (@PaulCubbage23) August 23, 2025
wRC+: 8th, 3rd among 17 year olds
HR: 8th, 3rd among 17 year olds
OBP: 13th, 4th among 17 year olds
SB: 8th, 2nd among 17 year olds
Keep an eye on him pic.twitter.com/aZ9TwBbobj
What makes this even more exciting for Washington is the fact that he's just 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, which signals that he could add even more pop to his swing when he's older and puts more weight on his frame whether he grows more in height or not.
German is someone to keep an eye on for the long haul. While Willits has projected to become the shortstop of the future for the Nationals, this 17-year-old could have a say about that with his hitting ability and plus-speed that has turned him into a great defender at this stage of his professional career.
How he looks when he does make the move stateside will determine a lot, but there's no doubt that Washington appears to have a future star on their hands with German.
More Nationals News
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