Intriguing Youngster Highlighted as Nationals 'Best Power-Hitting Prospect'
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The Washington Nationals have plenty of intriguing players down on their farm.
Eli Willits -- the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 draft -- leads the discussion point when it comes to who could be the future face of this franchise. Add in the newly-acquired Gavin Fien and star pitching prospects Jarlin Susana and Travis Sykora, and there is a baseline for this fanbase to get excited about going forward.
However, there are some other prospects who can make a name for themselves by the time they get a shot at the bigs. And someone who plenty of people will have their eye on is Ethan Petry.
Ethan Petry Named Nationals 'Best Power-Hitting Prospect'
Taken in the second round of the 2025 draft, the slugger is someone who could make a quick climb up the minors based on his advanced hitting tools. Across 24 games with Single-A Fredericksburg following his selection, he slashed .287/.386/.414 with two home runs, three doubles, a triple, 10 RBIs and 13 walks drawn compared to 25 strikeouts.
But it's the power potential he displayed that really caught the attention of MLB Pipeline, as they named him the best power-hitting prospect in the Nationals' farm system.
"Petry set the South Carolina freshman record with 23 homers in 2023, added 21 more as a sophomore and was limited to only 44 games as a junior due to a sprained left shoulder. No matter, the Nationals still took him in the second round in 2025 and he made up for the lost time in the Arizona Fall League, where he topped out with a 114.8 mph max EV and regularly showed bat speeds above 75 mph -- much more promising signs than his .298 SLG in the desert," the wrote.
EXPECTO PETRY-NUM! 🪄
— Fredericksburg Nationals (@FXBGNats) August 16, 2025
Ethan Petry hits his first professional home run on Harry Potter Night! pic.twitter.com/VvLNOjt5AH
On the surface, this might be a surprising selection for some fans. Following the MacKenzie Gore trade that brought Fien over as the headliner of the return package, the main selling point for Fien was his power-hitting upside.
Seeing Petry get this accolade should only add to the excitement about what is being built down on the lower levels of the farm. Because there is no doubt Fien can mash the ball when he's at his best, which just signals how much power really is in Petry's bat.
What Washington's plan is for the 21-year-old will be interesting to monitor. Listed as an outfielder, he appeared in 11 games in left field last season. He also played four at first base and nine at designated hitter, so there seems to be some flexibility about what his full-time position is going to be.
Either way, Petry will continue to be someone to monitor as he climbs up the ranks. If he can live up to this distinction as the Nationals' best power-hitting prospect, then he could be starring in the nation's capital before too long.
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