Keep an Eye on This Nationals Prospect to Breakout in 2026
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The Washington Nationals turned the keys to this rebuild over to someone else when they replaced longtime general manager Mike Rizzo with up-and-coming executive Paul Toboni.
At 35 years old, Toboni has wasted little time transforming this organization into the vision he wants, leaning on fellow young executives throughout his front office and making Blake Butera the youngest MLB manager in over 70 years at the age of 31.
How it works out is anyone's guess, but this is the most strategic this rebuild has seemed to be since the Nationals officially decided to tear things down in the midst of the 2022 season when they traded away Juan Soto.
Because of that, there are plenty of young prospects in Washington's farm system who will be relied upon to reach their ceilings and become the next foundational pieces of this franchise. And someone who is a bit under the radar compared to others in that regard is Marconi German.
Marconi German Could Be Nationals' Breakout Prospect in 2026
The 18-year-old shortstop is coming off an incredible showing in the Dominican Summer League this past season where he slashed .283/.479/.513 with eight home runs, nine doubles, 30 RBIs, 43 walks drawn compared to 42 strikeouts and 33 stolen bases across 53 games.
Considering the Nationals signed him as an international free agent in January 2025, that type of early return was about as impressive as anyone could have envisioned. And because of that, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report listed German as Washington's "most likely breakout MLB prospect" for the 2026 campaign.
Marconi German switch hitting SS is becoming quite a story in the DSL. He’s tied for third place in the league with 5 HRs. Has about 20 less ABs than first and second. Also has 15 SBs and 21 BB/13 Ks. pic.twitter.com/u7HEM03GsM
— Nationals Source (@NationalsSource) July 4, 2025
German has been highlighted on a few different occasions for his ceiling and what he accomplished in 2025. So to see him get this type of recognition isn't all that surprising. However, it will be interesting to see if he can live up to that billing if he comes stateside.
While the youngster was primarily competing against older competition in the DSL -- which makes what he did even more impressive -- making the leap to playing in the United States can sometimes be a struggle for prospects.
German has all the tools in the world to become a featured part of this franchise at some point during his career. And even though Toboni and this current regime didn't sign him, they had to have taken notice about what was accomplished in 2025.
Nationals fans should be keeping a close eye on what German does during the upcoming season, because he could be the next star prospect in this pipeline.
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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