Despite a strong MLB Draft, the Washington Nationals Farm System ranks low

Yahoo

2 days ago

Following the MLB Draft and the trade deadline, both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline updated their farm system rankings. Despite the Nationals having the number 1 pick and having a strong draft, their system is ranked in the bottom half of baseball. Baseball America ranks the Nationals farm as the 21st best, while MLB Pipeline ranks them 23rd.
Given the Washington Nationals struggles at the big league level, it is discouraging to see the farm this lowly ranked. For me, the biggest factors in this are graduations, the Travis Sykora injury and the disappointing performances from the 2024 Draft Class.
In their last four updates, MLB Pipeline ranked the Nationals farm system at 8th, 12th, 10th and 13th. However, since those updates guys like James Wood, Dylan Crews and Brady House all graduated. Those are three top 100 prospects who are now not prospects anymore.
However, the best farm systems are the ones that are able to replenish and find the next batch of talent. That is how teams like the Dodgers and Brewers are always at the top of these rankings. Under Mike Rizzo, the Nationals had a hard time restocking the prospect pool.
One of the big reasons why they rank this low is because the 2024 draft class has been a dud so far. Guys like Seaver King, Luke Dickerson and Caleb Lomavita have had slow starts to their pro careers. Lomavita has the highest OPS of the trio at a mediocre .702.
Baseball America mentioned that the Nationals really need one of their position player prospects to break out. The Nats were hoping that Seaver King or Luke Dickerson could do that this year, but they have not been able to. That is a big reason why the system is not ranked higher.
However, there are still positives to talk about. The 2025 draft class should breathe new life into this system in the coming years. Guys like Eli Willits, Ethan Petry, Landon Harmon, Miguel Sime Jr., and Coy James all have big upside. Petry has already made his pro debut and got a base hit.
This is my favorite Nationals draft in a long time and they should help the system rise through the ranks. However, they have yet to prove themselves as professionals. They need to show that their talent translates. However, these five guys should give the Nationals system a jolt of life.
Another guy who is on the rise is Jarlin Susana. Since coming back from his elbow injury, Susana has been dominant. He has allowed only five runs in his five outings since coming back. Susana has also struck out 31 in 18.2 innings in that time. He is holding his triple digit velocity deep into his starts and looks like a special talent.
Overall, the farm system is not where you would want it to be for a team that has been picking at the top of the draft for years. That inability to develop is a big reason why Mike Rizzo was fired. The 2024 draft class has also looked like a real disappointment so far, with Seaver King and Luke Dickerson really struggling.
However, it is not all doom and gloom on the farm. There is some really fun pitching talent and the 2025 draft looks great on paper. It is an exciting but imperfect farm system that should rise up the ranks with proper development. There are pieces for the next GM to develop. However, we need to see the player development improve for the Nats to become a sustainable winner.