Pitching shows depth for Washington Nationals Updated Top 30 prospects

The Washington Nationals have called up Top 30 prospect and pitcher Orlando Ribalta and he is the only prospect ranked by the Nationals in the Major Leagues.

He also sits at No. 29 in MLB Pipeline’s updated rankings, which may speak to the depth the Nationals have cultivated of late.

The 26-year-old right-hander was drafted in 2019 and signed for $125,000, a true draft and development story for an organization that now has 13 pitchers among its top 30 prospects.

The top-ranked pitcher in the organization is Travis Sykora, a third-round pick last year who signed for more than his $2.6 million contract and is now at Class A Fredericksburg. It could be a while before the right-hander is ready to help, but he is having an excellent season.

Three pitchers are in Triple-A Rochester and could be potential call-ups at some point. Right-hander Zach Brzykcy is ranked No. 22 and is working his way back into the system after missing all of 2023 with Tommy John surgery. He could be the closer of the future for the Nats, as he had 14 saves in 2022.

Right-hander Jackson Rutledge is ranked No. 27, followed by right-hander Brad Lord at No. 30. Rutledge, a former first-round pick, has already made his MLB debut but doesn’t have the service time to graduate from the prospect rankings.

Lord was selected in the 18th round of the 2022 draft and has progressed quickly in the Nats’ system, which has a reputation for getting ahead in the count.

Other promising pitchers in the top 30 include Double-A pitcher Marquis Grissom, the son of former major league position player and No. 26.

The system’s two highest-ranked players are also the ones likely to help out soon. Outfielder Dylan Crews was the No. 3 prospect in the new Top 100 and could be promoted when rosters expand next month. He has quickly risen from the final spot to Rochester after a standout career at LSU that led to him being Washington’s first-round pick last year.

House, another first-round pick, may need a little more time since he was recently called up to Rochester.

This year’s first-round pick, Seaver King, was ranked No. 5. He was one of six Nationals first-round picks in the Top 30.

(as ranked by MLB Pipeline as of August 13)

(rank, player, position)

1. Dylan Crews, OF

2. Brady House, 3B

3. Travis Sykora, right-handed pitcher

4. Jarlin Susana, LD

5. Seaver King, SS/3B/OF

6. Alex Clemmey, left-handed pitcher

7. Luke Dickerson, SS

8. Cade Cavalli, right-handed pitcher

9. Yohandy Morales, 1B/3B

10, Caleb Lomavita, C

11. Cayden Wallace, 3B

12. Daylen Lile, OF

13. Robert Hassell III, OF

14. Kevin Bazzell, C

15. Victor Hurtado, OF

16. Happy Angel, SS/3B

17. Andry Lara, right-handed pitcher

18. Jake Bennett, left-handed pitcher

19. Tyler Stuart, right-handed pitcher

20. Rafael Ramirez Jr., SS

21. Elijah Green, OF

22. Zach Brzykcy, right-handed pitcher

23. Cristhian Vaquero, OF

24. Jackson Kent, left-handed pitcher

25. Kevin Made, SS

26. Marquis Grissom, LD

27. Jackson Rutledge, right-handed pitcher

28. Andrew Pinckney, OF

29. Orlando Ribalta, right-handed pitcher

30. Brad Lord, right-handed pitcher