Taking a look at notable Washington Nationals prospects

It is time to do a stock report of some Washington Nationals top prospects like Seaver King and Travis Sykora

Over the course of the season, I have taken a look at how some notable Nationals prospects are looking. The last time I did this about a month ago, a lot of guys in the system were performing very well. However, it has been a more up and down month for some of the Nats top prospects. I wanted to take a look at the good and the bad.

Stock Up:

1. Travis Sykora, RHP (AA): 11 starts, 44.1 IP, 1.83 ERA, 76 K, 16 BB

It seems like Travis Sykora is always a stock up player for me. That is because he is always performing at a high level. He dominated the lower minors to a comical extent with his dynamic three pitch mix. Sykora only needed six High-A starts before earning a promotion to Double-A.

His Double-A debut was shaky, with Sykora running into some issues with his command. However, the swing and miss stuff was still there. He will need to learn to be less chase reliant and pitch in the zone more, but I am confident that he will make the adjustments.

Double-A looks like it could be the first real test for Sykora. I am excited to see how the Nationals top prospect responds to the challenge because I think it will only make him better.

2. Brayan Cortesia, SS (DSL):

Brayan Cortesia was the Nationals most expensive international signing in the 2025 cycle. He signed with the Nats for $1.92 million. An injury in his first Dominican Summer League game put him on the shelf for a while, but he has been on fire since coming back.

Cortesia has only played nine games, but he has dominated in that time. He is 16/33 which is a .485 batting average. Only two of those hits have gone for extra bases, but the 17 year old has plenty of time to grow into power.

When he was signed, he was known for his smooth fielding at shortstop. However, it looks like the bat is also coming along well. Obviously, he is years away from the MLB, but Cortesia is a name to remember in the Nats system.

3. Davian Garcia, RHP (A): 14 G/13 GS, 65 IP, 2.77 ERA, 60 K, 39 BB

Davian Garcia was a sixth round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft for the Washington Nationals and he has been impressive in his first season as a pro. Coming out of Florida Gulf Coast, Garcia was mostly a reliever in college but has been starting in pro ball. After an up and down start, Garcia has really hit his stride lately.

He is not a top 30 prospect in the system according to MLB Pipeline, but Baseball America has Garcia as the Nats 27th ranked prospect. I think Garcia should absolutely be in the Nats top 30 based on his stuff and performance.

Garcia is mostly a fastball-slider guy, but both pitches are above average offerings. The fastball sits in the mid 90’s and can touch 98.

Being a two pitch guy with some command issues, Garcia might have to move back to the bullpen. However, it is worth finding out if he can start. It is worth noting that while Garcia had walk issues for a lot of the season, he has only walked three guys in his last three starts.

With stuff and performance, Garcia is an up arrow prospect in the Nats system. He is also young for a college guy, not turning 22 until October.

Stock Down:

Unfortunately, there have been more stock down guys than stock up players in the Nats system this month. While there have been some bright spots, a lot of guys have struggled, especially among position players.

1. Seaver King, SS (AA): .252/.297/.357 .654 OPS

Unfortunately for the Nationals, their top 10 pick in the 2024 Draft has not had the kind of season you would hope for. After an up and down first two months in High-A, King was promoted to Double-A about a month ago.

In Harrisburg, King has struggled with the bat. He is hitting .235 with a .604 OPS in 115 AA at bats. A lot of the pre-draft concerns about King’s approach and ground ball heavy batted ball profile have been amplified in pro ball.

King is hitting the ball on the ground over 50% of the time and has a walk rate of just 5%. That is not a combination you want to see, especially for a top 10 pick. With a lot of players drafted behind him now top 100 prospects, King’s development is concerning.

He still has so many athletic tools and was always seen as a bit of a long term project. However, even for a project, you would like to see better results and signs that he is capable of reaching his high ceiling. The Nats made a gamble taking King in the top 10 and so far it is not looking great. There is still time for the 22 year old though.

2. Luke Dickerson, SS (A): .238/.342/.360 .702 OPS

Part of the reason the Nats reached for Seaver King was to save money. With the savings, they gave Luke Dickerson a massive signing bonus in the second round. Dickerson is a prospect I still have a faith in, but he has not had the best time lately. However, I think he will be on the stock up list in no time.

After looking like a future top 50 prospect in May, Dickerson struggled in June. He hit just .176 with a .523 OPS. There was an injury mixed in there which we have to take note of, but it was not a good month for the 19 year old.

There is a good chance that this is an outlier month as Dickerson has looked better the last week or so. His underlying data was excellent earlier this season and unlike so many guys in this system, Dickerson has a strong, patient approach. To me this seems like a youngster facing a bump in the road in his first taste of pro ball rather than something to worry about. However, I have to be fair and say his stock is lower than where it was a month ago.

3. Cayden Wallace, 3B (AA): .207/.271/.333 .604 OPS

After coming over in the Hunter Harvey trade, Cayden Wallace had some buzz entering the season. However, that is pretty much gone after a brutal season in AA. At 23 years old, this was a crossroads season for the former second round pick who was a star at the University of Arkansas.

However, it has not gone well for him. The numbers at the top of the screen tell the story. He does not look like much of a prospect right now and he turns 24 in August. Unfortunately, Cayden Wallace is not much of a factor in the Nationals future anymore.

Others of Note and Final Thoughts:

Some other interesting guys from this month are Robert Cranz, who just got promoted, Alex Clemmey, who has not walked anybody in his last two starts and Jake Bennett, who is slowly getting back to his pre-Tommy John ways.

One interesting trend we have seen this month is that a lot of the Nats pitching prospects are performing pretty well, while it has been tougher sledding for the bats. Over the last couple years, it seems like the pitching development has seen some improvement. However, that same improvement has not come to the hitting development.

This was not the best month for Nats prospects and hopefully better days are ahead in July. The farm system is not bad, but it is probably a below average system thanks to graduations and a shaky 2024 draft. Nailing this upcoming draft is going to be so important for the Nationals future.