With Victor Robles finally graduating, the Nats tumbled from #16 to #23 in the organizational rankings. I guess we’ll just have to console ourselves with a World Series trophy.
Sure, it’s obviously better to be ranked higher than lower, but bear in mind that the Padres, Rays, and White Sox have been in the top ten in three of the last five BA books. Plus, rankings can fluctuate wildly. For example, the Yankees were #19 in 2015, #2 in 2018, and #20 in 2019; this year, they’re #17. The Red Sox: #5, #23, #30, and #22 over those same years.
If your thing is ranking by position, Carter Kieboom was the #3 shortstop, Luis Garcia, #19 (never mind that neither is likely to play shortstop for Washington, though perhaps elsewhere). Jackson Rutledge was the #29 RHP.
Now, let’s take a look at how last year’s Top 30 did:
| GRADUATED | Victor Robles, Tanner Rainey |
| TRADED | Kyle Johnston |
| RULE 5 DRAFT | Sterling Sharp |
| DROPPED OUT | Drew Ward, Ronald Peña, Gabe Klobosits, Tomas Alastre, Brigham Hill, José Sanchez, Telmito Agustin, Raudy Read, Gage Canning |
After 16 leaving in 2018, only 13 left in 2019. That’s a still a little high for churn (usually it’s 9-11), but I think perhaps not enough. That’ll be more apparent in the next post.
For the third straight year, there are eight players who are (or will be) 25 or older by the end of 2020, with six of them turning 26 (and one turning 27). That’s bound to happen with the Nats drafting consistently from the collegiate ranks (16 of the 30, 2 from JuCo’s).
I’ll close with the Top 15 for 2020. Last year’s ranking (if applicable) is in parentheses.
| 1. Carter Kieboom (2) | 6. Drew Mendoza | 11. Tres Barrera (16) |
| 2. Luis Garcia (3) | 7. Andry Lara | 12. Eddie Yean |
| 3. Jackson Rutledge | 8. Mason Denaburg (4) | 13. Jeremy De La Rosa |
| 4. Wil Crowe (5) | 9. Yasel Antuna (9) | 14. Matt Cronin |
| 5. Tim Cate (6) | 10. Seth Romero (7) | 15. Jake Irvin (10) |
Next post: Nos. 16-30 and tidbits from the writeup.