Like one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriends, Cade Cavalli has been dropped from the list. OK, fine: Maybe it’s not because he turns 26 this year. I suppose the Tommy John surgery is the culprit.
Robert Hassell also dropped from the lisst, though injury or not, repeating the level with very little progress is more likely to blame. Elijah Green, who finished with 150K in 83G also fell off the list.
Joining last year’s holdovers – James Wood(11, same as last year) and Brady House(55, down from 54) – is Washington’s first pick of the 2023 Draft, Dylan Crews(6).
Like I did last year, I’m gonna steal from the player capsules that are in progress:
DYLAN CREWS
College World Series champion. Golden Spikes Award winner. The Nats #1 pick (#2 overall). It was quite a year for the 21-y.o., who has supplanted Cade Cavalli as The Coming Thing for Washington. Crews has above-average skills in every facet of the game. If he does have a flaw, scouts say it’s a “slightly elevated in-zone miss,” which may explain the tepid finish at AA. He’s expected to adjust and will probably spend more time in the minors than the Lt. Dan’s would prefer.
JAMES WOOD
Wood led the Nats minors in HRs (26) and strikeouts (173). It’s the latter that needs to be addressed, as scouts have changed their minds about his pitch-recognition skills. He has the speed to play CF and swipe a base or 18 (in 21 attempts) but there are other candidates (*cough* Crews *cough*) and Wood has the arm to play RF.
BRADY HOUSE
The quietest three-level season in recent memory got House off the M*A*S*H unit and back to a position column for his third watchlist appearance. Back injuries are known to sap power, but the 20-y.o. slugged .497 with 12HR in carefully managed 88G. Scouts say he’s still chasing too much off the plate and not drawing enough walks. 2024 would seem to be about improving that as well as showing some durability.
We now return you to your Winnie the Pooh Day celebrations…
