MLB Pipeline Releases its Top 30 for Washington
With timing that’s as on-point as the Nats PR, MLB released its 2025 Top 30 Prospects for Washington yesterday.
As has been the case for several years, MLB’s first Top 30 for 2025 is in lock-step with BA’s latest Top 30 for the first six spots, and has nine of the same prospects in the Top 10.
However, there are some significant diffences, especially in the back half of the list:
- SS Luke Dickerson at #7 vs. #11
- CI Yoyo Morales at #13 vs. #22
- RHP Tyler Stuart at #15 vs. #25
- LHP Jake Bennett at #18 vs. #14
- OF Victor Hurtado at #19 vs. NR
- LHP Jackson Kent at #21 vs. NR
- RHP Brad Lord at #23 vs. #29
- RHP Marquis Grissom Jr. at #24 vs NR
- OF Andrew Pinckney #26 vs. #16
- RHP Evan Reifert at #28 vs. NR
- SS Kevin Made at #29 vs. NR
- OF Sam Peterson at #30 vs. NR
It’s pretty clear that MLB values the floor more than the ceiling, which may make more sense when you have certain interests (*cough* Fanduel Fantasy Baseball *cough*) but to be fair, that’s an age-old debate in prospect evaulation anyway, e.g., Do you value the guy who will probably be a middle reliever more than the pitcher who might be a #4 starter?
Now, back to the business of pretending spring training is meaningful for prospects while looking forward to another endzeitvergnügen.
This might be my favorite prospects list to date. They seem to strike a good balance of “ceiling” vs “reality”. That Green and Vaquero have almost fallen off the list entirely is depressing but reality after multiple dreadful season, while there’s still room to dream on Angel Feliz or Luke Dickerson.
I also appreciate that they haven’t yet bought into the Collective Morales Collapse that most other writers have (as we’ve discussed in detail over at NatsArmsRace).
It’s not unique to MLB, because everyone seems to be down on him, but I think everyone is sleeping on Andry Lara. He’s my new Mitchell Parker candidate, who was also chronically undervalued despite encouraging performance. But I’ll give it another season before I get really worked up, as Lara had very mediocre performances before the pieces fell into place in 2024.