More praise is in for new Washington Nationals prospect and catcher Harry Ford while MLB.com points to a prospect to watch in the future
With the Washington Nationals set to report to spring training in less than 40 days, it has become as clear as ever that the same core will lead the team from the end of the 2025 season into the start of 2026.
With James Wood, CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews anchoring the roster heading into next season, the offseason buzz surrounding offseason trade acquisition, catcher Harry Ford, remains well and alive as the former Mariner was pointed to as the Nationals' most MLB-ready prospect with a 55% projected chance of making the opening day roster, according to Bleacher Report.
The Nationals acquired Ford from the Mariners in December in exchange for controllable lefty reliever Jose A. Ferrer, and now he is no longer blocked by Cal Raleigh. He still has Keibert Ruiz, Riley Adams and Drew Millas to contend with on the 40-man roster, but it's not unreasonable to think he could beat out Adams for the backup role this spring and push Ruiz for the starting job by midseason.
President of baseball operations Paul Toboni has pointed to Ford as a strong candidate of becoming the strong defensive catcher of the future for the Nationals, adding "I don’t think he’s close to what his potential might be" during Winter Meetings.
Ford, whose trade gave the Nationals a high grade from ESPN, admitted shock after his first move in the pros but now heads to D.C. with a chance to become the next key piece of the organization.
“It hit me pretty hard,” Ford said in an interview with local media last month. “They called me, and I was OK. Then I was with my mom, and I was pretty sad just about all I've known as the Mariners and the relationships and the people that have been around there. It definitely hit hard knowing I’m not going to see them anymore, or consistently.”
While Ford now ranks as the second-best prospect in the Nationals' farm system behind former top overall pick Eli Willits, MLB.com pointed to shortstop/ third baseman Marconi German as one to watch this season.
German was an international signing by the organization last offseason as he slashed .283/.479/.513 with eight home runs, nine doubles, 30 RBIs, 33 stolen bases and 43 walks drawn compared to 42 strikeouts across 53 games in the Dominican Summer League this past season.
A $400,000 signee out of the Dominican Republic last offseason, German didn’t fly under the radar long as a DSL midseason and end-of-season All-Star with a .283/.479/.513 line, eight homers and 33 steals in 53 games. He might be just getting going and at a good time, considering Washington’s changes in player-development infrastructure. The switch-hitter has better raw power than his 5-foot-10 size would indicate and a decent approach for his age. If the Nats’ new group can help German tick up in either skillset in his age-18 season (while he’s still very malleable as a prospect), then German could be a face of the club’s PD improvements.