The Washington Nationals landed four players in FanGraphs' top prospects rankings ahead of the 2026 season
The Washington Nationals were well represented in the updated FanGraphs top prospects rankings ahead of the 2026 season, though one could make the argument that offseason trade acquisition Gavin Fien was a notable omission from the list. But of course, it came as no surprise who led the way among the Nationals' prospects with Eli Willits drawing another top-20 ranking.
Eli Willits, 15
To the surprise of no one, shortstop and former top overall pick in last year's draft once again led the rankings of top Nationals prospects after checking in at 15th overall in the rankings. Once viewed as a controversial selection after becoming the youngest top overall pick, Willits also ranked 13th in MLB.com's prospect rankings after posting a .300/.397/.360 slashing line across 50 at-bats in 2025 with Single-A Fredericksburg as a rookie. FanGraphs pointed to Willits' potential of becoming a "true five-tool player" contingent on adding strength, as all young prospects are asked to do. Willits also proved himself as more than a bat after a strong defensive season with "great range and body control," cementing himself as part of the future. He'll now get a chance to team up with Fien in the minors.
Jarlin Susana, 29
Susana isn't expected to be ready for the start of the 2026 season with the expectation that he returns "sometime this summer," per Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal. Susana did reportedly make 15 throws from 60 feet as part of his rehab process with hopes of becoming a piece in the bullpen during the second half of the season.
But that doesn't mean there aren't high hopes for him after arriving in the organization as part of the Juan Soto trade back in 2022. Susana saw his best work through the second half of the 2024 season where he struck out over 35% of his batters across over 103 innings. But injuries proved to be the tale of his 2025 season after suffering a Grade 1 UCL sprain then tearing his right lat two months later, sidelining him for the remainder of 2025.
While he'll look to re-prove himself at full strength, his blend of power and signature slider have induced hope into what he can be for the Nationals with Simon Matthews working to get him back around the All Star break.
Harry Ford, 74
The most ready of the ranked quartet of Nationals, Ford begins his push to become the Nationals' catcher in 2026 after arriving in Washington in a late December trade involving Jose Ferrer. Ford arrived with high hopes of stabilizing the catcher position in a spring competition with Keibert Ruiz, now finally healthy after concussions forced him to miss nearly 100 games in 2025. Toboni pointed to focus defensively through the spring, though Ford will also split time with the Nationals and the World Baseball Classic after being named co-captain of Team Great Britain.
Travis Sykora, 109
Similar to Susana, Sykora isn't expected to be ready for the start of the 2026 season. But it's also likely that he's sidelined for the entirety of the 2026 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in late July 2025, likely sidelining him ahead of the season he was expected to crack the Nationals' pitching staff.
While the encouraging sign came last week after posting him throwing for the first time since surgery, it puts a hold as Matthews and the pitching staff work with the medical team to get him back to full strength after an impressive outing when healthy.
Across two seasons in the minors, Sykora has posted a 2.14 ERA with 208 strikeouts to 44 walks and two home runs across 130.1 innings and 32 games. FanGraphs pointed to Sykora's slider as his strength while noting his low walk rate as a 6-foot-6 pitcher in his debut season as a glowing reason for optimism.