X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Washington Nationals Top MLB Prospects for 2017 Dynasty Leagues

The Nationals entered the season with the reigning MVP, a rotation with a pair of Cy Young-contenders and the best pitching prospect in baseball. So you could say expectations were kind of high for them to perform. And they certainly did . . . during the regular season. They finished the year with a 95-67 record, but were once again bounced out in the first round of the playoffs by the Dodgers.

But they should be right back in the thick of things this upcoming season and should be a legit challenge to the dynasty juggernaut Chicago Cubs. The Nats will have to hurry and get a title soon though, because unless phenom Bryce Harper lowers his outrageous price tag for an extension, they may only have their franchise right fielder until the end of 2018.

By the way, if you are interested in more MLB prospects columns, head on over to our 2017 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. Throughout the offseason, you will find the rest of our team prospect breakdowns, fantasy baseball prospect rankings, tiered positional rankings, keeper values articles, and more - all in one easy place.

 

Washington Nationals Top Prospects for Dynasty Leagues

Today I am continuing my list of prospect systems in the NL East. I have already covered the Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. Next week, I will cover the NL Central. To read more about my prospect coverage, click here.

Top Overall Talent: Victor Robles
Top Prospect who won’t debut in 2017: Victor Robles
The fact Robles is the guy under both these categories should not be surprising. Robles is without a doubt the top prospect in this system and would’ve been even had Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez remained in the nation’s capital. The 19-year-old outfielder is bursting with potential as most scouts envision him becoming the next franchise outfielder in D.C., especially as Bryce Harper eyes free agency after the 2018 season. Robles, to this point, has demonstrated an incredibly advanced approach to the plate for someone with his lack of experience and enough speed to man centerfield while also stealing 30+ bases per season.

But with all this said, it is still very unlikely he sees any meaningful playing time this season. It is within the realm of possibility that he could see time when rosters expand in September, but the Nats are quite happy with Adam Eaton and Harper in the outfield and they can put up with Jayson Werth for this season. They also have Andrew Stevenson who is likely going to be the next man up should any of the current trio find themselves on the DL this season. Robles is a future All-Star and potential 20/30 threat, but dynasty owners will need to wait until 2018 to reap the rewards of the young outfielder.

Top Prospect to Debut in 2017: Erick Fedde
With Giolito and Lopez now off to Chicago following the Adam Eaton deal, Fedde is now bar none the top pitching prospect in Washington’s system. The right-hander does not throw as hard as a lot of other starting pitching prospects, but he has a lot of life to his fastball and offers both an elite slider and above-average changeup to keep hitters off balance. Fedde commands his stuff well and shouldn’t have much of an issue translating his success to the big leagues. He reached Double-A last season and could be the next guy up if anyone in Washington’s rotation is hurt or proves to be unsuccessful.

Biggest Boom or Bust: Luis Garcia
Middle-infielders who can mash are not necessarily a dime a dozen, but Garcia has the potential to be just that: an offensive-minded middle-infielder. Scouts love not only his 6-foot, 190 pound frame, but the raw talent he has shown in batting practices and scouting visits. The big issue is that he is still very raw and only 16 years of age. He was born in the year 2000, which may not mean a lot to some of you, but it does to me. He’s quite young. He has the upside to be a special player, but owners will have to wait many years and be willing to take an extreme risk on him at this early stage in his career.

Biggest Sleeper: Austin Voth
Voth is not a flashy prospect by any means. He doesn’t throw hard and he never posts ridiculous strikeout totals in the big leagues. But year in and year out, he produces reliable results. Last season at Triple-A, the 24-year-old right-hander accumulated 157 innings of work while posting a 3.15 ERA and 3.53 FIP. He showed little struggles with walks (8.6 percent) and managed to post a strikeout rate north of 20 percent again, just as he does every season. The former Washington Husky won’t be an ace or a front-of-the-rotation starter, but owners looking for a backend innings-eater should be perfectly content with stashing Voth in the event he gets a chance to start in the big leagues.

 

Top Prospect Hitters

Best Power Hitter: Victor Robles
Most Likely to Hit over .300: Victor Robles
Best Burner on the Bases: Victor Robles
It really can’t be understated enough just how talented Robles is. Scouts have fallen in love with the future franchise centerfielder and see him as a five-tool outfielder in D.C. for many years to come. He is easily the most likely to hit over .300 in this system and the best burner on the bases, though Wilmer Difo also makes a valiant effort at the spot for prime base stealer. Just to give you an idea of how fast both those players are, Difo stole 28 bags at Double-A in 104 games and Robles stole 37 in 105 games split between High-A and Class-A.

As for the power, Robles may not necessarily have pure game power right now, but he seems likely to develop 20 home run pop in the near future. Though Carter Kieboom and Drew Ward can make an argument for being the top power hitter in the system, it is Robles’ proximity to the majors and ability to drive the ball to all fields that cements himself as the top power guy in the big leagues. It should be abundantly clear that Robles is an elite prospect and not one to miss out on.

 

Top Prospect Pitchers

Strikeout Machine: Erick Fedde
Best Command: Erick Fedde
Fedde is no Giolito or Lopez, but he can certainly hold his own. The 6-foot-4 right-hander does not possess the high-octane stuff of the aforementioned pitching prospects, but he knows how to pitch effectively and get batters to swing-and-miss. He had Tommy John surgery back in 2014, but has since recovered and threw 121 innings last year. He has also consistently maintained strikeout rates around 20 percent or higher and should be able to continue that trend into the big leagues. With his combination of excellent command and well above-average stuff, he should be at least a No. 3 or 4 starter (if not better) in the big leagues for many years to come.

 

Top 10 Dynasty Prospects for the Washington Nationals

1. Victor Robles (OF, A+)
ETA: 2018
Robles is a future franchise outfielder who should be viewed as one of the top 10 fantasy prospects in baseball.

2. Erick Fedde (SP, AA)
ETA: 2017
Fedde has both well above-average control and swing-and-miss stuff, giving him No. 2 starter potential.

3. Juan Soto (OF, A-)
ETA: 2020
Soto is still young and probably has a year or two remaining before he advances beyond Class-A, but the upside is there for a future star.

4. Wilmer Difo (2B, MLB)
ETA: 2017
Difo has plenty of speed, but doesn’t always drive the ball with a ton of authority. He might be a future starter at second base, but he will need to wait for Ryan Zimmerman to move first base open for Daniel Murphy first.

5. Andrew Stevenson (OF, AA)
ETA: 2017
Stevenson is a speedy, slap-hitting centerfielder who could become a future leadoff hitter. He will need to improve in his ability to make solid contact if he wants to really succeed in the future.

6. Carter Kieboom (SS, ROK)
ETA: 2020
Kieboom is still many years away from the big leagues, but owners waiting on him will likely be rewarded with a power-hitting third baseman (he will likely not stick at shortstop).

7. Austin Voth (SP, AAA)
ETA: 2017
Voth stands out as a future innings-eater for Washington in the backend of the rotation, though the excitement in Voth probably should stop there.

8. Koda Glover (RP, MLB)
ETA: 2017
Glover’s explosive stuff out of the bullpen gives him closer upside, but it’s never the smartest bet to count on a guy to take up such a volatile position as closer.

9. Luis Garcia (SS, NA)
ETA: 2022
Extremely gifted young shortstop has the tools to be a future offensive-minded shortstop, but he has a long way to go and a ton of development ahead.

10. Sheldon Neuse (3B, A-)
ETA: 2019
Neuse was a talented shortstop at Oklahoma, though he will have to develop more power now at the hot corner to be a viable fantasy option at third base.

 

Conclusion:

This system was looking like a top 10 farm system, having both an elite-potential hitter and two front-of-the-rotation starting pitching prospects. And then the offseason came rolling along. And while Victor Robles remains in the nation’s capital, top pitching prospects Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez along with solid pitching prospect Dane Dunning have since been dealt to the south side of Chicago in exchange for outfielder Adam Eaton.

The system now stands out for its depth than its star potential. There are several guys with average or slightly above-average projections like Neuse, Difo, Stevenson and the unlisted Drew Ward. But while Robles and Fedde have high upside, they are really the only two borderline elite prospects on the horizon as other high upside guys like Soto, Garcia and Kieboom are still many years away. This system as not as bad as many might think, but it certainly took a hit from the losses of Giolito and Lopez.




LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

ROTOBALLER PLAYER NEWS

Jose Miranda6 mins ago

Arm Showing Improvement
Byron Buxton11 mins ago

Looking Good For Opening Day
Jorge Polanco16 mins ago

Alex Kirilloff Could Miss Opening Day
Jalen Green21 mins ago

Questionable For Monday
Mark Appel25 mins ago

Phillies Release Mark Appel
Ja Morant26 mins ago

Could Return On Wednesday
Tommy Henry30 mins ago

Diamondbacks Option Tommy Henry To Triple-A
Tim Hardaway30 mins ago

Jr. Questionable For Monday
Jae'Sean Tate34 mins ago

Doubtful For Monday
Yoán Moncada35 mins ago

Yoan Moncada Day-To-Day With Bruised Rib
Lauri Markkanen40 mins ago

To Miss Monday's Game
Garrett Mitchell41 mins ago

Back In Cactus League Lineup
Luka Doncic45 mins ago

Downgraded To Out For Monday
Tua Tagovailoa50 mins ago

Dolphins Exercise Tua Tagovailoa's Fifth-Year Option
Tennessee Titans1 hour ago

Titans Finalizing Deal With Sean Murphy-Bunting
Carolina Panthers1 hour ago

Panthers Rookie QB To See Plenty Of Reps
Jerry Jeudy1 hour ago

Cowboys Were In On Jerry Jeudy
O.J. Howard1 hour ago

Raiders Hosting O.J. Howard For A Visit
DJ Chark1 hour ago

Panthers Still Talking With DJ Chark
Trent Sherfield2 hours ago

Bills Sign Trent Sherfield To One-Year Deal
Zach Pascal2 hours ago

Cardinals Agree With Zach Pascal On Two-Year Deal
Casey O'Neill2 hours ago

Takes First Defeat Against Former Champion
Jennifer Maia2 hours ago

Earns Decision Win Over Undefeated Opponent
Roman Dolidze2 hours ago

Suffers Setback With Decision Loss
Marvin Vettori2 hours ago

Picks Up Decision Win
Jhon Romero3 hours ago

Guardians Sign Jhon Romero To Minor-League Deal
Yu Chang3 hours ago

Held Up By Visa Issues
Brayan Bello3 hours ago

Looks Good In Spring Debut
Eury Perez3 hours ago

Reassigned To Minor-League Camp
Michael Soroka3 hours ago

To Make Spring Debut Wednesday
Matt Vierling4 hours ago

Playing Monday Against Blue Jays
Michael Lorenzen4 hours ago

Scratched With Groin Tightness
Kyle Busch4 hours ago

Finishes In Top 10 At Atlanta
Justin Turner4 hours ago

Back In Spring Lineup Monday
Ty Gibbs4 hours ago

Finishes Strong In Atlanta
Erik Jones5 hours ago

Gets His First Top-10 Finish Of The Season
Ryan Blaney5 hours ago

Bounces Back From Speeding Penalty
Denny Hamlin5 hours ago

Has A Strong Showing
Austin Reaves5 hours ago

Becomes Unlikely Hero Sunday
Giannis Antetokounmpo5 hours ago

Picks Up A Triple-Double Sunday
Jalen Green5 hours ago

Scores Game-High 40 Points Sunday
Jimmy Butler6 hours ago

Gets A Double-Double With Assists
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander6 hours ago

Drops 40 Points On Phoenix
Jacob deGrom6 hours ago

Looks Impressive In Spring Debut
Devin Booker6 hours ago

Goes Off For 46 Points
Nikola Jokic6 hours ago

Returns To Triple-Double Form
Jake Fraley6 hours ago

Should Be Fine After Fouling Ball Off Leg
Jesper Bratt6 hours ago

Hits A Hat Trick Against Tampa Bay
K'Andre Miller6 hours ago

Racks Up Four First-Period Points
Nolan Arenado6 hours ago

Expected To Be Fine After HBP
Jaroslav Halak6 hours ago

Keeps Predators Quiet With 22 Saves
Austin Nola7 hours ago

May Have Broken Nose In Cactus League Game
Alex Pietrangelo7 hours ago

Hands Out Four Assists
Jack Eichel7 hours ago

Nets A Hat Trick In Big Win
Matthew Boldy7 hours ago

Extends Points Streak With A Hat Trick
Jhoan Duran7 hours ago

Suffers Leg Contusion On Sunday
Jake DeBrusk7 hours ago

Erupts For Four Points Sunday
Jeremy Swayman7 hours ago

Registers Another Shutout
Tyler Reddick9 hours ago

Hangs in For Fifth Place At Atlanta
Juan Soto9 hours ago

Day-To-Day With Mild Oblique Strain
Corey Lajoie17 hours ago

Corey LaJoie Uses Course To Advantage On Sunday
Christopher Bell17 hours ago

Ends Up With Another Top Five Result
Naz Reid17 hours ago

Is Questionable On Monday
Christopher Bell17 hours ago

Brad Keselowski Noses Christopher Bell Out For Second
Bennedict Mathurin17 hours ago

Questionable To Make Return On Monday
Joey Logano17 hours ago

Goes From Pole To Win Sunday
Kevin Huerter17 hours ago

Uncertain For Monday's Game Against Utah
Kevon Looney17 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Monday
Rudy Gobert17 hours ago

Receives Questionable Tag For Monday
Jalen Duren17 hours ago

Exits In Third Quarter Against Miami
Detroit Lions17 hours ago

C.J. Gardner-Johnson On The Move To Detroit
Scottie Barnes17 hours ago

Exits On Sunday With Wrist Injury
Courtland Sutton18 hours ago

Broncos Unwilling To Deal Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy
Dallas Cowboys18 hours ago

Travin Howard To Visit The Cowboys On Monday
Ronald Jones18 hours ago

Cowboys To Host Ronald Jones On Monday
Adam Thielen18 hours ago

Agrees To Deal With Carolina
P.J. Tucker20 hours ago

Questionable For Monday
Tampa Bay Buccaneers23 hours ago

Greg Gaines Joins Buccaneers
New York Jets23 hours ago

Ben Jones Drawing Interest From Jets?
Houston Texans23 hours ago

Laremy Tunsil Gets Extension
Brandin Cooks23 hours ago

Traded To Cowboys
Roope Hintz1 day ago

Delivers Three Assists
Brandon Hagel1 day ago

Celebrates A Hat Trick Against Montreal
Igor Shesterkin1 day ago

Shuts Out The Penguins
Sebastian Aho1 day ago

Completes A Hat Trick In Overtime
Evander Kane1 day ago

Pots A Hat Trick Versus Seattle
Brad Marchand1 day ago

Tallies Three Assists Saturday
Nathan MacKinnon1 day ago

Has Three Points Against Detroit
Todd Gilliland2 days ago

Starts 23rd
Ryan Preece2 days ago

Starts 24th At The AmBetter Health 400
AJ Allmendinger2 days ago

Eyes Another Strong Finish
NASCAR2 days ago

Ricky Stenhouse Eyes Back-To-Back Superspeedway Wins
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

May Be Overlooked
Erik Jones2 days ago

Is A Value Play At Atlanta
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Seeks Better Results
Noah Gragson2 days ago

Might Surprise At Atlanta Motor Speedway
Austin Dillon2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Atlanta
Ty Dillon2 days ago

Hoping To Keep Car Running At Atlanta
Pittsburgh Steelers2 days ago

Isaac Seumalo Signs Three-Year Deal With Steelers
NASCAR2 days ago

J.J. Yeley Starts 34th Sunday At Ambetter Health 400
Blaine Gabbert2 days ago

Stops In Vegas For A Visit
Foster Moreau2 days ago

Visits With Saints
Jacksonville Jaguars2 days ago

Adam Gotsis Staying In Jacksonville
Roman Josi2 days ago

Exits With Injury Saturday
Joonas Korpisalo2 days ago

Hopes To Stay Perfect With His New Team
Mads Sogaard2 days ago

Looking For Form Against Toronto
Brian Elliott2 days ago

Starts For Tampa On Saturday
Jonathan Drouin2 days ago

Will Play Saturday
Mark Giordano2 days ago

Rested On Saturday
Kamaru Usman3 days ago

Seeking Second Title Run
Leon Edwards3 days ago

Looks To Defend Crown On Saturday
Rafael Fiziev4 days ago

Earns Huge Co-Main-Event Showdown
Justin Gaethje4 days ago

Set For Another Co-Main-Event Showdown
Jordan Spieth5 days ago

Trying To Pay Off Recent Form With A Win
Victor Perez5 days ago

Making A Rare Start On The PGA Tour
Maverick McNealy5 days ago

Still Shaking Off The Rust In Florida
Mark Hubbard5 days ago

Coming Off Strong Players Championship Result
Nate Lashley5 days ago

Finding Some Form To Start 2023
Wyndham Clark5 days ago

A Dangerous Name At The Valspar Championship
Justin Lower5 days ago

Looking To Capitalize On Weaker Field
Byeong-Hun An5 days ago

Flashing Vintage Form
Stewart Cink5 days ago

Looks To Stay Afloat At Valspar
Ben Taylor5 days ago

A Short-Game Wizard
Gary Woodland5 days ago

Has A Poisoned Putter
Martin Laird5 days ago

Playing Scared
Russell Knox5 days ago

Putting Putridly
PGA5 days ago

Adam Hadwin Looks To Continue Valspar Success
Justin Thomas5 days ago

Hopes To Get Putter Going At Valspar
Keegan Bradley5 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At Valspar
Eric Cole5 days ago

Continues To Play Well
Matthew NeSmith5 days ago

Could Be Considered At Valspar
PGA5 days ago

J.T. Poston Not An Option At Valspar Championship
Davis Riley5 days ago

Overvalued At Valspar Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick5 days ago

Has Risk At Valspar
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF