Baseball America just released their list of the top ten prospects in the Nationals organization. Guess who might headline that list?
You guessed it, Bryce Harper. Even before playing a single game in the minor leagues, Harper headlines this list. It's going to be tough for him to live up to these expectations over the next few years. But if he has even half the bat be seems to, he should dominate the minor leagues right from the get go. Check out the full list after the jump.
- Bryce Harper, OF
- Derek Norris, C
- Danny Espinosa, INF
- A.J. Cole, P
- Wilson Ramos, C
- Sammy Solis, P
- Cole Kimball, P
- Eury Perez, OF
- Chris Marrero, 1B
- Brad Peacock, P
Espinosa made his major league debut towards the end of the season last year and was extremely impressive. Showing up third on this list is a good omen for Derek Norris and Bryce Harper, the names that appear before him.
Norris is a solid hitter who is still learning the catching position. If Wilson Ramos or Jesus Flores (the Nationals other top catching prospect) work out at that position, Norris might be able to fill in at first base.
The other interesting thing about this list is that it features two pitchers that the Nationals selected in the most recent MLB Amateur draft; Sammy Solis and A.J. Cole. Solis and Cole were picked in the second and fourth round respectively, and received much higher bonuses than players normally drafted in their slot. Cole is particularly intriguing because he had the talent to go in the first round, but fell because teams felt that he would probably go to College for at least a year, or that he would be too expensive. The Nats took a chance on him, hopefully it pans out.