As at the big league level, performance in the Nationals farm system has been largely disappointing. There were some standout performers, but there were more bad ones than good ones. That’s due to a combination of injuries and underperformance from players in the 2024 draft class. However, there are three players in the system who have a chance to really burst onto the scene in 2026.
The first player I’m going to talk about is still currently playing baseball in the Arizona Fall League. While Seaver King has made a lot of headlines with his play in Arizona, I’m actually talking about Sam Petersen. He had a great 2025 season, but I think 2026 could be the year he puts his name on a lot of radars.
Petersen was one 8th round pick from the University of Iowa in 2024. Of everyone in that class of 2024, Petersen was the best performer. He achieved great marks at multiple levels in 2025. In 57 games, Petersen achieved hit .310 with a .905 OPS while hitting 7 home runs and stealing 23 bases. He did this mainly in notoriously pitcher-friendly High-A Wilmington.
The only thing that kept Petersen from making a real breakthrough were injuries. He was limited to just 57 games, so the sample size was small. That’s why he was sent to the Arizona Fall League. He kept hitting there, post an average of .276 and an OPS of .865.
Petersen has a solid combination of speed, strength and contact ability. He took his walks and kept the strikeouts in check this year. If Petersen can stay healthy in 2026, he will have a strong season. Assuming he continues to rake, the soon-to-be 23-year-old Petersen could become a dark horse top 100 prospect and join a deep group of Nationals outfielders.
The next player on this list of potential top 100 candidates has actually never pitched a professional inning. When Travis Sykora was drafted in 2023, Nats fans knew they had gotten a steal. His performances before he went down with Tommy John Surgery proved that. 2025 third-rounder Landon Harmon appears to be the next Travis Sykora-type arm to emerge in the Nats system.
Despite being in high school, Harmon’s fastball is already in the mid-90s and can be even touch 99 MPH. However, Harmon’s fastball is more than just pure speed. The pitch also has very good shape and spin. It’s one of those fastballs that just explodes out of the hand.
With a projectable frame, even more speed could be achieved. Scouts excited about it his arm speed and athleticism. The fastball is the star of the show, but he also has a good sense of spin. He has shown the ability to use several different breaking ball shapes. Like Sykora, his command is also solid for a high school flamethrower. With his natural athleticism, command could one day become an asset for him.
It will be interesting to see how aggressively the Nats move Harmon. There’s a chance Harmon starts in rookie ball and makes some starts there before moving to Low-A. However, he could also go straight to Low-A. That would be a sign that the organization thinks about him a lot. That’s what they did with Travis Sykora in 2024. If Harmon throws strikes this spring, he will likely be assigned there.
Once in Low-A, Harmon will have the platform to rise up the prospect rankings very quickly. Every year a few high school weapons from the previous design really pop. We saw Sykora do it in 2024 and last year the Mariners’ Ryan Sloan quickly became a top 100 prospect. None of these guys were first round. Harmon could be the next non-first-round high school arm who really blows up.
The last guy I want to talk about has played professional ball but has yet to play in the United States. That would be 18-year-old Marconi German. The Nationals signed several Dominican talents for more than $1 million last cycle. However, Marconi German, who signed for $400,000, was the Nats standout player in the DSL.
German hit .283 with a crazy .992 OPS in 53 games. That OPS was controlled by his crazy .479 OBP. German walked more than 20% of the time in DSL. Despite playing the season as a 17-year-old, German also showed a lot of power, which is promising. He hit 8 home runs, 9 doubles and 1 triple. That kind of impact is remarkable for a player who stands at 5’10 and 170 pounds.
He was one of the best hitters in all of DSL and has a real chance to break out once he comes stateside. There are some assessorswho are already doing their best and putting German at the bottom of their top 100 lists. I have to see him do it in the United States first, but he is certainly a player who can make a big leap next year.
On MLB Pipeline, he is mentioned as the Nats’ 26th-ranked prospect. Next year he will almost certainly be 10, if not 20 places higher than that. Given its performance level in DSL, German will likely come to the US.
He should start the season in the FCL, where he should spend a few months. Angel Feliz is a useful comparison for how German might progress. Feliz played 53 games in the FCL before getting a taste of 31 games at the Low-A level. German performed better than Feliz in the DSL, so perhaps he could be moved even faster.
The changeup hitting the middle infielder will be a popular name in the Nationals system and I’m very excited about his stateside debut. He is a player who can really hit the ground running. If he performs anywhere near as well as he did in the Dominican Republic, he will be a future top 100 man. His profile is quite rounded and he clearly has great plate discipline. This is one of the best Dominican prospects the Nationals have had in a while.
While 2025 wasn’t the best year for the Nats system, I think 2026 will be a lot better. With a new player development system and some emerging talent, there will be more real breakthroughs in the system. I can’t wait to see what happens on the farm next season.
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