Baseball America’s latest Washington Nationals prospect update brought one obvious headline and one much bigger surprise.
Eli Willits remains the name at the top. The No. 1 overall pick in the draft sits as the Nationals’ top prospect, and BA’s tool grades paint a picture of a polished, all-around player.
His hitting ability and speed are both viewed as elite, while his fielding and arm grade above average. Power is still the lighter part of the profile, but it was better than expected in 2026.
Willits’ first full professional season backed that up. The 18-year-old hit 14 homers, 27 doubles and 8 triples in 114 games, while also walking at a 17.7% clip.
Baseball America noted that his pure bat-to-ball skills were only above average rather than elite, but his plate discipline helps the hit tool play up. The power numbers were more encouraging than the raw reputation suggests, too: he posted a 100.4 MPH 90th percentile exit velocity, an 89.2 MPH average exit velocity and a max exit velocity above 110 MPH.
That’s not a power-first profile, but it is real juice.
BA’s final note on Willits was eye-catching: he is tracking like an All-Star shortstop who could lead the league in stolen bases and runs. The 62 steals he piled up this season fit that description, and his aggressiveness on the bases has already stood out.
The bigger jolt in the rankings came a few spots lower, where Samil Serrano landed as the Nationals’ No. 5 prospect. That put the 18-year-old ahead of more familiar names like Devin Fitz-Gerald and Chris Hacopian.
Serrano only turned 18 a few days ago, but his stock took a real jump in his first year in the Dominican Summer League. The Nationals signed him for $1.97 million as their biggest international addition this past year, and he backed up the investment with strong production and even stronger underlying numbers.
In 48 DSL games, Serrano hit .310 with a .968 OPS and earned DSL All-Star honors. He also walked more than he struck out, which only adds to the appeal.
The writeup went even further, suggesting he might be the best pure hitter to come through the Nationals’ international pipeline since Juan Soto. The only comparison in that conversation would be Luis Garcia Jr., though Serrano is said to have better plate discipline and power at this stage.
One line in Baseball America’s report really jumped off the page: Serrano ranked in the 90th percentile of DSL hitters in contact rate, chase rate and 90th percentile exit velocity. In the statcast era, the only other player to hit those marks is Jesus Made, who is now the best prospect in baseball.
There’s still plenty to learn when Serrano gets to the United States, but the early signs are loud. He can hit for average and power, and while he isn’t described as a special athlete, his bat is strong enough to carry the profile.
Defensively, Serrano is playing center field for now. Baseball America sees good instincts out there, but with only average speed, he may end up in a corner. Even so, his athleticism and arm strength should make him a solid right fielder.
For a Nationals system that has not produced many standout international prospects lately, Serrano is a notable exception. He is likely to begin in rookie ball, though a summer move to the Fred-Nats would not be a surprise if he keeps producing. MLB Pipeline currently has him as Washington’s No. 16 prospect, but that ranking should climb when it gets updated.
Putting Serrano in the top five is a bold call, especially with safer, more established names sitting behind him. But it also tells you how strongly the industry views him. Baseball America’s list was a reminder of how high the ceiling is on both Willits and Serrano, and why Serrano is suddenly a name worth tracking very closely.
In Other News...
Nationals Suddenly Look Like A Real Fit For Seiya Suzuki
The Nationals have spent the winter and early part of the roster-building cycle making the kind of moves that suggest a front office still very much in accumulation mode, but with a clearer sense of where the next layer of talent needs to come from. Washington has already shuffled pieces like Curtis Mead and Connelly Early while keeping long-term cornerstones such as James Wood and CJ Abrams in place, and that combination of flexibility and control leaves room for a more aggressive step if the right bat becomes available.
Seiya Suzuki fits that conversation in a way he might not have a year or two ago. Washingtons projected payroll picture for 2027 remains relatively light, which gives the club some financial runway, and the timing could matter if Chicago has to sort through pitching concerns and a crowded list of spending priorities. The Cubs still have decisions to make on their own roster and future payroll, and if Suzukis situation turns into a real opening, the Nationals suddenly look like a team with both the need and the means to get involved. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Have A New Soto Story Fans Will Want To Watch
The Nationals have another Soto story worth following this fall, and it comes from a different corner of the organization than the one fans know best. Elian Soto was sent to the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League, where he has started to show the kind of progress Washington has been hoping to see after some uneven earlier seasons. He has reached base safely in all six games and has already connected for his first AFL home run, a promising sign for a player still trying to turn tools into steady production.
For Washington, the appeal goes beyond one hot stretch in Arizona. Soto, the younger brother of Juan Soto, has drawn praise from his manager for his energy and work ethic, and he has pointed to his own mental growth as a reason for the recent uptick. The Nationals do not need to rush anything here, but they do want to see whether this version of Soto can keep building on the improvement he showed during the 2026 season and make the fall league a real step forward rather than just a brief burst of momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Fans Have Another Soto Prospect Worth Watching Closely
Elian Soto is giving Nationals fans another reason to keep one eye on the Arizona Fall League this fall. The younger brother of Juan Soto just picked up his first home run of the 2026 AFL season, a reminder that Washington has another intriguing name in its system as he continues to work his way through the minors.
Soto spent the 2026 season in Single-A, where he hit .261 while showing some versatility by moving between first base and left field. Washington signed him as an international free agent in January 2023, and the organization is using this stage to give him more experience ahead of the 2027 campaign. [Read more 🡒]