Washington Nationals minor league players

Minor league players and teams affiliated with the Washington Nationals professional baseball organization include:

Darren Baker
Darren John Baker (born February 11, 1999) is an American professional baseball second baseman in the Washington Nationals organization.

Baker is the son of former MLB player and manager Dusty Baker. Darren served as the batboy for the San Francisco Giants, while his father was managing the team. During game five of the 2002 World Series, Darren narrowly missed being run over at home plate by baserunner David Bell before being grabbed and lifted by his jacket out of the way by J. T. Snow, before a collision could occur.

Baker attended Jesuit High School in Sacramento, California. He was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 27th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and played college baseball at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2019, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star. After four years at Berkeley, he was again drafted by the Nationals, this time in the 10th round of the 2021 MLB draft, and signed.

Baker spent his first professional season with the Florida Complex League Nationals and Fredericksburg Nationals. He played 2022 with the Wilmington Blue Rocks and Harrisburg Senators. In July, he played in the All-Star Futures Game. Baker played for the Peroia Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League following the regular season.

Baker was promoted to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings to start the 2023 season.

Zach Brzykcy
Zachary John-William Brzykcy (born July 12, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Brzykcy attended Alexander Central High School in Taylorsville, North Carolina, where he was named Northwestern Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2017. He went on to attend Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he was the regular closer for the Hokies. He also played in the Cape Cod Baseball League during the summer of 2019, leading the league that summer with seven saves for the Falmouth Commodores. With the 2020 Major League Baseball draft shortened to just five rounds, despite ranking as the 180th-best draft prospect in 2020 according to MLB Pipeline, Brzykcy went undrafted. Brzykcy was scouted by longtime Washington Nationals scout Bobby Myrick and chose to sign with the Nationals as a non-drafted free agent.

In 2021, Brzykcy was assigned to the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks to begin his professional baseball career. He earned his first win on May 12, 2021, striking out seven in four scoreless relief innings.

On November 14, 2023, the Nationals added Brzykcy to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He was optioned to the Triple–A Rochester Red Wings to begin the 2024 season.

On the mound, Brzykcy is a right-handed pitcher noted for a fastball that has been clocked up to 100 mph, although it typically registers in the mid-90s. He complements that primary pitch with a sharp breaking ball.

Jackson Cluff
Jackson Paul Cluff (born December 3, 1996) is an American professional baseball infielder in the Washington Nationals organization.

Cluff attended and played baseball for Brigham Young University, but he took time away from the sport on a two-year mission to Atlanta. After returning for his 2019 collegiate season, Cluff was drafted in the sixth round by the Nationals and turned pro. Cluff made his professional debut with the Class-A Hagerstown Suns, hitting .229 with five home runs, five triples, and eight doubles over 62 games in 2019.

Although the 2020 minor league season was canceled, Cluff was named to the Nationals' 60-man "player pool", working out with other top prospects and some major league players in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was not called up to the major leagues during the 2020 season.

The Nationals invited Cluff to participate again with major league players in 2021 spring training. He was reassigned to the minors and began the season with the Class-AA Harrisburg Senators, two steps up from where he finished out the 2019 season. Cluff participated in the Arizona Fall League and was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year for his work as the regular starting shortstop with the Surprise Saguaros.

Cluff is noted as a nimble player with a quick left-handed swing and the arm and footwork to handle any infield spot defensively. As of the start of the 2021 season, he has spent the majority of his time as a professional as a shortstop.

Matt Cronin
Matthew G. Cronin (born September 20, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.

Cronin was a pure reliever at the University of Arkansas, coming out of the bullpen in all 65 of his appearances in his collegiate career. The Nationals drafted him in the fourth round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft, and after he signed with Washington, he was assigned to the High–A Hagerstown Suns for the remainder of the 2019 season. He put up a 0.82 ERA in his first professional season, striking out 41 batters in 22 innings, and was named to the Nationals' player pool during the COVID-19 pandemic–shortened 2020 season, although he was not called up to the major leagues.

Before the 2021 season, Cronin ranked as the organization's ninth-best prospect, according to Baseball America. The Nationals invited him to participate in major league spring training in 2021. After spring training, Cronin was assigned to the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks to begin the 2021 season, although MLB Pipeline speculated that he could rise quickly in a relief role.

In 2022, Cronin split the year between the Double–A Harrisburg Senators and Triple–A Rochester Red Wings. In 48 appearances out of the bullpen, he registered a combined 2.42 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 52.0 innings of work. On November 15, 2022, the Nationals added Cronin to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Cronin was optioned to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings to begin the 2023 season. In 14 games, he logged a 5.02 ERA with 13 strikeouts across $14 1⁄3$ innings pitched. On August 2, 2023, it was announced that Cronin would undergo season–ending surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back. Following the season on November 6, Cronin was designated for assignment after multiple players were activated from the injured list. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A Rochester on November 10.

Cronin pitches left-handed, with a fastball up to 96 mph that plays up due to its high spin rate, along with a splitter and a curveball.

Armando Cruz
Armando Junior Cruz (born January 16, 2004) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop in the Washington Nationals organization.

Born and raised in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Repuyblic, Cruz emerged as a high-level baseball prospect by the time he was 14. He played in the 2018 14U Select Festival and a Perfect Game showcase the following year in Florida.

Cruz was linked to the Washington Nationals as early as 2019, before he was eligible to sign with a Major League Baseball team. The Nationals officially signed Cruz for a $3.9 million bonus on January 15, 2021, tying the franchise record for an international amateur free agent bonus (with Yasel Antuna), one day before Cruz's 17th birthday.

At the time Cruz turned pro, he was ranked as the fifth-best international amateur prospect by MLB Pipeline and the second-best by Baseball America. A contemporaneous Minor League Baseball news report described him as possibly the best defensive player available in the international signing period, as well as an above-average runner.

Jeremy De La Rosa
Jeremy José De La Rosa (born January 16, 2002) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder in the Washington Nationals organization.

The Nationals signed De La Rosa as an international amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic, where he trained at the Quality Baseball Academy, for a reported $300,000 bonus on July 2, 2018. After signing De La Rosa, the Nationals sent him to their instructional league in West Palm Beach, Florida, that fall.

De La Rosa ranked as the Nationals' twelfth-best prospect entering the 2019 season, according to MLB Pipeline. Baseball America praised his "promising tools" and ability to make contact at the plate without swinging out of the strike zone. Mark Scialabba, the Nationals' player development director, named De La Rosa as one of his breakout candidates in 2019. De La Rosa did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, De La Rosa split the year between the Single–A Fredericksburg Nationals and High–A Wilmington Blue Rocks, playing in 101 total games and batting a cumulative .280/.358/.436 with 11 home runs, 67 RBI, and 39 stolen bases. On November 15, 2022, the Nationals added De La Rosa to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

De La Rosa was optioned to the Double-A Harrisburg Senators to begin the 2023 season. However, he spent the year with High–A Wilmington, playing in 93 games and batting .240/.324/.361 with 7 home runs, 42 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. Following the season, De La Rosa was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to the Triple–A Rochester Red Wings.

Mason Denaburg
Mason Alan Denaburg (born August 8, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.

Denaburg attended Merritt Island High School in Merritt Island, Florida. As a senior, he pitched to a 0.99 ERA in 35.1 innings along with batting .410 with five home runs and 21 RBIs. He committed to play college baseball at the University of Florida.

Denaburg was drafted 27th overall by the Washington Nationals in the 2018 MLB Draft. He signed with the organization on July 3. Denaburg did not appear in a game during the 2018 season. He made his professional debut for the Gulf Coast League Nationals on June 24, 2019. Over $20 1⁄3$ innings, he pitched to a 7.52 ERA, walking 14 while striking out 19. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In early April 2021, it was announced that Denaburg had undergone Tommy John surgery.

Tyler Dyson
Tyler Dyson (born December 24, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.

Dyson attended Braden River High School in Bradenton, Florida. As a senior, he pitched to a 6–1 record with a 0.38 ERA along with batting .333 with two home runs and 17 RBIs. Undrafted out of high school in the 2016 MLB draft, he enrolled at the University of Florida to play college baseball for the Florida Gators.

As a freshman at Florida in 2017, Dyson went 4–0 with a 3.23 ERA in 39 innings. Dyson started Game 3 of the Gainesville Super Regional of the 2017 NCAA Division I baseball tournament against Wake Forest and struck out seven batters over five innings, clinching a trip to the College World Series. He also started the clinching game of the CWS against LSU, which Florida eventually won. That summer, he played in the Northwoods League where he posted a 1.59 ERA over $28 1⁄3$ innings. In 2018, as a sophomore, Dyson appeared in 14 games (11 starts) in which he pitched to a 5–3 record with a 4.47 ERA. Following the season, he played for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League, compiling a 2.37 ERA in 19 innings. Prior to the 2019 season, Dyson was named to the Golden Spikes Award watch list along with being named a Baseball America preseason All-American. For the season, he appeared in 11 games (nine starts), pitching to a 3–2 record with a 4.95 ERA.

Dyson was selected by the Washington Nationals in the fifth round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft and signed for $500,000. He made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Nationals before being promoted to the Auburn Doubledays of the Class A Short Season New York–Penn League after one game. Over nine starts between the two teams, Dyson went 2–1 with a 1.07 ERA, striking out 17 over $33 2⁄3$ innings. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, he participated in major league spring training with the Nationals before being assigned to the Wilmington Blue Rocks. He was placed on the injured list in mid-June and missed the remainder of the season. Over ten games (six starts), Dyson went 1–3 with a 2.84 ERA and thirty strikeouts over $31 2⁄3$ innings.

Marquis Grissom Jr.
Marquis Deon Grissom (born July 19, 2001) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.

Grissom Jr. attended Counterpane School in Fayetteville, Georgia and played college baseball at Georgia Tech. In 2021, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 13th round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.

Grissom Jr. spent his first professional season with the Florida Complex League Nationals and Fredericksburg Nationals. He pitched 2023 with Fredericksburg and started 2024 with the Wilmington Blue Rocks before being promoted to the Harrisburg Senators.

His father, Marquis Grissom, played in Major League Baseball (MLB).

Trey Harris
Terone Sevante Harris (born January 15, 1996) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Washington Nationals organization.

Harris attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia. In 2014, his senior year, he hit .487 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs. Undrafted in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at the University of Missouri where he played college baseball.

In 2015, Harris' freshman year at Missouri, he hit .263 with four home runs and 22 RBIs over 53 games, earning a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team. As a sophomore in 2016, he batted .213 with one home runs and 36 RBIs in 53 games. After the season, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and also played in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. In 2017, as a junior, he compiled a .268 batting average with a career-high 12 home runs and 48 RBIs in 52 games. In 2018, Harris' senior season, he slashed .316/.413/.516 with 11 home runs, fifty RBIs, and 12 stolen bases over 56 games. After the season, he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 32nd round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.

Harris signed with the Braves and made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Braves, and, after 22 games, was promoted to the Rome Braves of the Class A Short Season South Atlantic League, with whom he finished the year. Over 53 games between the two teams, he hit .302 with one home run and 29 RBIs. In 2019, he returned to Rome, with whom he was named an All-Star. In June, he was promoted to the Florida Fire Frogs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, and in July, he was promoted to the Mississippi Braves of the Class AA Southern League, with whom he finished the season. Over 131 games between the three clubs, Harris slashed .323/.389/.498 with 14 home runs and 73 RBIs. He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Scottsdale Scorpions following the season and was named an All-Star.

Harris did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 2021 season, he returned to Mississippi, now members of the Double-A South, slashing .247/.317/.354 with eight home runs and fifty RBIs over 96 games. He returned to Mississippi to begin the 2022 season.

On August 1, 2022, Harris was traded to the Washington Nationals for Ehire Adrianza. He was assigned to the Harrisburg Senators of the Double-A Eastern League. Over 96 games between Mississippi and Harrisburg, he batted .241 with five home runs and 27 RBIs.

He was assigned to the AA Harrisburg Senators

Cole Henry
Jeffrey Cole Henry (born July 15, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Henry is from Florence, Alabama, and attended school at Louisiana State University. As a freshman, he was voted onto the 2019 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional All-Tournament team. He was also named one of the Southeastern Conference's Freshman of the Week on April 19, 2019. As a sophomore, Henry was the Friday night starter for the LSU Tigers, prior to the cancellation of the 2020 baseball season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That June, Henry was drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft by the Nationals and chose to turn pro.

Henry appeared in one game with the Nationals during 2021 spring training. He was assigned to the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks, alongside other top prospects, to begin the season. After missing time during the 2021 season with injuries, Henry was invited to participate in the Arizona Fall League alongside seven other Nationals prospects. Henry pitched as both a starter and a reliever for the Surprise Saguaros and was named to represent the Nationals in the Fall Stars Game, although he was unable to play.

Henry made 9 starts in 2022, split between the Double-A Harrisburg Senators and Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. In 31.2 innings pitched, he logged a 1.71 ERA with 34 strikeouts. On August 28, 2022, he underwent season-ending surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome. The procedure involved removing his first rib and a neck muscle.

On May 18, 2023, Henry returned to action, making a rehab start for the Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals.

On November 14, 2023, the Nationals added Henry to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He was optioned to the Triple–A Rochester Red Wings to begin the 2024 season.

A right-handed pitcher, Henry commands a fastball that touches 97 mph and has an above-average changeup. As of December 2020, he was ranked as the Nationals' third-best prospect by MLB Pipeline.

Andry Lara
Andry José Lara (born January 6, 2003) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.

Lara trained at Zulia Academy as an amateur, overcoming knee problems as a youth and adding considerable velocity as he grew in strength. By age 16, his fastball could run up to 96 mph. MLB Pipeline considered him the sixteenth-best prospect in the 2019 international amateur free agent class and the best overall pitcher. The Nationals signed Lara for a reported $1.25 million bonus on July 2, 2019. He was the Nationals' top-ranked international signee for the period.

In 2021, Lara made his professional debut, advancing during the minor league season from the Florida Complex League Nationals to the Low-A Fredericksburg Nationals while appearing primarily as a starting pitcher.

Lara is right-handed and was described by MLB Pipeline at the time of his signing as a potential future frontline starter. Along with a two-seam fastball that sits in the mid-90s, Lara throws a breaking ball and a changeup.

Daylen Lile
Daylen Anthony Lile (born November 30, 2002) is an American professional baseball second baseman and outfielder in the Washington Nationals organization.

Lile grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and attended Trinity High School. As a senior, he batted .550 with 18 home runs and 61 RBIs. Lile had committed to play college baseball at Louisville.

Lile was selected in the second round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft by the Washington Nationals. He was assigned to the Florida Complex League Nationals after signing with the team and batted .219 in 19 games. Lile tore his ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow during spring training and underwent Tommy John surgery. After missing the entire 2022 season while recovering from surgery, he to was assigned to the Fredericksburg Nationals of the Single-A Carolina League at the beginning of the 2023 season.

On March 2, 2024, during a spring training game against the Boston Red Sox, Lile was carted off of the field after flipping over the outfield wall while attempting to rob a home run. He was later diagnosed with a lower–back contusion.

Todd Peterson
Todd Richard Peterson (born January 22, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.

A pure pitcher in high school and a reliever for the Louisiana State University Tigers in college, Peterson attracted some media attention when he batted for himself and drove in a pair of runs in an extra-innings win over South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference tournament in 2018. Peterson later told reporters that he had convinced LSU manager Paul Mainieri to let him swing away by telling him he hit "bombs" in high school, which was a lie—Peterson's high school coach at Lake Mary High School had never let him bat in a game, he confessed.

In the 2019 Major League Baseball draft, the Washington Nationals used their seventh-round pick to select Peterson out of LSU. Peterson opted to sign with the Nationals and was assigned to the Class-A Short Season Auburn Doubledays. He appeared in nine games with Auburn in 2019, both in relief and as a starter, posting a 3.19 ERA.

Peterson missed the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic that canceled all minor league play. He pitched in the Nationals' instructional league in Florida after the season. In 2021, Peterson was invited to major league spring training with the Nationals, who chose to keep him with the major league team until nearly the end of spring camp. After being reassigned to the minors, Peterson was placed on the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks roster to begin the minor league season. Peterson pitched for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League after the 2021 season, one of eight players representing the Nationals. He closed out the final game of the regular season for the Saguaros, who went on to lose the championship game to the Mesa Solar Sox, and was the sole National to appear in the Fall Stars Game.

As of 2021, Peterson sports a fastball up to about 98 mph and a developing slider.

Andrew Pinckney
Andrew David Pinckney (born December 7, 2000) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Washington Nationals organization.

Pinckney attended McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, Georgia and played college baseball at the University of Alabama. In 2022, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star. He was selected by the Washington Nationals in the fourth round of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.

Pinckney signed with the Nationals and spent his first professional season with the Florida Complex League Nationals, Fredericksburg Nationals, Wilmington Blue Rocks and Harrisburg Senators. He started 2024 with Harrisburg.

Holden Powell
Holden William Powell (born September 9, 1999) is an American professional baseball relief pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.

Powell played for the Bruins at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he served as the team's primary closer in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, he briefly played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was drafted in the third round by the Nationals in the abbreviated 2020 draft and chose to sign with the team, appearing later that summer in instructional league in Florida.

Before the 2021 season, Powell ranked as the Nationals' 20th-best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He was assigned to High-A Wilmington, along with several other top Nationals prospects, to begin the season that May.

Powell employs a fastball and a slider as his main pitches. He uses a changeup and a curveball less frequently, relying on the slider as his primary "out pitch" while working up to 97 mph with his fastball.

Reid Schaller
Roland Reid Schaller (born April 2, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.

As a redshirt freshman at Vanderbilt University, Schaller was draft-eligible in 2018. The Nationals selected him in the third round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft, also taking his Commodore teammate, Chandler Day, in the seventh round.

Schaller signed with Washington and made his professional debut, reaching Class-A Short Season with the Auburn Doubledays in 2018. Slowed by an injury, Schaller progressed in 2019, pitching in the rotation for the Class-A Hagerstown Suns.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Schaller was unable to play in the 2020 season, although he appeared at the Nationals' instructional league in Florida later that year. He made his 2021 debut out of the bullpen with the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks, to which he was assigned along with several other top Nationals prospects.

Schaller's primary pitch is a fastball that has hit 97 mph in relief appearances. He offsets it with a slider and a nascent changeup.

Jarlín Susana
Jarlín Joel Susana (born March 23, 2004) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.

Susana signed with the San Diego Padres as an international free agent in January 2022. He made his professional debut that year with the Arizona Complex League Padres.

On August 2, 2022, Susana, along with MacKenzie Gore, Luke Voit, Robert Hassell, James Wood, and C. J. Abrams were traded to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Juan Soto and Josh Bell. He started his Nationals career with the Florida Complex League Nationals and was promoted to the Fredericksburg Nationals after two starts.

Team rosters, by league
Below are the rosters of the minor league affiliates of the Washington Nationals: