Yesterday afternoon, Prospects Live, a website that specializes in minor league, MLB Draft and dynasty fantasy baseball rankings, released their predictions for the Nationals’ 2028 roster. I wanted to break down some of their choices because, while I agree with many of their decisions, there’s also a lot that left me scratching my head. Remember, they are trying to predict what the roster will be like in 3 seasons with 0 outside additions, which is a futile task as there will certainly be free agency and trade additions, but some parts of the roster are still more likely than others to go into internal options.
Predicting Kebert Ruiz to be the Nationals’ starting catcher in 2028 after the recent acquisition of Harry Ford is a questionable decision, to say the least. While Ruiz did remain under contract that season, making it likely that he would still be with the team in some capacity, his performance did little to convince anyone that he could hold on to the starting catcher role for another three years, especially with Harry Ford already ready for the majors in 2026. The most logical explanation to me is that they made the predictions and charts before the deal fell through and forgot to update them, or Prospects Live still believes in a version of Cabot Ruiz that we haven’t seen in years.
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I like selecting Ethan Petry over 2028 first basemen Yohandy Morales and Andres Chapparo because I view him as a higher future prospect than those two and any other internal first base option in the organization. This seems like a position that may see free agent signings or trade acquisitions, either this offseason or in the future, but for the sake of this exercise, I like Petry as a future Nats first baseman.
I also like picking Luke Dickerson at second base over Seaver King, who is closer to the majors but doesn’t excite me as much as Dickerson does with his speed and power potential. I believe King can have a strong career as a versatile guy with the Nationals who can fill a starting role at a variety of spots on the diamond, but I’d have a hard time placing him at any one spot on this list. Luis Garcia Jr.’s absence is notable because he’s set to become a free agent after the 2027 season, and Prospects Live either doesn’t think he’ll return to Washington or is simply ruling it out for the impending free agency.
Shortstop Willetts is probably one of the easiest choices on their roster, as I think the only question is whether they believe he can reach the major league level in his age-20 season. If they don’t, King will likely be on this chart, but Willits will almost certainly be knocking on the door during his age-21 season in 2029.
It might be easy for the folks at Prospects Live to select Darren Lyle and Dylan Crews at the corner outfield spots, but selecting C.J. Abrams in center field in his age-28 season is an interesting one. While Abrams may have enough speed now to handle center field duties, his sprint velocity percentile has dropped every year since he entered the major leagues, and I don’t think that will stop as he gets older.
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Abrams’ arm is also already fragile at the shortstop position, and if he transitions, he’ll be one of the weaker center field arms in baseball. While I think it’s an idea worth exploring, in my opinion it’s more likely that Abrams will transition to second base rather than centerfield as he matures. For some reason, James Wood is not in the picture and they say he will be the DH for the Nationals in 2028, although I don’t think they should be considering him as an outfielder so soon.
In the rotation, Prospects Live considers Cade Cavalli to be the club’s three-year ace, with youngsters Travis Sykora, Jarlin Susana and Alex Clemmey not far behind. The decision to put Brad Lord over Luis Perales is a fascinating one and perhaps confirms my suspicion that these projections and charts were made before the Ford and Perales trade fell through. The absence of DJ Herz, who is only 27 years old heading into the 2028 season and has shown more promise than almost any Nationals starter at the major league level, is also surprising. Overall, I think they’re mostly in the money with the top four spots in this rotation, but the question is whether Cavalli and Clemmy can maintain their starting spots or become weapons in the bullpen.
According to Prospects Live, the Nationals’ 2028 bullpen outlook is extremely bleak; however, this is also the most difficult area of ​​the club to predict as the bullpen is constantly moving in the arms and will currently see the addition of several failed starters on the Nationals farm. Cole Henry as a closer makes sense because he’s probably more likely than anyone to still be a closer in three years, but I’m not sure he’s anything close.
Pablo Aldonis is a 23-year-old lefty who has struck out both Low-A and High-A hitters in 2025 and appears to be a good option on the Nats farm and the best option to be in their bullpen in 3 years. Pullin will turn 32 in 2028 and play for the national team in 2025, making him an odd choice as a starter, but he does have a lot of service time left, giving him a good chance that he can still be with the team by then.
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Overall, I think Prospects Live’s predictions for the 2028 Washington Nationals roster would be more accurate if they updated the rosters of Harry Ford and Luis Perales, but overall, they do a pretty good job of guessing what a team will look like in 3 years with 0 outside additions. As far as three-year prospects go, I believe this is the best future the Nationals have had since their rebuild began, one that includes current major league talent, young promising hitters, and interesting weapons on the farm.
