In total, 65 players are participating in big league camp for the Nats! But it’s the top prospects getting most of the buzz!

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

WEST PALM BEACH, FL: Brady House in the batting cage, (L-R) Elijah Green, T.J. White, James Wood, Robert Hassell III (Photo by Washington Nationals)

The plan was for 66 full participants in the Washington Nationals‘ big league camp as of today when position players officially must arrive, but Stephen Strasburg‘s latest injury will have him as an excused “no-show” on the list to go with Tanner Rainey who is recovering from UCL surgery, on his throwing elbow. In total, 65 players are participating in camp, and the largest group ever. No visa problems or other delays. Most position players had been seen days or weeks ago. While a few players are recovering from injuries like Carter Kieboom and Jackson Tetreault, they are still going through their reps in camp.

In fact, many of the top prospects had arrived early in camp on February 1 like Robert Hassell III. The top prospects who are not on the 40-man roster like Cade Cavalli and Jeremy De La Rosa, are on the minor league side of camp. According to Mark Zuckerman of MASN, even the teenager, Cristhian Vaquero, is in the early minor league camp for top prospects. Last year was Vaquero’s first pro season as a teenager in the Dominican Summer League. He will take his reps for sure in an outfield that is loaded with talent in Baseball America’s top-10 for the team that includes James Wood, Hassell, Elijah Green, De La Rosa, and T.J. White. Of note, White will get reps in the outfield and first and third base too.

That photo represents a key part of a dreamed future Nats’ championship team to be skillfully pieced together in a bond like mortise and tenon in a classic wood joinery method with MLB position players such as Keibert Ruiz, CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia and others. Just add in a few ace pitchers, and the future Nats are set. By the way, none of those aforementioned position players are older than 22 except for Ruiz at 24 years of age.

The top prospects from the minor league side were invited to big league camp for BP. Green wasted no time bashing a home run in “live BP” off of MLB pitcher Cory Abbott. That’s a 19 year old homering off of a 27 year old MLB veteran.

Call him up!

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