Saturday, October 17

Welcome to the offseason edition of the Nationals Beat newsletter. This is your stop for the latest on and off the field, from news to exclusive player interviews and insights, brought to you by MLB.com club reporter Jessica Camerato.

It has been a few years now that Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana have headlined the Nationals’ pitching prospects. 

This season, the Nats bulked up their Minor League pitching depth to join Susana and Sykora in the pool of promising young arms. Among those acquired at the Trade Deadline were right-handers Jack Cebert and Ben Grable and lefty Josh Hartle. 

MLB Pipeline projects this trio will debut next season. Here's more about three prospects on the rise in 2027.

RHP Jack Cebert, No. 14 prospect
Age: 24
Finished the season: Triple-A Rochester

The Nationals acquired Cebert from the Yankees in the Luis García Jr. trade. In his first full season of pro ball, the 2025 15th-round Draft pick out of Texas Tech advanced from High-A Somerset (Yankees) to Triple-A Rochester (Nationals). 

Cumulatively, Cebert went 5-6 with a 4.03 ERA in 20 starts (24 appearances total). He recorded a 10 K/9 rate and a 3.5 BB/9 mark across 109 1/3 innings. Cebert was 1-2 with a 4.86 ERA in three starts (five games total) with the Red Wings. He also pitched two scoreless innings as the starter in the Triple-A National Championship series. 

MLB Pipeline evaluated Cebert with the following scouting grades: Fastball: 50, Curveball: 50, Slider: 55, Cutter: 50, Control: 50, Overall: 45. 

RHP Ben Grable, No. 20 prospect
Age: 24
Finished the season: Triple-A Rochester

Like Cebert, Grable was part of the García trade with the Yankees. A 2025 11th-round Draft pick out of Indiana University, Grable did not pitch in pro ball until this season. He also advanced from High-A to Triple-A. 

Grable made 48 relief appearances this season. He went 3-1 with a 3.04 ERA and four saves, and he posted a 13.6 K/9 rate and a 3.6 BB/9 rate across all levels. In nine appearances with the Red Wings, Grable pitched to an 8.10 ERA in 6 2/3 frames. Grable retired the side in a scoreless inning during the Triple-A National Championship series. 

MLB Pipeline evaluated Cebert with the following scouting grades: Fastball: 70, Slider: 55, Control: 55, Overall: 45. 

LHP Josh Hartle, No. 30 prospect
Age: 23
Finished the season: Double-A Harrisburg

Hartle came to the Nationals from the Guardians in the Foster Griffin deal boasting one of the best ground-ball rates in the Minor Leagues. A third-round pick of the Pirates in 2024, Hartle was teammates with Nats No. 3 prospect Seaver King at Wake Forest.

Hartle spent the entire season at the Double-A level with both organizations. He went 5-5 with a 3.45 ERA in 24 starts (25 games total).

Across 122 2/3 innings, Hartle recorded a 3.6 BB/9 rate and an 8.4 K/9 rate.

MLB Pipeline evaluated Hartle with the following scouting grades: Fastball: 45, Slider: 55, Cutter: 50, Changeup: 50, Control: 55, Overall: 40. 

Wearing his trademark alien necklace, CJ Abrams made a mystical friend. Abrams attended the Washington Wizards preseason game last weekend, and he snapped a photo with their mascot, G-Wiz.

Daylen Lile earned his first Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalist nod in his sophomore season. Lile is competing with Jackson Chourio of the Brewers and Ian Happ of the Cubs for the left-field honors. 

Lile improved his outs above average (OAA) to +2 in left field compared to -2 last season. His arm value also ranked in the 74th percentile. Lile recorded a career-best four outfield assists in 2026. 

The Nationals have had two Gold Glove Award winners in team history (2005-present): Ryan Zimmerman at third base in 2009 and Adam LaRoche at first base in 2012.

The Nationals’ organization is also up for a league-wide award. 

The Nats are finalists for the 2026 Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence, which recognizes charitable and philanthropic efforts of Major League clubs.

The Nationals Philanthropies’ year-round food access initiatives expand access to healthy food in Washington, D.C. They offer a subsidized weekly produce market, nutrition and wellness education as well as grants to community-based food access partners. Since 2018, they have delivered over 1.4 million meals. 

The Nationals previously won this award in 2024. 

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