The Pick: Yohandy Morales- 3B, Miami

Analysis: Morales was a consensus Top 30 prospect in this draft (MLB Pipeline had him ranked 20th overall), and the Washington Nationals scooped him up with the 40th overall pick. For a team that has constantly dipped far below consensus rankings to make second- and third-round selections, it was a more-than-welcome sight to see them take a player that fell in their lap.

Morales isn’t without his concerns (which presumably led to his fall) - primarily that he has some real swing and miss to his game (22.9 K% in 2023). But no second-round player is without their warts. And what Morales lacks in contact ability, he more than makes up for in raw power:

And it’s not like Morales can’t hit. Despite the strikeout woes, the former Hurricane still managed to hit .408 in 2023 with 30 walks and 33 extra-base hits in 61 games. And even at 6”4 and 225 pounds, he can pick it at third base, too:

The Nationals announced Morales as a third baseman, and he’s shown there’s reason to try him at the hot corner. But with Brady House and Trey Lipscomb both already in the system (and playing well at High A and AA, respectively), it’s easy to read the tea leaves and see where Washington might opt to slide Morales across the diamond. There’s not a single first baseman on the team’s current Top 30 Prospects list, and the move might simply be necessary to find a way to ultimately get Morales and one of House/Lipscomb on the field at the same time.

While “first base risk” is often used as a sort of criticism of prospects, it’s welcome news for an organization that has struggled to produce anything resembling a first base prospect since the early days of Drew Mendoza (and that went….well, not great).

There were plenty of directions the Nationals could’ve gone at Pick 40, including for an underslot target to save dollars for Dylan Crews. But Mike Rizzo and company deserve credit for taking a player that fell into their laps and opting to figure out the money on Days 2 and 3. Between Crews and Morales, a farm system that lacked any sort of college-proven offensive fire power walked away with plenty after Night 1.

Grade: A