MLB Pipeline released its annual top 100 prospects ranking Sunday just two weeks before the 2022 minor-league seasons get underway. The Nationals landed two prospects on the list: a pair of names that have made the rounds this offseason as Washington’s consensus top two farmhands.
Not only did right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli and shortstop Brady House make MLB Pipeline’s top 100, they landed on all six of the most prominent preseason rankings released the last few months. Catcher Keibert Ruiz, who barely exceeded rookie limits last season, appeared on three different rankings while left-handed pitcher Cole Henry was a surprise addition to FanGraphs’ list.
Here’s a look at where the Nationals’ top prospects appear on each of the major top 100s:
MLB Pipeline
- Cade Cavalli – 39th
- Brady House – 49th
Baseball America
- Keibert Ruiz – 11th
- Cade Cavalli – 27th
- Brady House – 59th
Baseball Prospectus
- Cade Cavalli – 19th
- Keibert Ruiz – 39th
- Brady House – 66th
FanGraphs
- Cade Cavalli – 74th
- Cole Henry – 82nd
- Brady House – 98th
The Athletic (Keith Law)
- Brady House – 46th
- Cade Cavalli – 48th
ESPN (Kiley McDaniel)
- Keibert Ruiz – 27th
- Brady House – 41st
- Cade Cavalli – 65th
On average, Cavalli was ranked as the 45th overall prospect in baseball and House finished 60th. Ruiz is technically no longer a prospect anymore, but his average ranking on the three lists he did appear on was 26th. Overall, the rankings represent a significant step forward for the Nationals, who entered the 2021 season without a single consensus top 100 prospect — though MLB Pipeline did rank Cavalli 99th.
House, 18, landed with the Nationals at No. 11 overall in last year’s draft listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds. His profile carries promise of some serious power, a trait he put on full display in a short rookie ball stint last summer when he hit .322 with four home runs and a .970 OPS in 16 games. Nationals Director of Player Development De Jon Watson said in February he expects House to begin 2022 in Single-A.
