Brady House

House got off to a great start in 2022, but a back injury ended up making it mostly a lost season, as his numbers fell off a cliff before he was eventually shut down. Healthy again in 2023, House quickly shot back up prospect rankings with a stellar showing at Single-A (142 wRC+), High-A (145 wRC+) and Double-A (127 wRC+) as a 20-year-old. His top tool is his plus power, and he had a slugging percentage of .475 or better at all three stops. His future home park will only help matters, as Nationals Park is the 10th best park for righty power, per Statcast park factors. House has already moved off of shortstop, but he comfortably projects as an above-average defensive third baseman. His BB/K trended down with each promotion, and his 28.4 K% and 4.7 BB% at Double-A illustrate how much of a free swinger he was against more advanced pitching. However, he won't turn 21 until June and is unchallenged internally as the team's long-term answer at the hot corner.

The overall numbers don't tell the full story with House. He slashed .326/.408/.449 with a 25.2 K% in 21 games to start the season at Single-A before landing on the injured list with an undisclosed injury. From there, he was in and out of the lineup while dealing with an undisclosed injury or injuries, and then it was reported in late-June that the Nationals had shut down House. He never returned, but the efforts to play through what was ailing him led to his overall numbers getting dragged down close to league average (108 wRC+). It's been reported that a back injury was the cause of House missing the final few months, and he also dealt with a case of COVID at some point in the year. It's fair to assume that a fully-healthy House is closer to the offensive machine he was to start the year, although at no point in the year did he show an excellent command of the strike zone. House has plus raw power and a huge 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame as a 19-year-old, so he could conceivably grow into 70-grade power and outgrow shortstop in a few years. If he can move past the back issue and keep the strikeouts in the 25% range, he could have a breakout year at High-A.

For those that prioritize maximum exit velocity and power potential, House stacks up with anyone in the 2021 draft class and any prep hitter from recent draft classes. His swing has evolved over the last couple years, and he had as good of a showing as anyone could have hoped for after signing for an over-slot $5 million after the Nationals selected him with the No. 11 pick. House's 19.7 K%, 10.6 BB% and 37.0 Oppo% stood out as strong indicators in 66 PA in the Florida Complex League. He is already 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and just turned 18 in June, so there's a chance his body stiffens up in the coming years. The Nationals will keep him at shortstop for now, even though a move to third base seems likely at some point. House will need to continue to make contact at an acceptable clip while also drawing his fair share of walks to make this profile work against upper-level pitching, but if he does, he should comfortably hit in the middle of a big-league lineup some day.