Nationals' Brady House: Could make debut in second half
Rotowire
House could take over as the Nationals' starting third baseman before the end of the season, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.
Washington is currently deploying Trey Lipscomb at the hot corner, but the 24-year-old has just a .565 OPS through his first 159 big-league plate appearances and is likely a utility player in the long run. House is viewed as the organization's third baseman of the future, and a promotion to Triple-A Rochester in early July puts him one step away from the majors. He's gone 4-for-12 with two doubles to begin his Triple-A tenure, and if he holds his own in the International League, a promotion to the Nats' big-league roster some time in the second half seems very plausible. Even in the best-case scenario, House's call-up probably wouldn't occur until late August in order to keep his rookie status intact for 2025.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Brady House: Gets bump to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Nationals promoted House from Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A Rochester on Sunday.
House will get his first taste of the Triple-A level and should take over as Rochester's everyday third baseman after the Nationals called up Trey Lipscomb on Saturday to replace Nick Senzel -- who was designated for assignment -- as their primary option at the hot corner. Though the 21-year-old may not get a call to the majors before the season ends, House is likely viewed as the organization's long-term answer at third base over Lipscomb, who lacks the ideal power-hitting profile for the position. House, meanwhile, hit a modest .234 over his 306 plate appearances with Harrisburg, but he showcased plenty of pop (13 home runs, .189 ISO) while striking out at a manageable 24.5 percent clip.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Brady House: Promoted to Double-A
Rotowire
House was promoted to Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
House dropped off a lot of top-100 prospect lists following a somewhat underwhelming showing in Low-A ball last year, but he broke through to High-A Wilmington last month and is now making a swift leap to the Nationals' Double-A affiliate. The 20-year-old third baseman carries a shiny .304/.369/.512 overall minor-league batting line through 226 plate appearances this season.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Brady House: Two hits in High-A debut
Rotowire
House went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored Saturday in his first game for High-A Wilmington.
The 20-year-old earned a promotion by slashing .280/.352/.476 through 37 games at Single-A Fredericksburg, improving both his strikeout and walks rates from the year before at the same level. House is a key part of the Nationals' rebuild, and while he isn't being fast-tracked to the majors, the 2021 first-round pick could start knocking on the door late in 2024 if he stays healthy.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Brady House: Strong start to campaign
Rotowire
House is batting .333 (6-for-18) through six games with Single-A Fredericksburg with a double, a triple, two home runs, a stolen base and a 6:4 BB:K.
After posting a 12:59 BB:K in 45 games at Fredericksburg last year, the improved plate discipline might be the most noteworthy feature of House's hot start to 2023. The 2021 first-round pick won't turn 20 until early June, but if he stays healthy and keeps raking, he should receive a promotion to High-A for his birthday.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Brady House: Moving to third base
Rotowire
House will move from shortstop to third base this season, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
The No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, House never seemed likely to stick at short and the Nationals have decided to go ahead and make the move with one of their top prospects. The 19-year-old missed a large chunk of the 2022 season with back issues but is now 100 percent healthy. He was at Single-A Fredericksburg for 45 games last season and figures to either head back there to start 2023 or move up to High-A Wilmington.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Brady House: Ruled out for 2022
Rotowire
Single-A Fredericksburg manager Jake Lowery said Monday that House (back) won't play again in 2022 but should be a full participant for spring training, Joey LoMonaco of The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star reports.
The 19-year-old shortstop thus concludes his second professional season with a .278/.356/.375 slash line to go with three home runs and one stolen base over 202 plate appearances at Fredericksburg. Even though he's been ruled out from playing again in 2022, House could remain with Fredericksburg for the rest of the minor-league season to continue his rehab program for the back injury.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Brady House: Shut down to manage workload
Rotowire
House is dealing with a back injury that has kept him sidelined since June 11. He is being held out in an effort to manage his workload, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
The 2021 first-round pick hasn't played for Single-A Fredericksburg since June 11, but it's all part of the Nationals' plan. "We're putting the [focus] on playing deep into the season, through the minor league season and being available beyond," Nats general manager Mike Rizzo said Friday. "Because our plan is always to play through October... I think we've kind of adapted that, kind of morphed into that being the best way to achieve the goals. The goal for player development is to develop these guys mentally, physically and emotionally to finish a full major league season." House was in a bit of a funk at the plate when he was shut down, batting .268 (11-for-41) through 11 games in June with only one extra-base hit (a double) and a 1:14 BB:K, and Rizzo indicated the 19-year-old wouldn't return to the lineup for Fredericksburg until early July.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Brady House: Raking to begin season
Rotowire
House went 2-for-6 with a home run and four RBI for Single-A Fredericksburg on Sunday.
The 11th overall pick in the 2021 Draft, House is still only 18 years old but has been tearing up full-season ball, slashing .379/.455/.530 through 15 games for Fredericksburg with two homers and 23 RBI. His 22.1 percent strikeout rate and 9.1 percent walk rate are both very encouraging, and while the Nationals won't want to rush him up the ladder, they also might have little choice but to promote him to High-A over the summer just to keep him challenged. House was already a borderline top-50 dynasty prospect, but his stock could rise rapidly if he keeps this up.
