Washington Nationals minor league players


Minor league players and teams affiliated with the Washington Nationals professional baseball organization include:

Players

Tyler Baum

Tyler Cole Baum is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.
Baum attended West Orange High School in Winter Garden, Florida. Going into the 2016 playoffs, he held a 7–0 record and a 2.07 ERA with 70 strikeouts. The team advanced to the final four, but fell in the state qualifying game to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Baum went unselected in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, and he enrolled at the University of North Carolina where he played college baseball. In 2017, Baum's freshman season, he started 15 games and pitched 63 innings in which he went 7–0 with a 2.57 ERA. That summer, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was named a league all-star and posted a 5–1 record on the mound. As a sophomore in 2018, he made 18 appearances, going 4–1 with a 4.57 ERA. He returned to play for Harwich after the season. In 2019, he appeared in 17 games, pitching to a 7–3 record and a 3.87 ERA. After the season, he was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the second round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.
Baum signed with Oakland for $900,000 and made his professional debut with the Vermont Lake Monsters of the Low-A New York–Penn League. Over 11 starts, he went 0–3 with a 4.70 ERA, striking out 34 batters over innings. Baum did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but was added to Oakland's 60-man player pool and spent the summer training at their alternate site.
Baum missed the beginning of the 2021 season and did not make his season debut until mid-August with the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Athletics with whom he gave up 17 earned runs and twenty walks over innings. He was assigned to the Stockton Ports of the Single-A California League to open the 2022 season, but was reassigned to the Arizona Complex League. He continued to struggle with control, going 1–1 with a 17.00 ERA, 47 walks, and 32 strikeouts over 27 innings between both teams. Baum split the 2023 season between the Lansing Lugnuts of the High-A Midwest League and the Midland RockHounds of the Double-A Texas League, appearing in 39 games and going 2-2 with a 3.54 ERA, 62 strikeouts, and 25 walks over innings.
In 2025, Baum made 36 appearances split between the ACL Athletics, Midland, and Las Vegas, accumulating a 1-4 record and 5.50 ERA with 45 strikeouts and one save over 36 innings of work. He elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2025.
On November 26, 2025, Baum signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals.

Riley Cornelio

Riley John Thomas Cornelio is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball.
Cornelio attended Pine Creek High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he played baseball. In 2018, he played for the United States national under-18 baseball team at the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships. In 2019, as a senior, he went 7-2 with a 2.43 ERA and 89 strikeouts over 49 innings, and was named the Colorado Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year. Cornelio went unselected in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft and enrolled at Texas Christian University where he played college baseball for the Horned Frogs. In 2021, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Northwoods League with the St. Cloud Rox, and set a Rox single-game record with 14 strikeouts. As a redshirt sophomore for the Horned Frogs in 2022, he was the team's number one starter, starting 15 games and going 4-5 with a 4.68 ERA and 77 strikeouts over 75 innings.
Cornelio was selected by the Washington Nationals in the seventh round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. After signing, Cornelio made his professional debut in 2023 with the Fredericksburg Nationals, making 22 starts and going 4-8 with a 4.68 ERA. He pitched the 2024 season with the Wilmington Blue Rocks and went 9-11 with a 5.56 ERA over 26 starts. For the 2025 season, Cornelio played with Wilmington, the Harrisburg Senators, and the Rochester Red Wings, making 26 starts and going 6-7 with a 3.28 ERA and 135 strikeouts over innings. The Nationals named Cornelio their Minor League Pitcher of the Year. On November 18, the Nationals added Cornelio to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

  • Armando Cruz

Armando Junior Cruz is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop in the Washington Nationals organization.
Born and raised in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Repuyblic, Cruz emerged as a high-level baseball prospect by the time he was 14. He played in the 2018 14U Select Festival and a Perfect Game showcase the following year in Florida.
Cruz was linked to the Washington Nationals as early as 2019, before he was eligible to sign with a Major League Baseball team. The Nationals officially signed Cruz for a $3.9 million bonus on January 15, 2021, tying the franchise record for an international amateur free agent bonus, one day before Cruz's 17th birthday.
At the time Cruz turned pro, he was ranked as the fifth-best international amateur prospect by MLB Pipeline and the second-best by Baseball America. A contemporaneous Minor League Baseball news report described him as possibly the best defensive player available in the international signing period, as well as an above-average runner.

Christian Franklin

Christian Franklin is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. He played college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Franklin grew up in Overland Park, Kansas, and attended Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri. He batted.361 over his junior and senior seasons with 18 RBI and 14 runs scored.
Franklin became the Razorbacks' starting left fielder as a freshman and was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team after batting.274 with 41 runs scored, 34 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases. After the season, he played summer baseball for the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League. As a sophomore, Franklin batted.381 with four doubles, a triple, three home runs and RBI in 16 games before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Franklin was named a preseason First Team All-American by Baseball America and by the National College Baseball Writers Association going into his junior year. He was named the SEC Player of the Week on May 3, 2021, after driving in 10 runs in three games against LSU and was a second team All-SEC selection at the end of the regular season. In the opening game of the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball tournament, Franklin had a run-saving catch followed by a home run to spark a come from behind win over NJIT.
Franklin was selected in the 4th round with the 123rd overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft by the Chicago Cubs. He signed with the team on July 16, 2021, and received a $425,000 bonus. Franklin was assigned to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Cubs to begin his professional career, where he played four games before being promoted to the Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Over 24 games between the two teams, he batted.237 with one home run and eight RBI.
On July 30, 2025, the Cubs traded Franklin and Ronny Cruz to the Nationals in exchange for pitcher Michael Soroka. He made 31 appearances for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, hitting.290/.382/.427 with four home runs, 23 RBI, and eight stolen bases. On November 18, the Nationals added Franklin to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

  • Phillip Glasser

Phillip James Glasser is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Washington Nationals organization.
Glasser attended Tallmadge High School in Tallmadge, Ohio where he played baseball. After graduating in 2018, he played three seasons of college baseball at Youngstown State University for the Penguins. After the 2021 season, he transferred to Indiana University where he played two seasons for the Indiana Hoosiers. As a redshirt senior for the Hoosiers in 2023, Glasser played in 63 games and hit.357 with seven home runs, 48 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. After the season, he was selected by the Washington Nationals in the tenth round of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the team for $20,000.
Glasser made his professional debut after signing with the Florida Complex League Nationals and also played with the Fredericksburg Nationals, hitting.310 across 18 games. Glasser returned to Fredericksburg to open the 2024 season. He was promoted to the Wilmington Blue Rocks and Harrisburg Senators during the season. Over 108 games between the three teams, Glasser batted.298 with eight home runs, 48 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. He was assigned back to Harrisburg to open the 2025 season and promoted to the Rochester Red Wings in September. Glasser played in 124 games with both clubs and hit.302 with seven home runs, 49 RBI, and 32 stolen bases. The Nationals named him their Minor League Hitter of the Year.
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Marquis Deon Grissom is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.
Grissom Jr. attended Counterpane School in Fayetteville, Georgia and played college baseball at Georgia Tech. In 2021, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 13th round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.
Grissom Jr. spent his first professional season with the Florida Complex League Nationals and Fredericksburg Nationals. He pitched 2023 with Fredericksburg and started 2024 with the Wilmington Blue Rocks before being promoted to the Harrisburg Senators.
His father, Marquis Grissom, played in Major League Baseball.
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