Ten Nationals Prospects You Should Know

Mike Rizzo, Nationals General Manager and leader of 

farm system.

As a big Nationals fan, I realize the importance of a good farm system. If you don't understand that importance, look no further than this team's history. When The Nationals were the Montreal Expos, their farm system was second to none. The farm system was largely fueled by Latin American players such as Vladimir Guerrero, Orlando Cabrera and Jose Vidro.

Then, when the team was owned by MLB, the international and amateur scouting budgets were slashed. The effects were evident in the Nats when they arrived in DC and are still felt today. If not for the depletion of the farm system, the Nats wouldn't have Strasburg and Harper. Meaning if they weren't so bad they wouldn't have gotten those high draft picks.

With the understanding that the farm system feeds the major league team, I will introduce "Ten Nationals Prospects You Should Know".

First on the list is Bryce Harper. Harper is a prospect that every team in baseball wishes they had. He decided to leave high school two years early because he was so much better than the other players his age. He got his GED and enrolled in a community college. After being there for a year and breaking records (hitting 31 homers), he was drafted number one overall by The Nationals.