By Aaron Fitt
November 7, 2007

Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2008.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Chris Marrero, of/1b 2. Ross Detwiler, lhp 3. Collin Balester, rhp 4. Michael Burgess, of 5. Jack McGeary, lhp 6. Josh Smoker, lhp 7. Jordan Zimmerman, rhp 8. Glenn Gibson, lhp 9. Justin Maxwell, of 10. Colton Willems, rhp

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Jake Smolinski Best Power Hitter Chris Marrero Best Strike-Zone Discipline Josh Whitesell Fastest Baserunner Rogearvin Bernadina Best Athlete Justin Maxwell Best Fastball Ross Detwiler Best Curveball Jack McGeary Best Slider Zech Zinicola Best Changeup Glenn Gibson Best Control Glenn Gibson Best Defensive Catcher Devin Ivany Best Defensive Infielder Ian Desmond Best Infield Arm Ian Desmond Best Defensive Outfielder Rogearvin Bernadina Best Outfield Arm Edgardo Baez

PROJECTED 2011 LINEUP

Catcher Jesus Flores First Base Chris Marrero Second Base Stephen King Third Base Ryan Zimmerman Shortstop Ian Desmond Left Field Wily Mo Pena Center Field Justin Maxwell Right Field Michael Burgess No. 1 Starter Ross Detwiler No. 2 Starter Collin Balester No. 3 Starter Jack McGeary No. 4 Starter Josh Smoker No. 5 Starter Jordan Zimmerman Closer Chad Cordero

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2007 1998 Brad Fullmer, 1B Out of baseball 1999 Michael Barrett, 3B/C Padres 2000 Tony Armas, RHP Pirates 2001 Donnie Bridges, RHP United League 2002 Brandon Phillips, SS Reds 2003 Clint Everts, RHP Nationals 2004 Clint Everts, RHP Nationals 2005 Mike Hinckley, LHP Nationals 2006 Ryan Zimmerman, 3B Nationals 2007 Collin Balester, RHP Nationals

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2007 1998 Josh McKinley, SS Out of baseball 1999 Josh Girdley, LHP Out of baseball 2000 Justin Wayne, RHP Out of baseball 2001 Josh Karp, RHP Out of baseball 2002 Clint Everts, RHP Nationals 2003 Chad Cordero, RHP Nationals 2004 Bill Bray, LHP Reds 2005 Ryan Zimmerman, 3B Nationals 2006 Chris Marrero, OF/1B Nationals 2007 Ross Detwiler, LHP Nationals

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Ryan Zimmerman, 2005 $2,975,000 Justin Wayne, 2000 $2,950,000 Josh Karp, 2001 $2,650,000 Clint Everts, 2002 $2,500,000 Ross Detwiler, 2007 $2,150,000

NATIONALS LINKS

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It's a measure of just how low expectations were for the Nationals in 2007 that they won 73 games and finished 16 games out of first place, yet Manny Acta garnered manager-of-the-year consideration for getting his team to overachieve in his first year at the helm. Washington, in its first full season with the Lerner family installed as owners and Stan Kasten as club president, embraced a youth movement with an eye at fielding a competitive, exciting team when their new Nationals Park opens in 2008.

Ryan Zimmerman turned in his second straight solid season, giving the Nationals confidence that they have a cornerstone player to build a franchise around. Other young players made positive impressions in varying amounts of big league exposure, as rookie Matt Chico led the beleaguered pitching staff in starts (31) and innings (167), Jason Bergmann made a successful conversion from the bullpen to the rotation, and rookies Shawn Hill and John Lannan also showed promise as starters. Nationals fans also got a glimpse of their potential center fielder of the future when Justin Maxwell jumped from high Class A to the majors for a 15-game cameo and swatted a grand slam in his third at-bat.

Freewheeling general manager Jim Bowden made just one significant trade in 2007, acquiring powerful but raw outfielder Wily Mo Pena from the Red Sox. Instead of bolstering the system through trades as it did in 2006, Washington focused on building through the draft, where it had five picks in the first two rounds. The Nationals spent $7.9 million on the draft, the fifth-highest figure in baseball.

The first four players they drafted—lefthanders Ross Detwiler (first round) and Josh Smoker (supplemental first), outfielder Michael Burgess (supplemental first) and righthander Jordan Zimmermann (second)—rank among the top 10 prospects in the system. So does lefthander Jack McGeary—who received a $1.8 million bonus, a record for a sixth-round pick, plus the money and permission from Washington to attend classes at Stanford from September through May for up to three years. Outfielder Jake Smolinski (second round) just missed the Top 10.

The aggressive approach to the draft paid immediate dividends, as Washington's system is already far deeper and flush with more high-impact talent than it had a year ago, when it ranked as the worst system in baseball. Assistant general manager of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and scouting director Dana Brown have co-existed very well, and there are no signs of a power struggle that some feared when Rizzo joined the organization in mid-2006 after a successful run as the Diamondbacks' scouting director.

The Nationals may not be blessed with many prospects in the upper levels of their organization, but their player-development system has made strides under farm director Bobby Williams and minor league pitching coordinator Spin Williams. Washington has instituted organization-wide philosophies, alleviating the too-many-cooks syndrome that hampered its prospects in the past. The club held instructional league for the first time since the franchise moved to Washington, giving young players a chance to build on lessons from the season and focus on developing specific skills.

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