From FG: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/brady-house ... ashington/
Brady House is a high-ceiling slugger knocking on the door of the big leagues. Drafted 11th overall by the Washington Nationals in 2021 out of Winder-Barrow High School in Winder, Georgia, the 22-year-old third baseman is slashing .299/.352/.521 with a 128 wRC+ over 256 plate appearances with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. Befitting his sturdy 6-foot-4 frame and plus power from the right side, House has hammered 14 doubles and 12 home runs.
His approach might best be described as old school. Asked about his M.O. at the plate, the promising youngster told me his primary goal is simply to hit the ball hard and get on base. And he definitely hits the ball hard. His max exit velocity this season is 112.4 mph, which ranks in the 90th percentile at the Triple-A level. As for his ability to leave the yard, House doesn’t hunt for homers so much as he buys into the process.
“I hit the most home runs when I go up there not trying to hit a home run,” he said. “If I go up there just trying to get a base hit, it just ends up accidentally happening.”
It’s not by accident that House hits home runs in all directions. He called using the entire field an important part of his approach, and the data back up the words. His spray chart shows three homers ripped to right, four blasted to center, and five launched to left. His overall pull rate is actually a career-high 49.4%, but that’s not necessarily by design. While an adjustment is part of the equation, how he’s being attacked is playing a bigger role in his pulling more pitches.
“I’m trying to be more on time with the fastball, catching the ball out in front of the plate rather than letting it get in on me,” House said. “That way I have some room to work with. I mean, I’m just trying to hit it wherever it’s pitched. I feel like I’ve been getting pitched in a lot this year.”
What House said about having “room to work with” piqued my interest. Most often, hitters say letting the ball travel allows them more opportunity to recognize pitches and react accordingly.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say that,” House replied. “But in the past, I’ve kind of let the fastball get deep, so even though I’m hitting it hard, I’m getting caught up in my hands being back instead of getting extended. For me, it’s more about being on time. I’d rather be on time for a fastball and early for an offspeed. Of course, adjustments are made every game, so I guess it just depends on how I’m feeling.”
The slugger sounded satisfied when addressing the percentage of offerings he’s propelling into the air, although at 47.9%, his groundball rate isn’t exactly ideal for someone with his tool box. As for focusing on batted-ball metrics to unlock more of his power potential, that isn’t how his mind works.
“I can tell if it’s hit hard, if that makes sense,” House said. “I’m not really into the numbers. Things like launch angle… that’s a little over my head. I do like video, but outside of that, I like to keep things simple.”
Eric Longenhagen’s assessment of House, which is influenced by Statcast metrics, is largely bullish. At the same time, our lead prospect analyst isn’t without concerns.
“The data is in agreement on both the whiffs — soundly below-average contact, slightly below-average plate discipline — and the power,” Longenhagen told me. “House’s hard-hit rate has been comfortably plus, especially for his age. He has plus power and destroys mistakes, [but] I’m a bit bearish relative to his xSLG and xwOBA because I think big league pitchers will do a better job attacking his weaknesses.”
Longenhagen sees the shortstop-turned-third-baseman’s glove as a strength. In his view, House is “one hell of a defender,” gifted with plus range, footwork, and arm strength.
Jumping back to the bat, cutting down on his strikeout rate (currently 25.8%) is among House’s goals. He feels a recent mechanical tweak is a step in the right direction.
“I’ve lowered my hands,” House said. “Unknowingly, they had gone up. That was in spring training. I mean, I guess I knew I had them up higher, but I didn’t think it was a problem until I realized it was a problem. I was struggling a little bit last month.” From May 18-24, House went 4-for-23 (.174) with no home runs and nine strikeouts; since then, he is 20-for-51 (.392) with four homers and 11 strikeouts. “Lowering them,” he said, “has helped me be a little more direct to the ball.”
And then there are his 7.4% walk rate and 32.5% chase rate. Asked what he most needs to work on, House more or less echoed Eric’s concerns. A predisposition to overaggressiveness is a hurdle he’ll have to overcome if he hopes to flourish at baseball’s highest level.
“I don’t think I’m bad at it, but it would be my plate discipline,” House said. “I’m a hitter that swings a lot. I like to swing, and sometimes that can hurt me if I’m not controlling the zone. It’s hard for me to go up there and want to take pitches, because I’d rather hit the ball than take. It’s a tough habit to break, but I’m working on it.”
Nationals fans are clamoring for House to be called up to the big leagues, and there is a good chance they’ll get their wish sooner rather than later. Once it happens, there will be a lot for him to prove — that comes with the territory when you’re a highly touted former first-round pick. Can House be a building block in Washington? The foundation is there, but rough edges remain.
Down on the Farm - 2025
Moderator: Braves
Re: Down on the Farm - 2025
From MLB Pipeline: https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/top-prosp ... e-coverage
Owen Caissie, OF, Iowa (CHC No. 2/MLB No. 46)
Caissie opened Triple-A Iowa's doubleheader by homering for a third consecutive game, reaching base four times and driving in three runs. The 22-year-old added a double in the nightcap and has hit safely in 11 of 12 games in June, slashing .371/.476/.743 with three roundtrippers and nine RBIs. Caissie's hot streak has improved his season average 19 points to .262 and his OPS to .876.
Owen Caissie, OF, Iowa (CHC No. 2/MLB No. 46)
Caissie opened Triple-A Iowa's doubleheader by homering for a third consecutive game, reaching base four times and driving in three runs. The 22-year-old added a double in the nightcap and has hit safely in 11 of 12 games in June, slashing .371/.476/.743 with three roundtrippers and nine RBIs. Caissie's hot streak has improved his season average 19 points to .262 and his OPS to .876.
Re: Down on the Farm - 2025
From BA: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... r-in-2025/
Cam Smith, OF, Astros
Smith ranks seventh among rookies in plate appearances, despite inconsistent playing time. He reached base at a .388 clip in May, though much of that was BABIP-driven. The underlying tools are strong. Elite bat speed and an 8.5% barrel rate stand out, especially for someone who entered the year with just five games played above A-ball. Like with Kristian Campbell, the next step for Smith is to cut down on strikeouts and grounders to unlock the full potential of the profile.
Cam Smith, OF, Astros
Smith ranks seventh among rookies in plate appearances, despite inconsistent playing time. He reached base at a .388 clip in May, though much of that was BABIP-driven. The underlying tools are strong. Elite bat speed and an 8.5% barrel rate stand out, especially for someone who entered the year with just five games played above A-ball. Like with Kristian Campbell, the next step for Smith is to cut down on strikeouts and grounders to unlock the full potential of the profile.
Re: Down on the Farm - 2025
From BA's Statcast Standouts: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... s-june-16/
Nolan McLean, RHP, Mets
McLean’s arsenal covers an incredibly wide range of movement—east/west and north/south—and is headlined by an incredible sweeper, which is a monster of a pitch touching 20 inches of sweep at 86 mph. It’s such a strong pitch for him that he uses it as his primary against righties, generating whiffs on 44% of swings and 20% of pitches. He uses it against lefties about 24% of the time, and it isn’t as effective but still plays.
McLean’s fastball is about as average as it gets, with about average ride given his slot and slightly above-average velocity. It’s not a great pitch, but it’s enough to allow the rest of his arsenal to play up. Against righties, he mixes in a plus sinker with tremendous seam-shifted wake movement that gets a ton of whiffs. It comes out at the same velocity as the four-seamer but has about 5.5 inches more drop. More importantly, it comes out of his hand with the exact same spin axis and release point, making it very difficult for hitters to pick up. He uses it sparingly against lefties, who may have an easier time identifying it.
The bridge cutter is a key pitch against both righties and lefties, helping to somewhat mask the sweeper. The changeup has great shape, but he isn’t getting great results on it, even against lefties. He rounds out the arsenal with a massive two-plane curveball which he mixes in against both righties and lefties.
It’s a fascinating arsenal, with the potential for the changeup to take a leap as he gains experience. This is McLean’s first year focusing solely on pitching, so it may behoove the Mets to give him plenty of runway to develop at Triple-A.
Owen Caissie, OF, Cubs
Caissie has one of the more internally consistent exit velocity/launch angle metrics. It pretty much spells out a 70 raw/game power profile. His contact and swing decision metrics also point to a player with limited bat-to-ball who will be a three true outcomes type of player. This is Caissie’s second year at Triple-A, so let’s take a look at what’s changed:
He’s hitting the ball much harder (about three mph), while also getting it in the air more. That’s come at the expense of just a couple of points of zone contact, with basically identical swing decisions. That’s a fantastic trade-off. Caissie has clearly reached a new level, and is pushing to crack a crowded Cubs lineup soon.
Nolan McLean, RHP, Mets
McLean’s arsenal covers an incredibly wide range of movement—east/west and north/south—and is headlined by an incredible sweeper, which is a monster of a pitch touching 20 inches of sweep at 86 mph. It’s such a strong pitch for him that he uses it as his primary against righties, generating whiffs on 44% of swings and 20% of pitches. He uses it against lefties about 24% of the time, and it isn’t as effective but still plays.
McLean’s fastball is about as average as it gets, with about average ride given his slot and slightly above-average velocity. It’s not a great pitch, but it’s enough to allow the rest of his arsenal to play up. Against righties, he mixes in a plus sinker with tremendous seam-shifted wake movement that gets a ton of whiffs. It comes out at the same velocity as the four-seamer but has about 5.5 inches more drop. More importantly, it comes out of his hand with the exact same spin axis and release point, making it very difficult for hitters to pick up. He uses it sparingly against lefties, who may have an easier time identifying it.
The bridge cutter is a key pitch against both righties and lefties, helping to somewhat mask the sweeper. The changeup has great shape, but he isn’t getting great results on it, even against lefties. He rounds out the arsenal with a massive two-plane curveball which he mixes in against both righties and lefties.
It’s a fascinating arsenal, with the potential for the changeup to take a leap as he gains experience. This is McLean’s first year focusing solely on pitching, so it may behoove the Mets to give him plenty of runway to develop at Triple-A.
Owen Caissie, OF, Cubs
Caissie has one of the more internally consistent exit velocity/launch angle metrics. It pretty much spells out a 70 raw/game power profile. His contact and swing decision metrics also point to a player with limited bat-to-ball who will be a three true outcomes type of player. This is Caissie’s second year at Triple-A, so let’s take a look at what’s changed:
He’s hitting the ball much harder (about three mph), while also getting it in the air more. That’s come at the expense of just a couple of points of zone contact, with basically identical swing decisions. That’s a fantastic trade-off. Caissie has clearly reached a new level, and is pushing to crack a crowded Cubs lineup soon.
Re: Down on the Farm - 2025
From BA's Hot Sheet: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... t-6-16-25/
18. Owen Caissie, OF, Cubs
Team: Triple-A Iowa (International)
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: .350/.458/.850 (7-for-20), 5 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 7 SO, 3 BB, 1-for-2 SB
The Scoop: Caissie combines rare power with a mature approach, and he’s now starting to connect more consistently thanks to a sharpened, more aggressive mindset at the plate. He crushes fastballs and drives the ball with authority to all fields, consistently producing loud, airborne contact. Though breaking stuff can still trip him up, he’s shown signs of adjusting. With sneaky speed, a strong arm and steady defense in the corners, Caissie is emerging as a potential middle-of-the-order threat with well-rounded upside, especially at the pace he’s progressing. (JC)
18. Owen Caissie, OF, Cubs
Team: Triple-A Iowa (International)
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: .350/.458/.850 (7-for-20), 5 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 7 SO, 3 BB, 1-for-2 SB
The Scoop: Caissie combines rare power with a mature approach, and he’s now starting to connect more consistently thanks to a sharpened, more aggressive mindset at the plate. He crushes fastballs and drives the ball with authority to all fields, consistently producing loud, airborne contact. Though breaking stuff can still trip him up, he’s shown signs of adjusting. With sneaky speed, a strong arm and steady defense in the corners, Caissie is emerging as a potential middle-of-the-order threat with well-rounded upside, especially at the pace he’s progressing. (JC)
Re: Down on the Farm - 2025
from MLB Pipeline: https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/top-prosp ... e-coverage
Andrew Painter, RHP, Lehigh Valley (PHI No. 1/MLB No. 5)
Pitching on four days' rest for the first time in four years, Painter shrugged off a rough outing and posted zeros over five innings, scattering one hit and two walks while striking out six. It was an encouraging performance for the 22-year-old and only his second zero-run effort in seven starts at Triple-A.
Owen Caissie, OF, Iowa (CHC No. 2/MLB No. 46)
Caissie's 11th homer of the season was a no-doubt moonshot, traveling 449 feet off the batter's eye in center field, according to Statcast. It was Caissie's fourth homer in his past seven games at Triple-A. He homered in three consecutive games to begin the week and is now slashing .263/.367/.512 overall.
Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Gwinnett (ATL No. 2)
The 23-year-old wiggled out of a bases-loaded first-inning jam and was in control from there, retiring 10 of 13 at one point and throwing 66 of 92 pitches for strikes for Triple-A Gwinnett. Waldrep struck out six while matching a season high of six innings and allowing just one run for the first time since his season debut on April 1.
Andrew Painter, RHP, Lehigh Valley (PHI No. 1/MLB No. 5)
Pitching on four days' rest for the first time in four years, Painter shrugged off a rough outing and posted zeros over five innings, scattering one hit and two walks while striking out six. It was an encouraging performance for the 22-year-old and only his second zero-run effort in seven starts at Triple-A.
Owen Caissie, OF, Iowa (CHC No. 2/MLB No. 46)
Caissie's 11th homer of the season was a no-doubt moonshot, traveling 449 feet off the batter's eye in center field, according to Statcast. It was Caissie's fourth homer in his past seven games at Triple-A. He homered in three consecutive games to begin the week and is now slashing .263/.367/.512 overall.
Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Gwinnett (ATL No. 2)
The 23-year-old wiggled out of a bases-loaded first-inning jam and was in control from there, retiring 10 of 13 at one point and throwing 66 of 92 pitches for strikes for Triple-A Gwinnett. Waldrep struck out six while matching a season high of six innings and allowing just one run for the first time since his season debut on April 1.
Re: Down on the Farm - 2025
From MLB Pipeline: https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/what-to-e ... e-coverage
At a time when the Nationals lineup could certainly use some help, they are making a House call.
Washington is promoting No. 91 overall prospect Brady House, MLB.com's Jessica Camerato reported Sunday night. Riding an eight-game losing streak, the Nats are set to begin a four-game series at home against the Rockies on Monday.
Ranked as the third-best prospect in the organization, House hit .304/.353/.519 with 13 homers over 65 games for Triple-A Rochester before the biggest transaction of his career. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk Sunday to extend his hitting streak to 15 games, the second-longest active streak at the top level of the Minors. House slashed .375/.420/.625 with four homers and four doubles over that stretch.
Listed at 6-foot-4, the 2021 11th overall pick certainly packs a punch from the right side of the plate. He leads players aged 22 or younger at Triple-A with his 13 homers on the season and ranks second in slugging percentage. His 108.8 mph 90th-percentile exit velocity puts him in the range of Willson Contreras (109.0) and Corey Seager (108.7) in the Majors in 2025; only James Wood (111.
has a higher mark among Nationals Major Leaguers. It’s all-fields pop too with six of his homers going to left/left-center, three to center and four to right/right-center.
Washington could certainly use some right-handed power.
Nationals righty hitters are tied with the Guardians for fewest homers as a group with 15. Nine Major League right-handed batters have 15 or more homers individually. They also rank 28th in batting average (.222) and slugging percentage (.332) and 29th with a .625 OPS. House’s arrival could at least provide some balance to a lineup that has been carried heavily by lefties Wood and CJ Abrams to this point in the season.
That’s if he can get to that prodigious raw power quickly.
House dropped out of the MLB Pipeline Top 100 in the offseason because of a lack of plate discipline in his first taste of Triple-A. He chased on 43 percent of the pitches he saw outside the zone in 54 games with Rochester last year, leading to a .280 on-base percentage. That chase rate has been a more manageable 38 percent in 2025, per Synergy, but even that would be the eighth-highest chase rate in the Majors without adjusting for the better pitching at the top level.
When it comes to swing-and-miss, House has struggled most against sliders (42 percent whiff rate) and changeups (40 percent), and because of the latter, he has closer to even splits against righties and lefties rather than dominating southpaws. But as his power numbers indicate, House is still capable of hitting the ball so hard with his A swing that he can run a reasonably high BABIP to offset some of the strikeout issues that come with his overall approach, and that fueled his rise back into the Top 100.
Defensively, the Georgia native was drafted as a shortstop but slid over full time to third base in 2023. His size and plus arm strength make him a natural fit, and he still retains some of that shortstop athleticism at the hot corner. He could be an instant improvement there over Amed Rosario (-5 Outs Above Average at third base) and José Tena (-4 OAA), and that’s before getting the bat involved.
With House’s stock ascending and the Major League team in free fall, a debut for the recently turned 22-year-old comes at a good time for both parties. Now it’s on House to show he can slug his way into a long-term home in D.C.
At a time when the Nationals lineup could certainly use some help, they are making a House call.
Washington is promoting No. 91 overall prospect Brady House, MLB.com's Jessica Camerato reported Sunday night. Riding an eight-game losing streak, the Nats are set to begin a four-game series at home against the Rockies on Monday.
Ranked as the third-best prospect in the organization, House hit .304/.353/.519 with 13 homers over 65 games for Triple-A Rochester before the biggest transaction of his career. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk Sunday to extend his hitting streak to 15 games, the second-longest active streak at the top level of the Minors. House slashed .375/.420/.625 with four homers and four doubles over that stretch.
Listed at 6-foot-4, the 2021 11th overall pick certainly packs a punch from the right side of the plate. He leads players aged 22 or younger at Triple-A with his 13 homers on the season and ranks second in slugging percentage. His 108.8 mph 90th-percentile exit velocity puts him in the range of Willson Contreras (109.0) and Corey Seager (108.7) in the Majors in 2025; only James Wood (111.
has a higher mark among Nationals Major Leaguers. It’s all-fields pop too with six of his homers going to left/left-center, three to center and four to right/right-center.Washington could certainly use some right-handed power.
Nationals righty hitters are tied with the Guardians for fewest homers as a group with 15. Nine Major League right-handed batters have 15 or more homers individually. They also rank 28th in batting average (.222) and slugging percentage (.332) and 29th with a .625 OPS. House’s arrival could at least provide some balance to a lineup that has been carried heavily by lefties Wood and CJ Abrams to this point in the season.
That’s if he can get to that prodigious raw power quickly.
House dropped out of the MLB Pipeline Top 100 in the offseason because of a lack of plate discipline in his first taste of Triple-A. He chased on 43 percent of the pitches he saw outside the zone in 54 games with Rochester last year, leading to a .280 on-base percentage. That chase rate has been a more manageable 38 percent in 2025, per Synergy, but even that would be the eighth-highest chase rate in the Majors without adjusting for the better pitching at the top level.
When it comes to swing-and-miss, House has struggled most against sliders (42 percent whiff rate) and changeups (40 percent), and because of the latter, he has closer to even splits against righties and lefties rather than dominating southpaws. But as his power numbers indicate, House is still capable of hitting the ball so hard with his A swing that he can run a reasonably high BABIP to offset some of the strikeout issues that come with his overall approach, and that fueled his rise back into the Top 100.
Defensively, the Georgia native was drafted as a shortstop but slid over full time to third base in 2023. His size and plus arm strength make him a natural fit, and he still retains some of that shortstop athleticism at the hot corner. He could be an instant improvement there over Amed Rosario (-5 Outs Above Average at third base) and José Tena (-4 OAA), and that’s before getting the bat involved.
With House’s stock ascending and the Major League team in free fall, a debut for the recently turned 22-year-old comes at a good time for both parties. Now it’s on House to show he can slug his way into a long-term home in D.C.
