Stock Up, Stock Down for the Washington Nationals' Top 10 Prospects for Week 14

With the No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball, the most controversial player to be named later in years and a major league disabled list that would concern a fire marshal if it were confined to a single room, the Washington Nationals' farm system has played a prominent role in the narrative of 2015. 

Those facts, on top of a professional baseball debut for last year's first-round pick, have forced Nationals fans to keep one eye on the minor leagues this season. And that dynamic makes for an interesting prospect watch. 

Using MLB Pipeline's rankings, the following list includes updates on Washington's top 10 prospects as well as a stock report for each future Nat. 

10. RHP Austin Voth

2015 Stats (Double-A Harrisburg): 4-5, 103.0 IP, 3.06 ERA, 98 K, 1.07 WHIP

Report: Austin Voth's value lies primarily in his durability, and he's been plenty durable lately. The former fifth-round pick has only turned in an outing of less than six innings once in his last nine games, and his ERA is plummeting in the process. 

After struggling to find a rhythm early in the season, Voth has distanced himself from the rest of the Harrisburg rotation. His 103 innings make him the only member of the staff to even reach 90 frames, and his 98 strikeouts are 44 ahead of the next-closest Senators pitcher. 

Stock: Up

9. 3B Drew Ward

2015 Stats (Single-A Advanced Potomac): 80 G, .246 AVG, 69 H, 3 HR, 36 RBI, .668 OPS

Report: Washington is still waiting to see the powerful stroke that prompted it to select Drew Ward in the third round of the 2013 draft. 

The 6'4" third baseman has homered just three times with 14 doubles and two triples this season, and his struggle to find his pop is compounded by a batting average cemented in the .240 range. Ward's average hasn't been more than .250 since early June. 

But since we last checked on him in May, Ward's performance hasn't moved significantly in either direction. In the interest of giving credit where credit is due, the Potomac infielder did go 3-for-5 at the plate Sunday in his second multihit game of the month. But one game won't be enough to inflate his stock. 

Stock: Even

8. SS/2B Wilmer Difo

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The Nationals recalled Wilmer Difo from Double-A Harrisburg on Friday.

2015 Stats (Single-A Advanced Potomac, Double-A Harrisburg): 63 G, .296 AVG, 74 H, 3 HR, 32 RBI, .759 OPS

Report: At the start of the season, Wilmer Difo was an enigmatic but highly regarded prospect who represented the Nationals' potential future after Ian Desmond. Now, thanks to an unyielding rash of injuries, he's in the middle of his third major league call-up. 

In his latest trip to The Show, Difo has yet to record an at-bat. But prior to his call-up, he had turned in multihit performances in four of his last six games to go with his .296 minor league batting average. 

Bouncing between the majors and the minors—the difference between riding the bench and playing every day—can have a debilitating effect on a player's season. But Difo has proven his flexibility with the Nationals, as they've used him as an injury placeholder on multiple occasions. 

Stock: Even

7. C Jakson Reetz

2015 Stats (Single-A Short Season Auburn): 17 G, .204 AVG, 11 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .517 OPS

Report: Jakson Reetz is a coach's favorite in the Nationals organization. The aptitude he showed behind the plate this spring prompted catching coordinator Michael Barrett to say "the stuff he's doing is shocking," per MASN's Byron Kerr. 

After joining Single-A Short Season Auburn, more gushing ensued when Doubledays manager Gary Cathcart had the chance to evaluate Reetz. 

"He's tremendously advanced mentally for a young man 19 years old," Cathcart said, via Syracuse.com's Lindsay Kramer. 

But 17 games into the season, Reetz has failed to produce at the plate on par with what he can do behind it. The Auburn catcher is batting .204 with one extra-base hit in 54 at-bats. 

Stock: Down

6. RHP Erick Fedde

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Erick Fedde made his professional debut last month following a 2014 Tommy John surgery.

2015 Stats (Single-A Short Season Auburn): 1-1, 17.0 IP, 1.59 ERA, 21 K, 1.06 WHIP

Report: Like Reetz, 2014 draftee Erick Fedde was forced to wait to make his 2015 debut until Auburn began its season in late June. Unlike Reetz, Fedde's first game of this year was also his first as a professional baseball player.

After missing all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, Fedde has recorded four starts for Auburn this season. And, consistent with Washington's typical cautious approach to the surgery, his innings have been limited. 

Fedde's 1.59 ERA and 21 strikeouts came from starts lasting three, four, five and five frames, respectively. But his command of the strike zone is perhaps most indicative of a full recovery. After walking three batters in his first outing of the season, Fedde hasn't given up a free base in 14 consecutive innings. 

Stock: Up

5. RHP Joe Ross

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Joe Ross is 2-1 in three big league starts.

2015 Stats (Double-A Harrisburg, Triple-A Syracuse): 4-3, 71.0 IP, 2.79 ERA, 66 K, 1.10 WHIP

Report: Bouncing from the minors to the majors and back again, Joe Ross has suffered from an inconsistent schedule. 

He put together a 2.66 major league ERA with a 2-1 record in three appearances, but his stats in the minors seem to be suffering as a result. Since returning to Syracuse in late June, Ross has allowed six earned runs over four starts to bump his ERA at that level to 2.79. 

He's also been less durable in his most recent minor league stint, failing to last longer than five innings in any of those four outings. 

Stock: Down

4. RHP Reynaldo Lopez

2015 Stats (Single-A Potomac): 4-5, 61.0 IP, 4.57 ERA, 57 K, 1.33 WHIP

Report: Almost everything about Reynaldo Lopez is inconsistent these days.

He's gone at least six innings in his last four starts, but that's a departure from the two- and three-inning outings he turned in last month. He'll issue zero walks one start, five the next and zero again the game after. And while there's been a decrease recently, it's impossible to tell how many runs he'll allow on a given day. 

The only thing with some semblance of consistency on his resume is his ERA, which sits in the mid-to-high 4.00s. 

Lopez energized Nationals fans with three dominant outings to start his 2015 season, but it's been a nosedive for the Dominican prospect since then. 

Stock: Down

3. SS Trea Turner

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Trea Turner has been red hot in July after a slow start in Triple-A.

2015 Stats (Double-A San Antonio, Double-A Harrisburg, Triple-A Syracuse): 84 G, .318 AVG, 103 H, 7 HR, 45 RBI, .840 OPS

Report: Trea Turner has found success at every level he's been sent to on behalf of every organization that's owned him this season. And Sunday he found success against some of the best international prospects in baseball. 

The shortstop went 2-for-2 in the 2015 Futures Game, punctuating a year in which he's batting .318 with 45 RBI. 

If the month of September started tomorrow, the Nationals would be hard-pressed to deny Turner a cup of coffee in the majors. But he's building a strong case for himself once the roster does expand in the last month of the season, and Washington's shortstop of the future could conceivably make his major league debut this year. 

Stock: Up

2. RHP A.J. Cole

Andrew Harnik/Associated Press

A.J. Cole picked up his first win of the season Friday.

2015 Stats (Triple-A Syracuse): 1-4, 53 IP, 3.91 ERA, 34 K, 1.34 WHIP

Report: On both the major and minor league levels, A.J. Cole's 2015 stats are hard to stomach. 

After three appearances for the Nationals, the last of which came on May 23, he owns a 5.79 ERA in 9.1 innings pitched. During his service in the minors this year, he's put together a 3.91 ERA that's arguably worse than the previous number given the level of competition. He's also compiled a paltry 1-4 record with Syracuse this season. 

However, Cole did turn in his best outing of the season in his last start. In six innings, he allowed no runs and one walk en route to his first win of the season. 

Stock: Down

1. RHP Lucas Giolito

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Lucas Giolito registered two scoreless innings in his start at Sunday's Futures Game.

2015 Stats (Single-A Advanced Potomac): 3-4, 58.2 IP, 2.76 ERA, 76 K, 1.18 WHIP

Report: With Turner supplying the offense, Lucas Giolito did his part on the mound to ensure the Nationals organization was the most well-represented at Sunday's Futures Game. 

After earning the start for the USA, Washington's top prospect registered two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and fanning one batter. 

Giolito's convincing performance on the All-Star stage fell in line with his recent run of dominance at the Single-A level. The righty hasn't allowed a run in his last four starts. 

An ERA that sat at 10.38 after his first start of the season has now been whittled down to 2.76, and Giolito looks like every bit of the No. 1 pitching prospect he's supposed to be. 

Stock: Up

*All stats courtesy of MiLB.com