By Joe Pohoryles
For the fourth year, we have an updated edition of Washington, D.C. sports Top 25 players under the age of 25.
This list does not rank the potential of each player, but rather where each player currently stands based on their performance from the past year. A player’s talent, role on the team and production are taken into account. To see last year’s list, click here.
If the player was under 25 as of Jan. 1, 2023, they qualify for this list, and all ages listed for each player is their age as of Jan. 1 as well. Players who had birthdays since then are indicated by an asterisk.
Seven players from last year’s list aged out, with a couple not being eligible anyway after leaving DC (Daniel Sprong and Ilya Samsonov).
Two players who are under 25 and would have been eligible for this year’s list are no longer in DC. One is former Capitals fourth-line rotation winger Brett Leason.
The other is the man who was ranked No. 1 in all three years of its existence: Juan Soto.
In what would have been his final year of eligibility, Soto is — heartbreakingly — no longer a part of the Nationals organization, but would have run away with the No. 1 placement yet again if he was.
Instead, there will be a new No. 1 for the first time, and it may surprise you who it is. In forming this year’s list, one thing was made absolutely clear: There is no elite young talent in Washington, D.C. anymore.
The Capitals are old, the Nationals tore everything down with their new top prospects years away from breaking in, and the Wizards and Commanders are painfully mediocre with some solid pieces, but no game-changers (with one caveat to be elaborated below).
Nevertheless, in the post-Soto era, here is the Top 25 under 25.
25. Nationals SP MacKenzie Gore, 23 | Last year: N/A
One of the returning players in the Soto trade, the former third overall pick should factor in the starting rotation if he’s healthy. He posted a 4.50 ERA in 13 starts (16 app) for San Diego, going 4-4 with 72 strikeouts and walking 37 batters. He’s a question mark, but figures to be a bright spot (hopefully) for an otherwise dreadful-looking Nats team.
24. Capitals F Connor McMichael, 21* | Last year: No. 12
McMichael had a solid rookie campaign last year, but had trouble finishing plays. Regardless, he established himself as a legit young player that would factor into the team’s top six in the next 2-3 years. This season, he started out flat, fell out of the rotation and was demoted to AHL Hershey. He just turned 22, and there’s still time for him to break back in as players age out, but this fall was definitely a low point.
23. Commanders QB Sam Howell, 22 | Last year: N/A
Speaking of question mark, Howell made a strong impression in his lone start in Week 18 vs. Dallas, going 11-of-19 for 169 yards and a touchdown along with 35 yards on the ground and another touchdown in a 26-6 win. Aside from the stat line, he looked poised and confident for a guy making his first-ever start. He’s rumored to be the starter going into 2023, so we’ll see if he may finally be the answer.
22. Commanders DT John Ridgeway, 23 | Last year: N/A
With 2022 second-round pick Phidarian Mathis out for the season, Ridgeway was able to chip in as a rookie. Originally drafted by the Cowboys, Ridgeway was claimed off waivers and able to make an impact on defense and special teams, claiming a 31% snap count on defense and making 24 combined tackles (solo + assists).
21. Commanders LS Camaron Cheeseman, 24 | Last year: No. 19
I mean, he’s a long snapper, so… he did his job. His name will always get traction in the Pro Bowl voting, but the less attention he gets otherwise, the better for a player of his position.
20. Nationals RP Mason Thompson, 24 | Last year: No. 20
Another Nats pitcher who we didn’t get a full picture of due to injuries, but with 15 strikeouts over 24.2 innings in 24 relief appearances, Thompson will hopefully make strides if he’s healthy in 2023. His 2.92 ERA would have been tied for second-best on the team if he qualified, but like the others so far on this list, there isn’t a huge sample size to go off of.
19. Capitals D Alexander Alexeyev, 23 | Last year: N/A
The Capitals’ first draft pick after winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Russian is finally working his way into the defensive pairs. He has two assists in 12 games this season, and everyone on the team that has more than his 17 blocked shots has played 30 games or more. With such an old team, it’s been tougher and tougher for young guys to break in, but the fact that the former first-rounder is getting in the mix at all is a welcome sign.
18. Wizards G Jordan Goodwin, 24 | Last year: N/A
After making two appearances last year, Goodwin is averaging 6.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 18.8 minutes per game through 37 games. On a frontcourt-heavy team, Goodwin has established a solid role off the bench and is able to play both guard positions. While he’s a G-League success story that should be appreciated, his ceiling likely isn’t much higher than what he’s reached this season.
17. Capitals F Aliaksei Protas, 21* | Last year: No. 17
The former third-round pick lasted longer on the Caps roster this season than the more-lauded McMichael, but the return of Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson to the active roster meant the Belarussian had to return to Hershey. He’s bounced between the NHL and AHL a couple times this season, so it’s tough to expect consistent production with all the movement. Regardless, he will hopefully remain a fixture in the Caps’ bottom-six in the near future.
16. Commanders DE Chase Young, 23 | Last year: No. 7
This one is obviously controversial. On one hand, he barely played this year after tearing his ACL midway through the 2021 season, and played just three games to finish this year. At the same time, he has more talent than any other athlete on this list. He didn’t have great production, but he never really had a window to do it. The pressure is on for the former Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, but he’s the only young player in DC who can be considered a game-changing generational talent by a wide margin.
15. Wizards C Daniel Gafford, 24 | Last year: No. 6
Gafford looked like a strong offensive post threat with shot-blocking ability, but the addition of Kristaps Porzingis and the reliance on Kyle Kuzma at power forward has forced Gafford to take on a lesser role. He’s one of the better players on the team per 36 minutes (16.5 points, 10.4 rebounds), but at only 18.1 minutes per game, his impact only goes so far (8.3 points, 5.2 rebounds).
14. Nationals SS CJ Abrams, 22 | Last year: N/A
The most MLB-ready player in the Soto return, Abrams will have time to learn and grow on such a poor team. It took him some time to adjust to an everyday role, especially defensively, but he slashed .304/.312/.402 for a .714 OPS in the month of September and flashed some leather with some solid putouts down the stretch. He’s a raw player, but he could become very important as the shortstop of the future.
13. Commanders OT Sam Cosmi, 23 | Last year: No. 10
Injuries limited Cosmi to 14 games and six starts, but he’s played well most of the times he’s out there. He received a 71.6 grade from Pro Football Focus, which is lower than it was earlier in the season. His strength has been run blocking, and if he stays healthy, his athleticism combined with growing experience should lead to improvement across the board.
12. Nationals 2B/SS Luis Garcia, 22 | Last year: No. 16
Starting the year in Triple-A, Garcia was called up in June and became an everyday player again, batting .275 with seven home runs and 45 RBI in 93 games. His defense at his natural position, shortstop, was often brutal, but the arrival of Abrams pushed Garcia back to second, and while his offensive production dipped to end the year, he’s a big part of the Nationals rebuild.
11. Commanders WR Jahan Dotson, 22 | Last year: N/A
Dotson also dealt with injuries, playing just 12 games, and after he was favored early in the year, the rookie slipped into the third option behind Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel. Even Antonio Gibson finished with more receptions (46), but with 523 yards on 35 catches and a team-leading seven receiving touchdowns, Dotson is bound to carve himself a bigger role in Year 2.
10. Wizards F Rui Hachimura*, 24 | Last year: No. 13
After an odd 2021-22 season, Hachimura has settled into a complimentary role, averaging 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in 24.3 minutes per game. However, it’s the final year of his contract, and it’s unclear where he falls in the Wizards future plans.
Edit: He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers as I was putting this list together, so it’s become pretty clear now where he falls in (or I guess, out of) their future plans. Since he was still in Washington as of Jan. 1, I’m leaving him in.
9. Wizards G/F Corey Kispert, 23 | Last year: N/A
Kispert was drafted to add a 3-point threat from the wing, and after an underwhelming rookie year, he’s developing into that role. He’s shooting 42.9% from behind the arc, best on the Wizards and good enough for eighth in the entire league. With all scoring production from Porzingis, Kuzma and Bradley Beal, that’s about as far as his contributions go, but he’s getting a lot of starts and minutes (top six on the team in each) and looks like a solid rotational piece going forward.
8. Wizards F Deni Avdija, 21* | Last year: No. 9
Despite just recently turning 22, the Israeli forward is in the middle of his third year. His shooting hasn’t been great (42.9%, 29.1% from 3), but with 6.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 “stocks” (steals + blocks) per game, he’s making his impact in other ways. His 1.6 defensive win shares ranks third on the team, and he continues to prove himself as one of the better defensive players on the team. If he can manage to improve his offensive production, he could become a strong two-way wing, but that’s far from a guarantee.
7. Capitals D Martin Fehervary, 23 | Last year: No. 3
With the shuffling of the defensive pairs this season, Fehervary has slipped down from his top pair spot with John Carlson, and he’s the only regular defenseman with a Corsi% below 50% on the team (47.7). Still, he leads the Caps blue liners in hits (135), is fourth in blocked shots (69) and remains the best young player on the team. (Albeit, there are fewer options for that with every season, it seems.)
6. Commanders RB Antonio Gibson, 24 | Last year: No. 4
With the addition of Brian Robinson Jr., Gibson relinquished his role as lead back despite eclipsing 1,000 yards on the ground last year. Robinson demonstrated his talent as a pure runner, while Gibson reverted to a hybrid role similar to what he played at Memphis. While his 546 rushing yards were the lowest output of his (short) career, his 353 receiving yards were a new career-high. With a new offensive coordinator coming in, it will be exciting to see what he comes up with for Gibson and Samuel, the other hybrid weapon.
5. Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr., 23 | Last year: N/A
In what could have been a tragic story after he was shot in the knee in August, it was thankfully the opposite for B-Rob. Getting out of that scary situation alive and able to walk was a blessing on its own, but the fact that he was back on an NFL field for Week 5 was nothing short of miraculous. His workload was inconsistent, but he ultimately ended the season with 797 yards and two touchdowns on 205 rushes. His role as the lead back was further cemented as the season went on, as he finished with 18+ carries and/or 80+ yards in four of the final five games. Paired with Gibson, Washington has a legit two-headed rushing attack going into 2023.
4. Nationals C Keibert Ruiz, 24 | Last year: No. 14
Ruiz entrenched himself as the starting catcher after arriving via trade at the deadline last season. His 112 games played was the fifth-most among Nats fielders. His .251 average was fourth-highest on the team, and he also boasted the fourth-highest WAR on the team, albeit it was 1.7. His defense and framing was raw, but he showed potential and proved he deserves to be one of the young pieces worth building around.
3. Commanders S Darrick Forrest, 23 | Last year: N/A
Forrest emerged out of nowhere, becoming a fixture in the secondary and looking like another draft steal alongside fellow diamond in the rough, Kamren Curl. The former fifth-rounder made his impact all over the field, leading the Commanders in interceptions (4) and forced fumbles (2, tied with Jonathan Allen). He ranked third in solo tackles (56), and if the second-year safety can make that kind of impact in Year 3 and beyond, the secondary will be in great shape.
2. Commanders S Kamren Curl, 23 | Last year: No. 2
If Curl was healthy for the full season, he probably would’ve been first on the list. Even in 12 games, he was one of the best defensive players on the team yet again. His 58 solo tackles ranked second on the team despite playing five fewer games than fellow safeties Forrest and Bobby McCain, who were right below him. He didn’t record any interceptions, but recorded a single sack and continues to deliver as a seventh-round steal.
1. Commanders LB Jamin Davis, 24 | Last year: No. 18
In a massive turnaround, Davis solidified as one of the defensive leaders on the team, almost out of necessity. With the team carrying few linebackers to begin with, running a lot of 4-2-5 sets, Davis ascended as the play-caller of the defense after Cole Holcomb went down with a season-ending foot injury. He led the team in solo tackles (68) and assists (36), and recorded three sacks and two fumble recoveries. He wasn’t a superstar by any means, but after a discouraging rookie campaign, it appears Davis is beginning to reach his potential.
Cover Photo Credit: L – Dylan Buell/Getty Images; R – Washington Commanders
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