Power? Vibes? This Nats' prospect 'the guy for that'

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OAKLAND -- Back in 2012, a young Trey Lipscomb met a young Yohandy Morales.

Lipscomb (ranked as the Nationals’ No. 16 prospect) was playing for the Georgia Yard Dogs, and Morales (Nationals’ No. 4, MLB No. 99) was a member of Team MVP. They were talented baseball hopefuls who didn’t know at the time they would end up playing in the same Major League organization.

What Lipscomb could tell, though, was that Morales had more than just potential.

“He was one of those players where you knew it was only a matter of time before he was going to get drafted out of high school or go to college and get drafted,” Lipscomb said. “Obviously, he picked the right path.”

Lipscomb was selected out of the University of Tennessee by Washington in the third round of the 2022 Draft. The following summer, the Nats drafted Morales in the second round out of the University of Miami.

Eleven years after they first met, Lipscomb, 23, and Morales, 22, became teammates on the Double-A Harrisburg Senators last season.

“You watch him take BP and you see all the power that he displays,” Lipscomb said. “But also, he is a comforting, you-want-him-to-be-in-the-locker-room type guy. He’s chill. If you want to listen to music, play games, any of that, he’s the guy for that.”

Like Lipscomb, who was named the 2023 Nationals Minor League Defensive Player of the Year, Morales brings defensive versatility to the organization. Listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, Morales played third base in college, but he also has been playing first base on the Senators with Brady House (Nationals’ No. 3, MLB No. 45) playing the hot corner.

On Saturday, Morales belted the first home run of his pro career. This, the same week he entered the MLB Pipeline Top 100 list.

Morales has a Major League ETA of 2025. Beyond his baseball talents, Lipscomb believes Morales has an outlook and attitude that will help him be successful in the bigs.

“That nonchalant vibe, I think it’s going to bring him to the next level,” Lipscomb said. “It’s kind of like a stress-free thing. I think that’s what’s going to get him here. I’m excited for him.”