Highlighting top Nationals prospects for '09

We are breaking down the top five prospects for each organization for 2009, taking into consideration: games, at-bats, innings and major-league service time. We expect these players to have rookie status remaining heading into next year.

According to MLB rules: "A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the major leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a major league club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list)."

Note: Statistics are those at each stop in the minors this season and age represents how old they will be on opening day 2009.

Washington Nationals

When you pick atop the draft every year, it is pretty tough to not have a good farm system to boast about. Their pitching prospects, though, while intriguing, are tough to buy into because of the expected non-contender they will be working for. Their system's best fruit is a few years away and that is really when you will want to be finally buying into their pitchers -- when they can actually have a decent shot at winning games.

1. SP Jordan Zimmerman, 22

Zimmerman continues a meteoric rise to prominence and could be a factor in the Nationals' 2009 rotation out of spring training. If not, he should arrive in season. The problem is they don't figure to win consistently, so even a quality veteran starter would have minimal Fantasy value there. It is notoriously tough for a young Nationals pitching prospect to succeed for Fantasy owners. Think more long term here.

2. OF Chris Marrero, 20

An injury-plagued year stunts his development some, but this future masher wasn't going to be a real factor in 2009 anyway. Consider him a long-term keeper prospect and one of the young outfielder prospects who could develop into a future Fantasy first-rounder. It should be a few years before he makes a true impact, because he is so young and raw.

3. OF Michael Burgess, 20

Burgess clearly has pop in his bat, but the free-swinging young slugger has some work to do before he can display it in the high minors. That Nationals are in no hurry to bring their position-player prospects along, unlike their need for pitchers, so Burgess will likely move along at a pace equal to Marrero. It will make him an intriguing name in long-term keeper leagues, but makes him a non-factor in Fantasy 2009.

4. SP Ross Detwiler, 23

The 2007 No. 1 pick took just a few months to make his major league debut, so it was thought he was going to challenge for a roster spot out of spring training. It didn't work out and Detwiler went back to Class A to relatively disappointing results. You cannot give up on an arm this intriguing, though, so watch him closely through the first half of the season. He could really surprise before the end of 2009.

5. SP Shairon Martis, 22

Martis has been on the prospect radar since tossing a gem in the last World Baseball Classic and a teenager. But only in 2008 did he really soar up the Nationals' charts. He will compete for a rotation spot in spring training, but like we said above, Washington is not a good place to hunt for Fantasy pitching gems. Martis will really have to pitch well to be anything more than an NL-only option this season.

Best of the rest: SP Garrett Mock, C Derek Norris, SP Michael Hinckley, SP Jack McGeary, OF Justin Maxwell, SS Esmailyn Gonzalez, SS Danny Espinosa, OF Destin Hood, SP Tyler Clippard, SP Josh Smoker, SP Luis Atilano, OF Leonard Davis, SP Brad Peacock, OF Roger Bernadina, SS Ian Desmond, SS Alberto Gonzalez, 2B Matt Rogelstad, SP Adrian Alaniz, 1B Larry Broadway, SP Craig Stammen, RP Clint Everts, SP Graham Hicks, SS Michael Martinez, RP Mason Smith, RP Justin Jones, OF Edgardo Baez, OF Mike Daniel, OF Stephen Englund, SP Hassan Pena, SP Martin Beno, SP Zeno Zinicola, 3B Matt Whitney, SS Stephen King, SS Yurendell De Caster, RP Marco Estrada and C Luke Montz.

2008 rookies to exhaust eligibility: SP John Lannan, SP Collin Balester, OF Kory Casto, RP Steven Shell, 2B Anderson Hernandez,

Last year's top five here: OF Burgess, OF Marrero, SP Detwiler, SP Balester and OF Maxwell.

You can e-mail Emack your Fantasy Baseball prospect questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Nationals prospects in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses to all questions.