Scouting Report

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 45 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55

The son of former Cuban National Team member Andy Morales, who played briefly in the Yankees and Red Sox systems, Yohandy Morales was a Top 200 prospect as a Florida high school standout, but wasn’t taken in the shortened 2020 Draft largely because of his commitment to the University of Miami. He stepped right into the Hurricanes’ lineup in 2021, hitting 11 homers as a freshman, then took another step forward as a sophomore, hitting 18 home runs and finishing with an OPS over 1.000 before hitting .400 for Team USA over the summer.

In many ways, Morales has a similar profile to what scouts thought he might be coming out of high school. He’s an aggressive hitter looking to do damage and he does consistently barrel up the baseball, showing an ability to drive the ball to all fields. While he’s still power-over-hit, he has ironed out some of the moving parts of his swing that hurt him as a prepster, giving him a better chance to hit and get to that power, though some scouts worried about his tendency to chase pitches, especially up and out of the zone.

A former shortstop who outgrew the position and moved to third, Morales’ strong arm works very well from the hot corner and he has the defensive actions to stay there long-term. That combined with the power profile teams covet from infield corner types should have him in early-round conversations.

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 45 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Ranked as the No. 131 prospect in the 2020 Draft, Morales had a strong commitment to the University of Miami and went undrafted in the shortened process as a result. He was a three-year performer for the Hurricanes -- with some Team USA time sprinkled in -- and enjoyed his best spring as a junior in 2023, slashing .408/.475/.713 with 20 homers in 61 games. The Nationals selected Morales (now ranked 20th in his second class) in the second round of the 2023 Draft and went above slot to sign him for $2.6 million. Morales experienced four levels of Washington's system in his first taste of the pros, going 58-for-166 (.349) while finishing out at Double-A Harrisburg. He returned to the Senators for his first full season but a left thumb injury caused him to miss much of 2024.

Washington officials were excited that they were able to take Morales with their second pick and that they were able to add his significant raw power to their rebuild. The right-handed slugger can be aggressive as he tries to lean into that power, and he experienced some swing-and-miss in college, especially against breaking stuff as a junior. Still, Morales was trending in the right direction with his hit tool in school and struck out only 19 percent of the time in his early taste of the pros, adding to the belief he’ll be an average hitter thanks to his screaming line drives and other loud contact.

Morales was a shortstop as an amateur and still retains some of that athleticism. The Nationals drafted him as a third baseman, and he certainly has the arm strength for that position. However, the presence of Brady House at the hot corner has pushed Morales to more full-time duty across the dirt at first base. He could still see time at both corners, but the need for Morales’ power to play is heightened if he remains at first for the long term.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 45 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

The son of former Cuban National Team member Andy Morales, who played briefly in the Yankees and Red Sox systems, Yohandy Morales was a Top 200 prospect as a Florida high school standout but wasn’t taken in the shortened 2020 Draft, largely because of his commitment to the University of Miami. He stepped right into the Hurricanes’ lineup in 2021, hitting 11 homers as a freshman, and then he took another step forward as a sophomore, hitting 18 home runs and finishing with an OPS over 1.000 before hitting .400 for Team USA over the summer. The Nationals selected him in the second round and went above slot to sign him for $2.6 million. 

In many ways, Morales has a similar profile to what scouts thought he might be coming out of high school. He’s an aggressive hitter looking to do damage, and he does consistently barrel up the baseball, showing an ability to drive the ball to all fields. While he’s still power-over-hit, he has ironed out some of the moving parts of his swing that hurt him as a prepster, giving him a better chance to hit and get to that power, though some scouts worried about his tendency to chase pitches, especially up and out of the zone.

A former shortstop who outgrew the position and moved to third, Morales’ strong arm works very well from the hot corner, and he has the defensive actions to stay there long-term. That combined with the power profile teams covet from infield corner types made him enticing to Washington at the 40th overall pick.

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 45 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Back in 2001, the Yankees signed Cuban defector Andy Morales to a four-year deal, only to cut ties with the infielder, reportedly because he had lied about his age. Nearly two decades later, his son Yohandy has the chance to enter pro ball as one of the top high school infielders from Florida with some offensive upside.

Big and physical, Morales has the chance to hit, and with power, in the future. He has a knack for barreling up the baseball, though he can be too much of a guess hitter and there are a lot of moving parts to his swing. That said, there is a lot of raw pop for the right-handed hitter to tap into if he can smooth some things out mechanically and refine his overall approach.

Fairly physically mature, Morales played shortstop in high school, but nearly everyone sees a move to his father’s old position at the hot corner. He does have a strong arm, and continued work on his footwork and hands should make him more than capable at third. Teams who think his bat will profile well at the infield corner will take the chance at signing him away from his University of Miami commitment.

Awards

CAR Player of the Week

Week	Team
08/20/2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/08/2024	Harrisburg Senators activated 3B Yohandy Morales from the 7-day injured list.
	07/30/2024	Harrisburg Senators sent 3B Yohandy Morales on a rehab assignment to Fredericksburg Nationals.
	05/21/2024	Harrisburg Senators placed 3B Yohandy Morales on the 7-day injured list retroactive to May 20, 2024.
	03/07/2024	Washington Nationals Prospects activated 3B Yohandy Morales.
	02/29/2024	3B Yohandy Morales assigned to Washington Nationals.
	09/12/2023	3B Yohandy Morales assigned to Harrisburg Senators from Wilmington Blue Rocks.
	09/12/2023	Harrisburg Senators activated 3B Yohandy Morales.
	08/22/2023	3B Yohandy Morales assigned to Wilmington Blue Rocks from Fredericksburg Nationals.
	08/01/2023	3B Yohandy Morales assigned to Fredericksburg Nationals from FCL Nationals.
	07/29/2023	3B Yohandy Morales assigned to FCL Nationals.
	07/17/2023	Washington Nationals signed 3B Yohandy Morales.
	06/15/2023	3B Yohandy Morales assigned to College Workout.
	05/26/2023	College Workout activated SS Yohandy Morales.
	05/24/2023	College Workout activated SS Yohandy Morales.
	05/20/2023	SS Yohandy Morales assigned to Miami Hurricanes.
	05/20/2023	Miami Hurricanes activated 3B Yohandy Morales.
	07/02/2022	USAB Stripes Team activated SS Yohandy Morales.
	07/01/2022	SS Yohandy Morales and assigned to College Workout.
	05/21/2022	Miami Hurricanes activated SS Yohandy Morales.
	05/21/2022	SS Yohandy Morales assigned to Miami Hurricanes.
	09/18/2019	SS Yohandy Morales assigned to Florida.
	09/18/2019	SS Yohandy Morales assigned to Florida.
	08/08/2019	SS Yohandy Morales assigned to PG East.
	07/20/2019	3B Yohandy Morales assigned to UA American.