The top pitching prospect in baseball is coming to the majors.
Lucas Giolito will start for the Washington Nationals on Tuesday against the New York Mets, manager Dusty Baker told reporters Monday.
Drafted by the Nationals in 2012 as the heir apparent to Stephen Strasburg, Giolito will essentially be replacing the ace in Washington's rotation after Strasburg went on the disabled list Sunday. The hard-throwing 21-year-old has yet to pitch above Double-A, where he is currently 5-3 with a 3.17 ERA in 14 starts for Harrisburg, but scouts have long raved about his abilities.
MORE: Baseball's worst fielders at every position
"He's ready for the task," Baker told reporters.
Giolito fell to the Nationals at No. 16 in the draft in part because of concerns about his health, and indeed he underwent Tommy John surgery weeks after being selected. But he has mowed down minor-league hitters since then, striking out 353 in 324 2/3 innings as a professional.
Baseball America ranked Giolito the No. 5 overall prospect and No. 2 pitching prospect entering the 2016 season. MLB.com and ESPN currently have him listed as the top prospect in the minors.
He'll face Matt Harvey in his debut Tuesday night in Washington.
