The Washington Nationals bolstered their farm system with more young pitching by selecting a high school arm.
In one key aspect, the Nationals are the envy of Major League Baseball—they hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.
Until Washington makes its selection, the entire draft remains in flux, as every other team’s strategy hinges on what the Nationals decide to do.
So, what direction will Washington take? Baseball America attempted to predict it.
The publication’s analysts conducted a mock draft earlier this week, making selections for the first 40 picks on behalf of the teams with selections.
With the top overall pick, the writer projected the Nationals to select right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez from Corona (Calif.) High School.
This may come as a disappointment to some Nationals fans, who were hoping the team would take infielder Ethan Holliday from Stillwater, Okla. Holliday is the younger brother of Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 overall pick in 2022.
According to Baseball America, there is no clear-cut top prospect in this draft. However, Hernandez is considered to have the highest upside. His scouting report highlights a fastball that reaches 100 mph, a changeup that drops to 70 mph, and two quality breaking pitches. The site describes him as having “ace potential.”
Baseball America ranks Hernandez as the No. 4 overall prospect, behind college pitcher Jamie Arnold (No. 1), Holliday (No. 2), and pitcher Tyler Bremner (No. 3).
If Washington selects Hernandez, he would be the first pitcher the Nationals have taken in the first round since 2020, when they drafted Cade Cavalli out of Oklahoma. Cavalli has been recovering from a significant injury, but the team hopes he will return to the Majors this season.
In recent years, the Nationals have leaned toward position players. Their last four first-round selections have been hitters, including current starting right fielder Dylan Crews, the No. 2 overall pick out of LSU in 2023.
Other recent top picks include Brady House (2021), a shortstop from Winder-Barrow High School in Georgia, who is now in Triple-A and nearing a big-league call-up. Outfielder Elijah Green (2022), taken No. 5 overall out of IMG Academy, is playing at High-A, alongside last year’s first-round pick, Seaver King from Wake Forest.
The 2025 MLB Draft is scheduled for Sunday and Monday, July 13-14, during All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.
Several teams, including the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees, will face a 10-pick penalty on their first-round selections due to exceeding the second surcharge threshold of the Competitive Balance Tax, which could further influence the draft order.