The Washington Nationals are at a pivotal point in their rebuild to baseball relevance, owning the No. 1 overall pick in the Major League Baseball amateur draft that begins on Sunday night in Atlanta.
There are multiple intriguing prospects they can choose from, including prep shorstop Ethan Holliday, the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday and brother of Jackson Holliday, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2022 and is now in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles.
In a related note, Washington earlier this week fired longtime general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez.
Bold choice.
The Nats’ head-scratching move — more for the timing than the actual decision — injects another layer of uncertainty to a draft that might be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. The first three rounds of the 20-round draft will take place on Sunday with the rest of the selections on Monday.
Washington promoted Mike DeBartolo to interim GM and he’ll handle the draft. He was previously the team’s assistant general manager and has been with the franchise since 2012.
DeBartolo said he’ll lean on the evaluations of the team’s scouting department, but also has his own opinions about the process and will be the decision maker. Money will also be a factor, as teams have to work within their bonus pool, which is calculated by multiple factors.
The Orioles are at the high end this year with more than $19 million to spend. The Yankees — who don’t pick until No. 39 — are at the bottom with roughly $5.3 million.
“They’ve been working hard for this moment, almost even before the last draft ended,” DeBartolo said. “So, I’ll bring my own voice to that process, and I’ll work collaboratively with them, and take what they have to say and ultimately be responsible for making the picks.”
There is little consensus about who the Nats might select at No. 1 on Sunday, though some of the top prospects are a pair of college left-handed pitchers — LSU’s Kade Anderson and Tennessee’s Liam Doyle — along with Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette and prep shortstops Holliday and Eli Willits.
“There are several really talented players that are going to be in the mix for us,” DeBartolo said. “We have to decide how to strategize with our bonus pool money and what the player bonus pool demands are and run through all those scenarios over the coming days.”
After the Nationals, the Los Angeles Angels have the No. 2 selection. The Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals round out the top five.
Left-handed college pitchers lead the pack
Several of the top prospects in this year’s draft are left-handed college pitchers, including Anderson, Doyle and Florida State’s Jamie Arnold.
Anderson helped LSU win the College World Series title last month, throwing a complete-game shutout in Game 1 of the championship series to cement his status as one of the draft’s top prospects. He finished with a 12-1 record and a 3.18 ERA with 180 strikeouts in 119 innings.
Anderson had Tommy John elbow surgery in high school, but has obviously come back strong.
Doyle rocketed up MLB mock drafts with a terrific season for the Vols, finishing with a 10-4 record, 3.20 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 95 2/3 innings. Arnold was a breakout star for Florida State in 2024 before regressing a bit last season, but he still finished with an 8-2 record, 2.98 ERA and 119 strikeouts.
“Obviously, college left-handers are kind of a premium right now,” Mariners vice president of amateur scouting Scott Hunter said. “There’s a few of those at the high end of the draft.”
Corona stars
Corona High School — about 45 miles from Los Angeles — could have three players drafted in the first round.
The prep powerhouse is led by right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez, who is regarded as a potential top five pick. Shortstop Billy Carlson is also expected to be selected early in the first round.
Third baseman Brady Ebel isn’t quite as highly-regarded — he’s the No. 64 prospect according to MLB.com — but there’s potential that he could still sneak into the opening round.
A fourth Corona player, Ethin Bingaman, is a two-way player committed to Auburn but could be drafted in the top five rounds.
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AP Sports Writer Andrew Destin, along with AP freelancer David Solomon, contributed to this story.
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