Washington Nationals

Draft History
2024
Jake Irvin - protection
25 - Luis Matos
55 - Andrew Nardi
71 - Tommy Henry
85 - Pablo Reyes
101 - Trevor May
115 - Jacob Young
145 - George Soriano

2023
C.J. Abrams - protection
47 - Cionel Perez
138 - Ryan O'Hearn

2022
Josiah Gray - protection
18 - Chris Flexon
27 - Ryan Thompson
57 - Rodolfo Castro
87 - Jake Burger
117 - Hunter Strickland
147 - Paulo Espino

2021
Luis Garcia - protection
15 - Trevor Rosenthal
60 - Kyle Cody
63 - Santiago Espinal
68 - Caleb Thielbar
118 - Estevan Florial
120 - Rafael Dolis
150 - Tzu-Wei Lin
180 - Ben Braymer

2020
Carter Kieboom - protection
48 - Alex Young
131 - Mike Freeman
146 - Lucas Sims

2019
Juan Soto - protection
56 - Ryne Stanek
90 - Curt Casali
116 - Kohl Stewart
135 - Wander Suero

2018
Victor Robles - protection
18 - Leury Garcia
20 - Carlos Asuaje
50 - Eric Fedde
110- Chasen Shreve

2017
Lucas Giolito - protection
38 - Derek Law
52 - Seth Lugo
56 - Christian Friedrich
116 - Dae-Ho Lee
146 - Ty Kelly

2016
Trea Turner - protection
27 - Hector Olivera
87 - Trevor Gott
109 - Pedro Ciriaco
117 - Pedro Severino
147 - Sammy Solis

2015
Michael A. Taylor - protection
101 - Aaron Barrett
109 - Blaine Hardy
138 - Chris Gimenez

2014
Anthony Rendon - protection
30 - Jonathan Schoop
104 - Nate Karns
113 - Brendan Harris
120 - Rene Rivera

2013

Bryce Harper - protection
1 - Yu Darvish
13 - Derek Norris
29 - Ryan Cook

2012
Brad Peacock - protection
3 - Paul Goldschmidt
13 - J.D. Martinez
40 - Rubby de la Rosa
80 - Chase d'Arnaud
90 - Tim Federowicz
134 - Chris Marrero

2011
Stephen Strasburg - protection
48 - Bruce Chen
78 - Will Rhymes
79 - Shelly Duncan
86 - Jay Gibbons
138 - Pedro Ciriaco

2010
Ian Desmond - protection
65 - Shawn Camp
69 - Koji Uehara
82 - Omir Santos
99 - Eliezer Alonzo

2009
Collin Balester - protection
22 - Chris Getz
52 - Travis Ishikawa
70 - Garrett Mock
99 - Raul Chavez

2008
Matt Chico - protection
26 - Wladimir Balentien
30 - Radhames Liz
60 - Eugenio Velez
90 - Sean Gallagher
92 - Cha-Seung Baek
121 - Jorge Velandia

2007

Michael O'Connor - protection
64 - Ross Gload
90 - Shawn Hill
109 - Russ Ortiz
150 - Paul Bako

2006
Ryan Zimmerman - protection
17 - Chris Duffy
59 - Adam Wainwright
101 - Brandon Watson
117 - Brian Moehler
141 - Tony Blanco
142 - Pete LaForest
149 - Joey Eischen

2005
Terrmel Sledge - protection
39 - Adrian Gonzalez
59 - Calvin Pickering
106 - Wilson Delgado
119 - Francisco Cruceta

2004
Claudio Vargas - protection
43 - Chad Cordero
75 - Curt Leskanic
85 - Billy McMillan
142 - Felix Sanchez
145 - Raul Chavez

2003
Endy Chavez - protection
1 - Brett Myers
4 - Victor Martinez
25 - Francisco Rodriguez
41 - Miguel Asencio
55 - Mike Crudale
115 - Travis Driskill

2002
Brad Wilkerson - protection
24 - Cesar Izturis
31 - Dave Williams
90 - Scott Chiasson
143 - Kevin Brown

2001
82 - Doug Creek
93 - Jason Tyner

118 - Scott Servais
148 - Brady Clark

2025 Washington Nationals

Overview: Following the surprising off-season departure of one premier player, it is impossible to guess what surprises might arise next from the front office. Fans never thought they’d be asked to part ways with their beloved Juan Soto. But in a moment of fantasy mirrors reality, depart he did. To the Big Bad Yankees, to boot. This surprise suggests management is committed to a rebuild in 2025. That’s not to say the team won’t compete. At present this squad possesses enough talent to keep the division title within view.

Starting Pitching: With exception of aging ace Seth Lugo, this is a young and developing assembly of arms. MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, Brandon Pfaadt (one of the key components of the Soto trade), and Griffin Canning (also newly arrived via Reds) are all a bit below average. But time remains for them to hone their craft and contribute in the future. With the exception of Gore, this group will be very difficult to run against and a true rebuild would also entertain thoughts of moving Lugo to a playoff contender mid-season. As of now Grade: C+

Relief Pitching: Like Cincinnati, the Nats will struggle in close and late situations. Hector Neris is presumably the closer, but how effective he’ll be in that role is in question. The setup guys presently on hand won’t provide much meaningful help either. There are several gaps to fill here and how they are filled will say much about how serious management is about pestering the Reds.

Catchers: Regardless of which aging backstop finds himself hitting at the bottom of the lineup, opposing baserunners will find themselves tempted to run. Thankfully, most of the pitching staff tends to hold runners tight. Sean Murphy and Curt Casali don’t offer a whole lot of promise nor will they be eligible to cover all the starts. A shot of youth here would be ideal, but that’s not always an easy ask. Grade: D

Infield: Though he’ll likely spend most of the season at DH (or get traded), I will include Bryce Harper as apart of this group. A significant chunk of the offensive output this season will be generated by the infield. Harper and Paul Goldschmidt will hit in yhe heart of the order and drive in plenty of runs. Luis Garcia Jr. will cover 2B and contributes some speed. His DP partner, Trea Turner, will deliver another top-notch season at short. Jake Burger has 40 homer potential at third. Defensively this group is a mixed bag, with very good defenders at first and short, while second and third will likely lead to a bit of grumbling from the pitching staff. These shortcomings leave me just shy of giving this group an A. Grade: B+

Outfield: The Nationals presently possess an entire lineup’s worth of outfielders on their roster. The most striking fact is this: of the nine, only two are above the age of 27. What’s more, speculators predict that Washington is likely to spend the first overall pick on yet another 22-year old outfielder. Given the context of all this depth, Juan Soto’s departure feels far less shocking. Youngster Jacob Young will provide speed, excellent defense in center, and a consistent bat in the lineup every day. Protection pick James Wood projects as splitting time with Victor Robles on one corner while veteran Ryan O’Hearn will man the other. It might make sense to trade one or more of these outfielders and I expect it will eventually happen. The depth and upside here equals Grade: B+

Conclusion: Soto may have flown the coop, but even without him this still promises to be one of the top offenses in the NL. They will score plenty. The problem is that their opponents will as well. As is, I do see the Nats finishing second behind the Reds. But if a big-time rebuild happens (i.e., harper/Lugo/O’Hearn are removed from the roster) then the Nats will see their season trending more like the Rangers and Mets. Which might well be what management decides to do.