The Washington Nationals have secured the first overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.
After a 71-91 season, the Nationals found themselves with a 10.8% chance of securing the number one overall pick, the fourth highest chance out of lottery eligible teams. The jump for the Nationals gives them the first overall pick for the third time since the team moved to Washington in 2005. The Nationals have had incredible success with the number one pick, having drafted Steven Strasburg in 2009 and Bryce Harper in 2010. The Nationals will look to have another franchise cornerstone, with the early favorite to be selected first overall being Ethan Holliday, the son of former MLB player Matt Holliday and brother of the 2022 First overall pick: Jackson Holliday.
The youngest of the Holliday’s, 17 year old Ethan is a 6’4″ 200 pound infielder. According to his draft profile, “[Ethan] Holliday may have the most usable left-handed power in the Draft and he generates it with little effort. Still adding to his 6-foot-4 frame, he already has plenty of strength and an easy left-handed swing with plenty of bat speed and leverage” (MLB.com). The 3rd basemen or shortstop out of Oklahoma would likely be Washington’s future 3rd basemen, as the C.J. Abrams has strengthened his case to be the team’s everyday shortstop for the foreseeable future, despite being demoted for a curfew violation in 2024.
Abrams is a part of a developing, offensive core for the Nationals. Alongside the 2024 All-Star shortstop is the Nationals number one overall prospect and the number two overall pick in 2023: Outfielder Dylan Crews. Second basemen Luis Garcia Jr. has been a solid everyday player at second base, and former top prospect James Wood flashed major potential through 76 games in 2024.
Should the Nationals look to fill needs in their pitching, Florida State’s Jamie Arnold broke out in 2024, with a 2.98 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 105.2 innings pitched. UC Santa Barbara’s Tyler Bremmer is another name to watch, as Bremmer had a similar breakout to Arnold, dropping his ERA from 5.37 in 2023 to 2.23 in 2024. While his workload decreased, a big 2025 could see Bremmer pave his way to the number one overall pick.
The Washington Nationals have a wide selection of talent to choose from, and they’ll make the first overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft on July 13th in Atlanta as a part of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Weekend.
