As written last month, it’s nearly certain that the Nationals will not be taking anybody in the major-league phase, which is rather typical for first-division/contenders. Instead, there’s a chance that a couple of farmhands may be taken as they were a year ago.
However, there’s a difference between players selected and actually being gone for good. Both picks last year — Brad Meyers and Erik Komatsu — were eventually returned.
Here’s another pass at who might get taken, filtered through the lens of the most common categories of players selected in the MLB phase:
| Relievers | 4th OF | Utility IF |
| Pat Lehman | Destin Hood | Jeff Kobernus |
| Paul Demny | ||
| Pat McCoy | ||
| Rob Wort |
Of this group, only Lehman has AAA experience, which makes him the most likely to get selected, followed by Kobernus. But both are longshots in the big picture. There’s probably a better chance of the Nationals having players taken in the AAA and AA phases (and vice-versa), but as written previously, it’s impossible to even guess who because the protected lists are not publicly released.