- Cade Cavalli (1)(1)
- Jackson Rutledge (8)(4)
- DJ Herz*
- Travis Sykora
- Jake Bennett* (3)
- Andrew Alvarez*
- Mitchell Parker* (4)(7)
- Cole Henry (9)(2)
- Jarlin Susana (2)
- Andry Lara (6)(3)
Others receiving votes, excluding honorable mentions: Dustin Saenz*, Luke Young, Zach Brzykcy, Liam Sullivan, Matt Cronin*, Marlon Perez*
Like a year ago, there’s only one 2023 draft pick and in true Nationals fashion, Travis Sykora and you threw the same number of pitches in the minors last year. I was unable to find any rumors or indications that that was because of injury – all indications was that the coaches wanted to work on his mechanics without any scrutiny (SSDP).
Seven of the ten were on the list last year, and I put their position on the 2021 list as well to demonstrate two things: 1) prospect fatigue (Cavalli will turn 26 in 2024, Rutledge 25, Parker and Henry, 24) and 2) that the rankings can change very quickly.
The winter meetings are this week, and unlike a year ago, there’s not much chance of major Nationals-oriented news, prospects or otherwise. I would love to be wrong about this, but without a chance at winning a lottery pick and the big club being multiple pieces away from contention, odds are we’re not going to see any major trades or free agent signings.
Yes, the Nats do pick 5th in the Rule 5 Draft and if you want me to start some s@#$, their favorite trading partner (the A’s) does have the #1 pick… Could there be a trade where the A’s pick the guy the Nats want (there are some pitchers coming off Tommy John surgery)?
Still, with a 12-year gap between MLB-phase picks, it seems unlike that the Nats will take a guy themselves two years in a row.