But that’s not the worst thing about this year’s list. Apparently you can barely pitch, turn 26, have serious questions about your health, and still be ranked!
Let’s get to it:
- Dylan Crews, OF (1)
- Travis Sykora, RHP (14)
- Jarlin Susana, RHP (10)
- Brady House, 3B (3)
- Seaver King, SS (’24 Draft Pick)
- Alex Clemmey, LHP (’24 Trade)
- Cade Cavalli, RHP (4)
- Caleb Lomavita, C (’24 Draft pick)
- Cayden Wallace, 3B (’24 Trade)
- Daylen Lile, OF (11)
Rather than ask around and find out what the real story is, BA is parroting the Nats company line that Cavalli had the flu and “began experiencing [a] dead arm*.” OK, maybe they did… but I doubt it. It’s been years since I can recall seeing anything remotely like “an N.L. scout told us…”
* I wonder if either the Nats or BA truly understand that “dead arm” is what they used to call a career-ending injury prior to the 1970s.
Just one of last year’s top 10 graduated to the majors (James Wood). Nos. 5-10 all dropped down or out – we won’t know for sure until the ’25 Handbook is published. That’s quite a bit of churn, which is good if you’re looking ahead but not so good when you consider that four of those six were 23 or younger. It’s also worth noting that three of the ten were acquired via trade, which is in line with what Rizzo is historically better at vs. drafting.
While the subscriber chat is usually disappointing, the answer to the question about the Nats’ fetish for toolsy position players with contact issues is worth calling out:
The Nationals have shown a willingness to take on more risk but in exchange acquire high-level athleticism, tools and upside. That’s not always going to pay off, but you’re not getting players like Brady House and Elijah Green later in the draft. You either take a shot early or you don’t that sort of upside potential at all. The 2024 Nationals draft is interesting because the team took a pair of hitters with strong contact skills but aggressive approaches (Sever King, Caleb Lomavita), which is something the Orioles have had success with in the past. Perhaps that’s a shift in philosophy with some new people in the scouting department who came over from Baltimore, but I could also be overanalyzing here. Either way, the team targeted more hitters with proven contact skills in this draft.
I think that might be a good place to leave off. Folks who are interested in seeing the Best Tools and a laughable 2028 lineup, can see them here.