In the third-ever MLB Draft Lottery, the Washington Nationals were awarded the No. 1 pick for the 2025 MLB Draft. The ballclub entered the lottery with only 10.2 percent odds of winning the top draft pick (behind the Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins, and Los Angeles Angels). The Nationals will now have the No. 1 pick for the third time in team history. The team’s previous two picks were used on Stephen Strasburg in 2009 and Bryce Harper in 2010.
Whoa, the Nationals won the Draft Lottery. They’ll pick No. 1 overall for the third time in club history. They only had 10.2 percent odds of winning this.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) December 10, 2024
Nationals Win Top Pick in 2024 MLB Draft Lottery
The Nationals came close to winning the first MLB Draft Lottery in 2022, but finished runner-up to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team also won the 2023 lottery but was ineligible for the top pick, which went to the Cleveland Guardians.
Strasburg and Harper were each drafted following two 100-loss seasons in D.C. Nevertheless, the two top picks were key figures in Washington’s dominance in the 2010s. Strasburg went on to have a solid career with the Nationals, which included winning 2019 World Series MVP. Harper also became a face of MLB during his time with Washington before leaving for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019.
The Nationals’ next top pick will join the organization three years into a roster rebuild that includes young talent such as Dylan Crews, James Wood, CJ Abrams, and MacKenzie Gore. The ballclub is coming off their fifth consecutive season with a losing record, posting the same 71-91 record from 2023.
The next No. 1 MLB pick is projected to be Ethan Holliday, a 17-year-old Oklahoma infielder. Ethan also happens to be the brother of 2022 No. 1 pick Jackson Holliday and the son of former big league star Matt Holliday. If Washington drafts Ethan, he wouldn’t be too far from his brother Jackson, who plays for the Baltimore Orioles. Other options for the Nationals include outfielder Jace Laviolette, right-handers Seth Hernandez and Tyler Bremner, and left-hander Jamie Arnold.
Photo Credit: © Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
The post Nationals Win Top Pick in 2025 MLB Draft appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.