Who are Nats targeting with No. 1 pick? Here are 3 options

ST. LOUIS -- All eyes will be on the Nationals, who hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft presented by Nike on Sunday night.

The Nats have not selected first since they did in back-to-back years, picking Stephen Strasburg in 2009 and Bryce Harper in 2010.

The team will make this coveted pick following a major shakeup as the Nationals parted ways with general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez on Sunday. Mike DeBartolo, who was the Nationals' senior vice president and assistant general manager, was named interim GM.

“Mike DeBartolo is a smart and thoughtful executive, and we’re fortunate to have him as part of our organization,” team owner Mark D. Lerner said in a statement. “As we hold the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft and look ahead to the Trade Deadline, we are confident in his ability to lead the baseball operations staff through these next, important months.”

DeBartolo credited the Nationals' amateur scouting team for its preparation for this Draft. He was in St. Louis on Tuesday – the Nationals' first game since the changes – and he plans to return to Washington, D.C., early Wednesday morning to rejoin the group for Draft strategizing.

“They've been working hard for this moment almost even before the last Draft ended,” DeBartolo said Tuesday afternoon. “I'll bring my own voice to that process, and I'll work collaboratively with them and take what they have to say and ultimately be responsible for making the picks.”

The first choice comes down to a position player or a pitcher. But it’s not that simple, of course, as the Nationals maneuver through the entire Draft. They hold three picks on Day One.

“It’s an exciting time,” said DeBartolo. “There’s several really talented players that are going to be in the mix for us. We have to decide how to strategize with our bonus pool money, and what the bonus pool demands are, and run through all those scenarios over the coming days. There’s a lot of talent there, and it’s an exciting day for the organization to be able to bring in someone from that group. And we’ll see if we can use dollars strategically to bring in as many top prospects as we can. I think it’s going to benefit the long term of the organization.”

Lefty-hitting high school infielder Ethan Holliday stands as MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 prospect, and he has been slated consistently as the top pick in mock drafts. Holliday, 18, rose through the ranks at Stillwater High School, where he was named the 2025 Gatorade Oklahoma Baseball Player of the Year. Baseball is in his DNA as the son of seven-time All-Star Matt and brother of 2022 No. 1 overall pick Jackson.

The MLB Pipeline team projects Holliday at third base and gave him the following scouting grades on the 20-80 scale -- hit: 50, power: 65, run: 50, arm: 55, field: 50, overall: 60.

MLB Pipeline wrote, “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. He tried to do too much when he got pitched around on the circuit last summer, leading to some swing-and-miss concerns, but he should develop into at least an average hitter with 35-homer pop and plenty of walks.”

The Nationals covet starting pitching, though, and there are standout options at the top of the Draft boards.

Left-hander Kade Anderson, the No. 2 Draft prospect, left a lasting impression weeks ahead of the Draft by hurling 130 pitches with 10 strikeouts for LSU in a College World Series shutout. Anderson, 21, went 12-1 with a 3.18 ERA and a 13.6 K/9 rate in 19 starts this season. He threw 119 innings three years after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2022.

The MLB Pipeline team assessed Anderson’s scouting grades as follows -- fastball: 60, curveball: 55, slider: 55, changeup: 60, control: 55, overall: 60.

MLB Pipeline wrote, “Anderson's fastball plays much better than its velocity (sitting 92-94 mph, touching 97) because it carries past bats up in the strike zone. He used an upper-70s downer curveball as his main breaking pitch as a freshman but now favors a high-spin mid-80s slider that has the makings of a plus offering. He also employs a mid-80s changeup with fade and sink that has become a true weapon as he has used it more often.”

• Day 1 picks: 1, 49, 80
• Bonus pool allotment: $16,597,800, fourth in MLB
• Last year’s top pick: Seaver King, SS, pick 10 ... The Nationals selected King out of Wake Forest with a $5.15 million signing bonus (below the $5.95 million pick value). King is ranked as the Nats’ No. 4 prospect. He began the season at High-A Wilmington, and he advanced to Double-A Harrisburg in early June. Through his first 74 games across both levels, King batted .249 with 10 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 27 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. His MLB Pipeline scouting grades are as follows -- hit: 55, power: 45, run: 65, arm: 55, field: 50, overall: 50.
• Breakout 2024 pick: Robert Cranz, RHP, pick 200 ... Cranz was promoted from Single-A Fredericksburg to High-A Wilmington on July 1. In 25 relief appearances with the FredNats, Cranz went 1-2 with a 2.05 ERA and nine saves (11 opportunities) in 30 2/3 innings. He held opponents to a .127 batting average while posting a 0.95 WHIP. The Nationals selected Cranz in the seventh round out of Oklahoma State. His signing bonus was $190,000, under the $290,300 pick value.

Corona High School (Calif.) right-hander Seth Hernandez is ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect and No. 2 pitching prospect by MLB Pipeline. Hernandez, 19, rose to the status of top high school pitcher in this Draft following a complete-game shutout in the 2024 National High School Invitational as a junior. He was named MVP of the competition and the 2025 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year.

The MLB Pipeline team assessed Hernandez with the following scouting grades -- fastball: 70, curveball: 60, slider: 55, changeup: 60, control: 55, overall: 60.

MLB Pipeline wrote, “Hernandez has an ideal projectable 6-foot-4 pitcher’s frame with the athleticism teams love to see from young power arms. Always on time with an online and loose delivery, Hernandez has big stuff and a feel for all four of his pitches. While he touched triple digits at the Area Code Games, he typically sits in the mid-90s, touching 97-98 mph. His best secondary offering is his changeup, and it’s plus right now, thrown with a lot of confidence and missing bats with it thanks to its good action and how it plays off of his fastball plane well. His curve, a true 12-to-6 spike curveball, has the chance to be plus with hard, tight and late action to it, sometimes registering RPMs in the 3,000 range. He started featuring a harder slider more on the showcase circuit.”