In 2010, which was the last time the Washington Nationals had the No. 1 overall draft pick, they took Bryce Harper.
In 2025, the Nationals are now heading toward the top pick again after winning baseball’s Draft Lottery on Tuesday. With a 71-91 record last season, the Nationals came into the lottery with a 10.2-percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick, the fourth-best odds in the league. They will pick No. 1 overall for the first time since they took Harper with their second of consecutive No. 1 picks (they also picked No. 1 overall in 2009 and took Stephen Strasburg).
#1 PICK BABY LET’S GOOOOO!!!!!!
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) December 10, 2024
The Seattle Mariners and St. Louis Cardinals were the other big winners of the draft lottery. The Mariners had the 15th-best record in baseball last season and the Cardinals the 13th best, but they will pick No. 3 and No. 5, respectively, in next year’s draft.
The Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies each had a 22.45-percent chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick — the best odds in the lottery — but each fell outside of the top three. The Rockies will pick fourth and the Marlins seventh.
The draft is seven months away, and there is currently no standout, consensus top prospect in the class according to The Athletic’s scouting expert Keith Law.
“The top of the 2025 draft looks extremely weak right now,” Law wrote. “Not only is there no runaway 1-1 candidate like a Bryce Harper or a Stephen Strasburg, the guys who might be at the top of a ranking or a pref list currently are all flawed in some way that in most years would eliminate them from 1-1 contention.”
Texas A&M outfielder Jace Laviolette, Florida State lefty Jamie Arnold, and Oklahoma high school third baseman Ethan Holliday — the brother of Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday — are among the most notable names, but none has a set of can’t-miss tools. Laviolette strikes out a lot, Arnold is primarily a two-pitch pitcher, and Holliday doesn’t have elite defensive value.
Ethan Holliday (25 OK) doing what No. 1 players in the class do: hitting a 🚀 grand slam into the night. Ball was still soaring when it went out; excellent hitting tools & explodes onto this one. #GoPokes commit. #WWBA @PGMidwestBB pic.twitter.com/wdfbj5pkoc
— Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) June 23, 2024
“That could mean there’s an opportunity for someone who comes out strongly this spring,” Law wrote.
He noted Clemson center fielder Cam Cannarella, Indiana outfielder Devin Taylor, and UC-Santa Barbara right-hander Tyler Bremner as players who could rise to the top of draft boards with strong performances next year.
Here is the complete first-round draft order for 2025:
- Washington Nationals
- Los Angeles Angels
- Seattle Mariners
- Colorado Rockies
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Miami Marlins
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Cincinnati Reds
- Chicago White Sox
- Athletics
- Texas Rangers
- San Francisco Giants
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Boston Red Sox
- Minnesota Twins
- Chicago Cubs
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Baltimore Orioles
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Houston Astros
- Atlanta Braves
- Kansas City Royals
- Detroit Tigers
- San Diego Padres
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Cleveland Guardians
- New York Mets
- New York Yankees
- Los Angeles Dodgers
(Top photo: Daniel Shirey / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
