The Nationals head into Friday with two big things on the calendar: a three-game set against the Yankees and the start of the MLB Draft on Saturday.
Washington opens its final series before the All-Star break tonight in New York, then turns around Saturday for rounds 1-4 of the draft at 1:00 PM ET. Rounds 5-20 follow Sunday at 11:30 AM ET, with the Yankees series continuing in between. The break begins Monday.
At the center of the draft conversation is the 11th pick, a selection that gives the Nationals a major chance to shape what comes next. On Saturday, Washington will also pick at Nos. 42, 78, and 106.
The organization has a long track record of making big first-round swings, with past picks including Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, and Cade Cavalli. More recently, the Nationals used first-round picks on Eli Willits and Dylan Crews.
In most mock drafts, Washington is linked to either Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese or Texas A&M infielder Chris Hacopian. Other names in the mix include Florida pitcher Liam Peterson, Kentucky shortstop Tyler Bell, and high school outfielder/pitcher Jared Grindlinger.
Assistant general manager Devin Pearson put the draft philosophy plainly: “An organization should be aligned on what you believe in with developing players, and you should draft to those beliefs.”
The last time the Nationals held the 11th pick, they took Brady House.
The Yankees series brings its own set of questions. New York comes in as an AL contender, and Washington has a chance to make up ground in the wild-card race while building some momentum before the break.
Game 1 sends Carson Palmquist to the mound for the Nationals. He is 0-1 with a 7.11 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. Ryan Weathers starts for the Yankees; he is 3-7 with a 4.29 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, a 26.9 K% and a 95.1 average fastball velo.
Game 2 features Miles Mikolas for Washington and Cam Schlittler for New York. Mikolas is 3-7 with a 5.78 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP and a 4.9 BB%. Schlittler has been sharp, going 9-5 with a 2.01 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, a 29.6 K% and a 35.2 Chase %.
In the finale, Cade Cavalli gets the ball for the Nationals against Will Warren. Cavalli is 5-4 with a 3.88 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, a 96.5 fastball velo and an 85.5 mph curve ball average. Warren enters at 7-4 with a 4.15 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP and a .256 xBA.
There are a few matchup themes worth watching. At first base, Luis Garcia Jr. has been on a tear, coming off what the club described as arguably the best month of his career: a .306 average, 11 home runs and 27 RBIs. For New York, Ben Rice leads the Yankees in batting average at .275, home runs with 28, RBIs with 65 and hits with 90.
Speed on the bases could also matter. Nasim Nunez leads the MLB with 33 stolen bases and owns a .331 OBP. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is third in stolen bases with 26 and has a .388 slugging percentage.
CJ Abrams summed up the way the Nationals want to keep attacking at the plate: “We get on base, we hit balls hard, and we score runs. So we’re going to keep that going.”
The roster has also changed in the last few days because of injuries and a free-agent signing. Brad Lord was placed on the 15-day IL on Thursday. He has appeared in 27 games this season, struck out 52 batters and posted a 3.88 ERA across 58 innings.
Trevor Williams was sent to a rehab assignment with the Rochester Red Wings on Wednesday. He has been on that assignment since June 28, and has since pitched one game for Fredericksburg, one for Harrisburg and one for Rochester. In those three outings, he has thrown 5.2 innings, struck out five and allowed seven hits and four runs.
The Nationals also signed third baseman Devin Ortiz.
In Other News...
Nationals Prospect Is Making This Decision Impossible To Ignore
Yohandy Morales has done enough at Triple-A to keep forcing the issue, and the numbers are starting to look like those of a hitter who is no longer just knocking on the door. The Nationals prospect is batting .303 with 21 home runs and a .930 OPS, production that stands out even with the usual caveats about contact rate and a ground-ball profile that still need watching.
What has made the conversation harder to ignore is that Morales has also shown signs of tightening up the parts of his game that had been holding him back. His recent strikeout rate has improved, his ball flight has trended in a better direction, and with his Rule 5 eligibility coming this offseason, Washington may soon have to decide how much longer it can keep waiting before making room for him. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Make Another Bullpen Move Fans Saw Coming
The Nationals are turning to another left-handed arm for the bullpen, selecting Tom Cosgroves contract and giving him a chance to join the active roster. The move comes after Brad Lord landed on the 15-day injured list, a shuffle that had been easy to anticipate once Washington needed another healthy option in the relief mix.
Cosgrove is a recent pickup from the Astros and has barely had time to settle in with the organization, making just one appearance for Triple-A Rochester since arriving. With the roster picture changing quickly, Washington is giving itself another look at a pitcher it brought in to provide depth and flexibility as the bullpen keeps evolving. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Made A Pitching Move That Could Reshape Their Depth Chart
The Nationals pitching pipeline took another turn this week, with the organization making a move that could ripple through the depth chart as the big league club keeps sorting out its relief picture. It comes against the backdrop of a busy minor league slate, where Rochester dropped a tight 8-7 game at Worcester, Harrisburg kept rolling with an 8-3 win over Erie, and Fredericksburg and the FCL Nationals also turned in wins that offered a snapshot of how much arms and bats are being tested across the system.
For Washington, the larger question is less about one box score than about how the club balances immediate needs with long-term depth. The minor league results show a system with some momentum in spots and some frustration in others, but the pitching shuffle is the part that matters most at the top level. However the next round of decisions plays out, it figures to say plenty about which arms the Nationals trust to help now and which ones they want to keep close for later. [Read more 🡒]