The Nationals’ last three first-round picks tell a pretty clear story: one looks like a home run, one looks like a useful piece with plenty still to prove, and one has yet to come close to matching the hype.
Start with Eli Willits, because there’s no way around the fact that the 2025 first overall pick has been a massive win so far. He wasn’t even 18 when Washington took him, and less than a year later he’s already a top-three prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
That alone puts the pick in elite territory. Willits reclassified to get drafted a year earlier than he was originally eligible, which was supposed to be 2026, and that decision has already paid off.
The switch-hitting shortstop has shown strong contact skills and some power between low-A and high-A, and he looks like he’s on track to become a big league player the Nationals can build around.
The 2024 class gives Washington a different kind of value. Seaver King came in as the No. 10 pick out of Wake Forest, after beginning his college career at Division II Wingate and climbing all the way into the first round.
That kind of rise matters. King has flashed real speed, stealing 30 bags last season between high-A and double-A, and he brings a pretty complete package: batting average, defensive versatility and solid power.
He could end up helping the Nationals directly, or he could become a trade chip if Washington decides to buy at the deadline. The farm system is already crowded in the infield, especially at shortstop with Willits and with CJ Abrams on the big-league roster.
Then there’s Dylan Crews, the No. 2 pick in 2023, and the grade here has to reflect how far the performance has lagged behind the expectations. Crews was a major part of LSU’s 2023 national championship run, and Washington drafted him with the kind of ceiling that usually comes with that pedigree.
He reached the majors the next season on August 26, but the results since then have been rough. Across parts of three seasons, he’s struggled, battled injuries, gone back to the minors, and posted a career 79 OPS+, meaning he’s been 21% worse than the average big league hitter.
That’s a tough return for a player who arrived with so much buzz.
For the Nationals, the contrast is stark: Willits is already looking like a star, King has a chance to become a useful piece, and Crews still needs to turn the corner if he’s going to become part of the team’s winning core moving forward.
In Other News...
Cade Cavallis Suspension May Have Changed Everything For The Nationals
Cade Cavallis suspension has already rippled beyond one roster spot, forcing the Nationals to keep adjusting the bullpen while they wait for his situation to settle. Cavalli has expressed remorse for what happened, and the club has had to juggle arms such as Eddy Yean and Cole Henry just to keep the relief corps moving, with another move likely coming soon as the innings keep piling up elsewhere.
The more immediate question is what comes next for Cavalli himself. His first outing after the suspension was rocky, and Washington is weighing whether to give him the July 12 start or pull him back and let nearly two weeks pass before he takes the mound again. For a pitcher trying to regain his footing, the Nationals now have to decide whether more work or a longer reset is the better path. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Surge Has Put One Deadline Decision Under The Spotlight
Bostons recent surge has changed the feel of the deadline conversation, and not just because the club has won nine of its last 11 games. The Red Sox have played better offensively over the past two weeks, but they still sit near the bottom of the league in home runs, which keeps the search for a real impact bat very much alive as July approaches.
One name that naturally fits that discussion is CJ Abrams, whose profile has made him an intriguing possibility for a team looking to add more punch from the right side. He is 25 and under control for two more seasons, which only adds to the appeal if Boston decides it wants a longer-term answer rather than a short-term rental, even if the odds of any deal remain far from certain. [Read more 🡒]