Offseason Edition: theFUTURE

📰 Driving the Day at the Nats Report

Here are some top stories we are keeping track of here at the Nats Report Newsroom.

⏲️ The Nationals are on the clock. 

Big news came out of this year’s Winter Meetings: the Washington Nationals will have the number one draft pick in the upcoming MLB Amauter Draft that will be happening during this year’s All-Stars festivities in July. Over the next few months, we will be profiling some of the top prospects that the Nationals might select at one. Ethan Holliday is the big prospect who has already been linked to the Nationals. Check out our prospect profile of Ethan here.

In addition to the Nationals securing the number one spot in the upcoming MLB amauter draft, the team also selected RHP Evan Reifert and RHP Hyun-il Choi during the Rule 5 Draft.

Last season, the 25-year-old Reifert excelled in Double-A, compiling a 1.96 ERA in 35 relief appearances (41.1 innings). According to MLB Pipeline, he's currently ranked 26th on the Nationals' top 30 prospects list.

The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher Choi pitched 115.1 innings across Double-A and Triple-A last season, compiling a 5-11 record and a 4.92 ERA in 24 appearances, 21 of which were starts.

What does this mean for the Nationals? For the third time in franchise history, the Washington Nationals will pick number one at the MLB Draft. The previous two times, it worked out pretty well for the team. Just in case you forgot, at number one, the team selected RHP Stephen Strasburg and then OF Bryce Harper. While it is always a long shot to see if a top pick materializes like Strasburg and Harper, selecting the top prospect in this year’s class could be another step in the right direction for the team as they enter another re-tool year. Additionally, this allows the franchise to fill a much-needed hole in the lineup and on the field during this year and years to come off-season.

✍️ The Nationals sign some players to minor league contracts

The Washington Nationals have bolstered their pitching depth by signing RHP Patrick Weigel and LHP Konnor Pilkington to minor-league contracts. Both pitchers have received invitations to attend Major League Spring Training in 2025.

👋 Welcome to Rochester

In the latest Rochester Report, we focus on Brady House and how one of the top Washington Nationals prospects will be going to be part of theFUTURE of the team. "...House finished the season in Rochester and had 224 at-bats. He posted a 0.250 batting average and had an on-base percentage of 0.280 and a 0.655 OPS, along with ten doubles, six home runs, and 32 RBIs. He also had a walk rate of 3% and a strikeout rate of 29%..."

Welcome to Harrisburg. Get ready for in-depth coverage of the Harrisburg Senators! Andy, our new Harrisburg Senators reporter, is kicking things off with a trip down memory lane in his inaugural article delves into the history of the Senators, highlighting some of the top players since 2005. It's a fun trip down memory lane. We hope you enjoy this look back at memory lane and join Andy during the season for an in-depth look at the Harrisburg Senators. Take a read today.

⏳ SPEED READS

What we think the Washington Nationals’ front office is reading