WASHINGTON ¨C With their highest pick in the MLB Draft since 2010, the Nationals selected 18-year-old outfielder Elijah Green fifth overall on Sunday evening.?

Green, ranked as MLB.com¡¯s No. 3 Draft prospect, hit .462 with a 1.592 OPS, nine home runs, 32 RBIs and 40 runs scored in 25 games in his senior season at IMG Academy in Florida.

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¡°When you get this type of person and this skill set where we did, we¡¯re all thrilled,¡± said Nationals assistant general manager and vice president of scouting operations Kris Kline. ¡°This guy could be an impactful superstar.¡±

Green may have the best ceiling of any prospect in this year¡¯s Draft. Despite his age, Green, who is the son of former NFL Pro Bowl tight end Eric Green, is already 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, with the strength and speed to match his large frame. Green¡¯s selection makes him the first son of a former NFL first-rounder to be selected in the first round of the MLB Draft.

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¡°This was always one of the goals of my life,¡± Green said on a Zoom call. ¡°To be called by the Washington Nationals is truly a blessing. I¡¯m going to go out there, work hard and hopefully bring a championship back to Washington.¡±

Along with boasting skyscraping power, Green has also proven that he can drive the ball to all fields. MLB Pipeline graded him with a 50 hit and 60 power on the traditional 20-80 scouting scale.

With a profile like that, it¡¯s no surprise which players Green looks up to.

¡°Whenever I watch a Yankees game with Aaron Judge or a game with Mike Trout, I watch them closely,¡± Green previously told MLB.com¡¯s Mark Feinsand. ¡°They play the same position as me, we're all big, strong guys who can do everything in the game of baseball, so I have kind of modeled my game after them.¡±

? Who is Elijah Green?

That said, Green¡¯s not just all offense. He¡¯s been rated with 70 speed by MLB Pipeline, and has been recorded running a 5.99-second laser-timed 60-yard-dash at IMG. That speed should also help him in the field, as he projects as a center fielder at the next level despite his bigger frame.

¡°He¡¯s powerful,¡± said assistant director of amateur scouting Mark Baca. ¡°When you see him up close, you wouldn¡¯t think he can run like he can. ¡­ Size, strength, speed -- he has a chance to do a lot in this game.¡±

Even if Green ends up transitioning to becoming a corner outfielder later in his career (he¡¯s rated with a 60 arm), he¡¯s already been recorded throwing 95 mph from the outfield.

¡°Elijah has a chance to be a five-tool package at the Major League level,¡± Kline said. ¡°When I say five tools, I mean five above-average tools at the big league level.¡±

Now a key part to the Nationals¡¯ future, Green is familiar with their history, too. Their highest pick since Bryce Harper 12 years ago, he noted prospects-turned-stars who developed in Washington¡¯s system.

¡°Just the [track record] of them having prospects like Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Juan Soto, it just shows that they know what they¡¯re doing with their players,¡± he said. ¡°I just feel like I can be one of those players that makes it to MLB soon.¡±

Green will have company on his journey to the big leagues. He already knows Nationals No. 2 prospect -- and their 2021 first overall pick -- Brady House and No. 26 prospect T.J. White.

¡°They¡¯ve done it for a year now, so I feel like I can always go to them for anything and it¡¯s going to be comfortable,¡± he said.

And vice-versa. The Nats lauded Green for his maturity, work ethic, professionalism and camaraderie.

¡°My leadership, guys are going to gravitate towards me,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m always going to bring joy to the field, and I¡¯m always going to play with a smile on my face. Because it¡¯s the game of baseball, and it¡¯s supposed to be fun. Just having fun out there is really going to bring us back to winning a championship.¡±

The Nationals had two picks on Day One of the Draft, and they selected left-hander Jake Bennett from the University of Oklahoma at No. 45. Bennett, a 6-foot-6, 234-pound 21-year-old, was ranked as the No. 68 prospect by MLB Pipeline. In 2022 (his redshirt sophomore season), he went 10-4 with a 3.69 ERA in 20 games (19 starts). Bennett has an overall scouting grade of 50 (fastball 50, slider 50, changeup 60, control 55), and the Nats noted his ¡°repeatable delivery.¡±

¡°His fastball is up to 96 [mph], he¡¯ll live at about 93, good life down the zone,¡± Kline said. ¡°Changeup is his calling card. He¡¯s got an average-to-solid-average Major League slider that he needs to continue to develop. There are times when it¡¯s really good, but he needs to learn how to commit to each one.¡±

Bennett is no stranger to the organization, either: Washington previously picked him in the 39th round in 2019. He opted to attend college, where he was teammates with two of the Nationals¡¯ 2020 Draft picks, right-hander Cade Cavalli and catcher Brady Lindsly. He also attended Bixby High School with Cavalli, the Nats¡¯ No. 1 prospect.

¡°He was someone that I always looked up to, someone who kind of showed me the ropes,¡± Bennett said of Cavalli. ¡°I¡¯m just super excited to be able to look up to him again as I¡¯m coming up through pro ball.¡±

The Nationals have a total bonus pool this year of $11,007,900. The assigned bonus slot value for the No. 5 pick is $6,494,300.