From Crews to college picks: Highlights of Nats' talented Draft class
Joe Trezza
Already having procured some of the biggest talent in this year¡¯s class with their enviable position, the Nationals completed the 2023 Draft with 10 more selections (including some real interesting names) in Rounds 11-20 on Tuesday.
Now that the dust has settled a little bit, let¡¯s break down what happened. Here are three takeaways from the Nationals¡¯ 2023 Draft.
Join the Crew(s)
It¡¯s not typical for a team to find itself on the clock and able to select the best player available at any position. Never mind the top position player available. But that¡¯s the sort of dream scenario that became reality for the Nationals on Sunday, when the Pirates took Paul Skenes first overall?and Washington scooped up fellow Louisiana State star Dylan Crews at No. 2, with the franchise¡¯s highest pick since 2010.
That year, the Nats selected Bryce Harper first overall, and that worked out ¡ pretty well. This year, they got Crews, the consensus top position player available and No. 2-ranked prospect in the 2023 class, another potential five-tool outfielder who emulates Harper.
¡°Somebody that I looked up to was Bryce Harper, especially playing in a Nats uniform,¡± Crews said. ¡°I¡¯m going to work hard to be like Bryce.¡±
It was something of a no-lose situation for the Nationals, who were prepared to potentially pivot to Skenes if the right-hander fell to them at No. 2 but are more than excited to bring Crews into the fold. Whatever happened with Pittsburgh's first overall pick, Washington entered this Draft knowing it would be getting either the top pitcher or the top position player available -- an automatic win, no matter how the rest of the Draft unfolded.
The Sykora play
The Nats used their next two picks opportunistically, selecting two highly rated prospects they were surprised to see still available. Both Miami third baseman Yohandy Morales (No. 40 overall pick, No. 20 Draft prospect per MLB Pipeline) and Texas prep righty Travis Sykora (No. 71 overall pick, No. 40 Draft prospect) fell on Draft boards for reasons the Nationals found less concerning than other clubs, giving Washington what vice president of scouting Kris Kline called ¡°three [first-round-caliber] picks¡± by the beginning of Day 2: impact bats in Crews and Morales, plus a potential frontline starter in Sykora.
If they can sign him.
Given how far Sykora fell -- Kline speculated the reason being delivery/mechanical issues the 19-year-old experienced this spring -- and his commitment to the University of Texas, it¡¯s likely he¡¯ll command more than the $1.02 million slot value for the 71st pick.
That explains why the Nationals used six of their last seven picks on Day 2 on senior signs (which are generally lower-cost picks), selecting interesting college bats like Alabama outfielder Andrew Pinckney (fourth round), Oklahoma State shortstop Marcus Brown (fifth) and LSU second baseman Gavin Dugas (sixth round) -- Crews¡¯ good friend.
The Nats had signed five of their Day 2 picks as of Tuesday afternoon. All told, 18 of Washington¡¯s 20 picks in this year¡¯s Draft came from the college ranks.
Two lottery tickets, please
The Nationals¡¯ first pick of Day 3 was also their most intriguing -- Indian River State College (Fort Pierce, Fla.) righty Gavin Adams with the first pick of the 11th round.
The class¡¯ 242nd-ranked prospect entering the Draft per MLB Pipeline, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound Adams screams projection, with long arms and legs, a whippy body and a ton of raw arm strength. He¡¯s very much a work in progress, though, lacking polish and command of his mid-90s fastball and two potentially plus offspeed pitches. For those reasons, Adams profiles more as a reliever long-term.
Adams also has a commitment to Florida State, which he might honor given his upside and how far he fell on Draft boards this time around. The situation is similar for Texas prep righty James Ellwanger, the 107th-ranked Draft prospect, who the Nats took a flier on in the 19th round. There is no guarantee either will sign (Ellwanger is committed to Dallas Baptist, which had six pitchers selected this year), but their potential was too good to pass up for Washington, especially on Day 3.
Day 3 picks are all slotted at $125,000 value; teams can sign Day 3 picks for more, but any amount over $125K counts against their bonus pool. The Nats have the third-highest pool this year, at $14,502,400.