Nationals Farm System Drops In Rankings Update Despite Bold 2025 MLB Draft Approach

The Washington Nationals had the first overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft and took a big swing, which might have hurt them in the instant aftermath of the event.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently posted his updated farm system rankings following the draft. In it, the Nationals dropped a couple of spots from No. 19 to No. 22.

Though first overall pick Eli Willits is their new top prospect, they currently lack what they considered a Tier 1 player. That means someone within their Top 25 overall rankings.

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Both Kade Anderson and Ethan Holliday, the two players who were considered favorites to go in the top spot, are ranked above Willits in the overall rankings. Holliday is considered a Tier 1 prospect, so maybe going with one of those options would have helped Washington out in the initial rankings.

That doesn't mean that Willits was a bad pick, though, he was just a bigger swing on potential. He was the youngest player in the draft class and is more of a "jack of all trades, master of none" prospect than anything.

The 17-year-old is incredibly polished for his age as a switch-hitter with more power potential than he gets credit for. There is absolutely a chance that he ends up being the best player in the draft class, which is all one could really ask for from the first pick.

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The rest of the new top-five are as follows, in order: RHP Travis Sykora, RHP Jarlin Susana, 3B Brady House and LHP Alex Clemmey.

House has had some growing pains, as to be expected, since getting called up back in the middle of June. His July has been nice, with a three-hit, two-homer performance just a couple of days before the All-Star Break.

Overall, the rookie has posted a .258/.286/.376 slash line with two home runs and 12 RBI in his first 23 games.

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Rounding the rest of the top 10 are the following players, still in order: OF Daylen Lile, SS Seaver King, OF Ethan Petry, RHP Landon Harmon and C Caleb Lomavita.

Petry and Harmon were the second and third-round picks, respectively, and are already in the top 10, which is a good sign for their draft class overall. Both players have at least one tool that is very excited.

For Petry, it is his home run potential. He hit 54 home runs in 168 games throughout his college career. His best stretch might have come last summer, though, as he went deep 11 times in 31 games.

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