Washington Nationals Draft Class Sees First Player Promotion

The Washington Nationals had their third first overall pick in franchise history during the 2025 draft, where they selected high school shortstop Eli Willits. In a tricky time where Washington had fired it's GM, Willits comes in as the highlight of the class, but he is not the one getting a head start.

In the first nine rounds, the Nationals selected four high school players and five college players, the last of which being former Texas A&M infielder, Wyatt Henseler. Despite not playing one game with his original, rookie ball in the Florida Complex League, the 23-year-old was promoted to Single-A Fredericksburg, according to Bobby Blanco of MASN.

More News: Padres Reportedly Tried To Acquire Nationals All-Star Pitcher

Henseler had an unconventional college career, but one that led him to the SEC and later being drafted.

The infielder began his college career in the Ivy league, at the University of Pennsylvania. While there, he played in four seasons, where he set records. Henseler holds career high marks in the Ivy for home runs (54), RBI (189) and total bases (560). He also holds school records for accolades such as hits (232) and doubles (50), among others, according to his Texas A&M roster page.

In 2024, the right-handed hitter had a career year, slashing .360/.465/.755 for a 1.220 OPS with 22 home runs and 56 RBIs. His season earned him his second First Team-All Ivy, and Henseler even won the Ivy League Player of the Year unanimously.

More News: Nationals 'Solid but Not Spectacular' MLB Trade Deadline Receives Average Grade

As a graduate student, he then transferred to Texas A&M for his final season, where he played well in arguably the toughest league in NCAA, the Southeastern Conference.

In 56 games as an Aggie, Henseler slashed .319/.423/.562 with a .985 OPS. Although his power numbers took a dip, he still racked up 15 doubles and 12 home runs. Coming from the Ivy League, the numbers were impressive right off the bat, absolutely holding his own in the SEC.

His biggest hole after transferring was his strikeouts. After having a career best 28 walks to 28 strikeouts, the 23-year-old regressed in walks (19) and stikeouts (41). He showed a good eye at Penn, and while the walk to strikeout ratio wasn't great in 2025, Henseler was facing better pitching.

More News: Nationals Shift Focus to New Young Talent After Key Trade Deadline Move

As the first player to reach Single-A, it seems all the more likely that he will get at least some playing time this season. Strikeouts could be one of the first things he works on improving now that he is in pro ball.

One of the more interesting stories in the draft, Henseler had a great college career full of accolades and records. Now, he is the first player in his team's draft class to make the leap and will lead the way for the rest of the future Nationals.

For more Nationals news, head over to Nationals On SI.