Washington Nationals Land Intriguing Pitching Help in Latest MLB Mock Draft

From the moment the Washington Nationals surprisingly landed the No. 1 overall pick, the speculation has centered around Ethan Holliday.

The son of former MLB star Matt Holliday and the younger brother of current Baltimore Orioles rising star Jackson Holliday is to most the highest-rated prep prospect in this upcoming draft. By selecting Ethan Holliday, the Nationals would secure yearly rivalry games with the Holliday brothers.

That would be the easy pick. But would it be the right pick?

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Recently, Baseball America unveiled its latest MLB mock draft and its writer, Carlos Collazo, projected the Nats would take LSU left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson.

Collazo wrote that the pick would likely come down to those two players. But who the Nats take won’t be influenced by each player’s agent. Both share the same one — Scott Boras.

His numbers across the board were brilliant in 2025, as the Tigers won another Men’s College World Series. He was 12-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts. He took the ball in Game 1 of just about every weekend series for the Tigers. He struck out 180 and walked 35 in 119 innings.

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In Game 1 of the Men’s College World Series championship finals against Coastal Carolina, he threw a complete game shutout, allowing three hits and striking out 10 as the Tigers won, 1-0, to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

If he is selected No. 1 overall, he would be just the sixth left-handed pitcher to be selected No. 1 overall. That list includes David Clyde (1973), Floyd Bannister (1976), Brien Taylor (1991), David Price (2007) and Brady Aiken (2014).

The Nats must also weigh past injuries. Anderson had Tommy John surgery in 2022 while he was still in high school.

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The 2025 MLB draft will be held Sunday and Monday, July 13-14, during All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.

The Nationals’ last five first-round selections include Wake Forest infielder Seaver King (2024), LSU outfielder Dylan Crews (2023), IMG Academy (Florida) outfielder Elijah Green (2022), Winder-Barrow High School (Winder, Ga.) infielder Brady House and Oklahoma pitcher Cade Cavalli (2020).

Crews is on the Major League roster but is also on the injured list. House was called up to the Majors and is the starting third baseman. Cavalli made had a cup of coffee with Nationals before suffering an elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery in 2023. He is expected to be promoted to the Nationals sometime this season.

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