Aug 28, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, US; West pitcher Travis Sykora (17) during the Perfect Game All-American Classic high school baseball game at Chase Field. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Washington Nationals Star Prospect Moving Up Starting Pitcher Rankings

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated May 3, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Washington Nationals have done a great job over the last few years upgrading their organizational depth via trades and draft picks.

The fruits of their labor are beginning to be show at the Major League level where an incredible young core is emerging.

A lot of the focus on this crop of prospects was on the positional players, headlined by left fielder James Wood, shortstop CJ Abrams and right fielder Dylan Crews. Catcher Keibert Ruiz and second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. are two more building blocks.

Starting pitchers MacKenzie Gore, Mitchell Parker and Jake Irving are creating a strong foundation on the mound.

That is an impressive group already, but there is even more help in the prospect pipeline who will be producing at the Major League level in the next few years.

One player to keep an eye on is starting pitcher Travis Sykora, who was recently bumped into the top 10 of right-handed pitching prospects by MLB Pipeline.

He has taken over the No. 10 spot with the graduation of Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki.

Travis Sykora (#Nats) enters the Top 10 RHP Prospects list with Roki Sasaki graduating.

Scouting grades and more on the 21-year-old who posted 13.7 K/9 in his debut pro season: https://t.co/F1LJBNgxTJ pic.twitter.com/pfj11gh2ZF
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 2, 2025

Syroka is going to continue ascending the list with Jackson Jobe of the Detroit Tigers, Chase Dollander of the Colorado Rockies, Rhett Lowder of the Cincinnati Reds and Kumar Rocker of the Texas Rangers all going to graduate from prospect status soon.

A third-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Round Rock High School, he made an incredible first impression during his debut professional season in 2024 with Single-A Fredericksburg.

Sykora recorded an eye-popping 13.7 K/9, striking out 129 batters in 85 innings. He had an impressive 2.33 ERA and limited damage, giving up only two home runs all season.

His 8.2% walk rate isn’t astronomical, but higher-level hitters who exhibit more patience are going to test him with so much of his attack focusing on getting batters to swing and miss at offerings outside of the zone.

Offseason hip surgery is the only thing slowing him down at this point, delaying his start to the 2025 campaign.

Already possessing a great three-pitch arsenal with a fastball, splitter and slider, he should be able to reach another level with pro strength training to up his velocity.

It will be interesting to see if the Nationals have him start in Fredericksburg again upon his return from injury or start moving him up the organization to High-A Wilmington.

This article first appeared on Washington Nationals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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