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Sykora had offseason hip surgery in 2024 to address discomfort that he had been feeling for a couple of years, and he missed the first month of 2025 rehabbing. He hit the IL again in the middle of the season with a triceps injury, and then developed a UCL tear that required Tommy John in August, which means he’ll miss most of 2026.The fact that Sykora pitched as well as he did during his 2024 pro debut despite being physically compromised is incredible. He made 20 excellent Low-A starts and posted a 2.33 ERA, a 1.87 FIP, a 39.2% strikeout rate (yow), and a 8.2% walk rate in 85 innings. During his narrow window of health in 2025, Sykora again looked awesome, with his average fastball velo up a tick to 96 mph before he blew out. Sykora has a three-quarters arm slot, but his front side stays tall throughout his delivery. It’s a funky operation that gives him the option of running a two-seamer down toward his arm side or elevating his fastball at the belt. Sykora did much more of the latter in 2024 while holding mid-90s velo all year despite his hip discomfort. Even as a high schooler, his fastball command was fairly advanced for a pitcher his size and age, but a 8.2% walk rate in a 6-foot-6 guy’s debut season is even better than one could have hoped for, and Sykora did that through injury.Sykora’s slider, which doesn’t spin very much but is aided by its natural downhill trajectory, is often used as a strike-garnering pitch bending in at the top of the zone, especially against lefties. It has enough depth to act as a finishing pitch in the dirt, too, though it’s more often deployed in the zone. His splitter combines with the elevated version of his heater to attack north and south. The direction of the splitter’s movement has been all over the place since Sykora was in high school, and he’s working on making it more consistent. Both of his secondary pitches generated miss rates north of 50% in 2024 and 2025.This is a young fella who can articulate the “what” and “why” of his repertoire and mechanics beyond what is typical of a prospect his age. His pitch mix and command are relatively complete, so he’s not necessarily going to be behind the developmental eight ball when he returns from TJ. He’s still tracking like an impact mid-rotation starter, but rather than coming in late 2026, his debut will likely be sequenced more in a way that maximizes the amount of time a rebuilding Nats franchise can control his rights.
