2025 MLB Draft

[Slateman]

Doyle's fastball is better. None of his other pitches are.

[Mattionals]

Doyle's fastball is better. None of his other pitches are.

Kade Anderson’s scouting grades

According to MLB.com, Anderson’s scouting grades are:

    Fastball – 60
    Curveball – 50
    Slider – 55
    Changeup – 55
    Control – 55
    Overall – 55

Liam Doyle’s scouting grades

According to MLB.com, Doyle’s scouting grades are:

    Fastball – 70
    Slider – 55
    Cutter – 55
    Splitter – 55
    Control – 50
    Overall – 55

[imref]

Callis' post-combine mock:

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/mlb-pipeline-mock-draft-for-june-19-2025?t=mlb-draft-coverage

1. Holliday
2. Kade Anderson
3. Aiva Arquette
4. James Arnold
5. Eli Willits
6. Seth Hernandez
7. Billy Carlson
8. Liam Doyle


Crazy that LaViolette has fallen to 20th.

[Slateman]

Kade Anderson’s scouting grades

According to MLB.com, Anderson’s scouting grades are:

    Fastball – 60
    Curveball – 50
    Slider – 55
    Changeup – 55
    Control – 55
    Overall – 55

Liam Doyle’s scouting grades

According to MLB.com, Doyle’s scouting grades are:

    Fastball – 70
    Slider – 55
    Cutter – 55
    Splitter – 55
    Control – 50
    Overall – 55

Suggest you watch Doyle. His offspeed isn't even an average offering. He's all Fastball. Ton of reliever risk with him.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Anderson looking shaky tonight. 3 BBs in the 1st 2 innings, escapes 1st and 2nd no outs by getting the runner at 3rd on a sacrifice attempt, a k,  and an overslide of 3rd on a steal attempt.   

[imref]

No runs through 5 for him.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

3 BBs, 2 HBPs through 5, with 6 Ks. Still a shutout

[JCA-CrystalCity]

10 ks, 5 bbs, 2 hbps, 3 hits,  130 pitches, complete game shutout to win 1-0. Throwing 95 in the 9th

[imref]

Crazy how many pitches these guys throw.

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

So they’re destroying his arm before he gets drafted..

[imref]

So they’re destroying his arm before he gets drafted..

iirc this is pretty normal as these guys only pitch once a week.

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

It’s going to be Anderson, isn’t it?

[NatsLSU]

Kade has turned into a completely different animal in the postseason. What a gem last night. Eyanson had been the better pitcher all season but hasn’t even been near Kade’s level in the postseason. Really impressed with Kade over the last few weeks. Has that extra gear.

[NatsLSU]

So they’re destroying his arm before he gets drafted..

yeah like they did with Skenes 

[Slateman]

Kade has turned into a completely different animal in the postseason. What a gem last night. Eyanson had been the better pitcher all season but hasn’t even been near Kade’s level in the postseason. Really impressed with Kade over the last few weeks. Has that extra gear.

5 walks, 2 hit batters against Low A talent is being an animal?


Hard pass on this dude. He's wild, he already had TJS, and he is increasing his velo. That elbow is a ticking time bomb

[imref]

Johnson lobbied for the Nats to pick Anderson after last night's game:

Via TalkNats:

“... You're probably right. His next pitch should be some place in the Washington Nationals organization. It's not close. They usually draft really well.  He’s the best player in the country. There is nobody closer to the Major Leagues than that right now. But I don't think you can quantify it. ”

[JCA-CrystalCity]

This guy could be in place as Gore's successor or sidekick by 2027. Given the timing of who is hitting free agency, I wonder if that would play into the pick. Holliday is further away from the majors.

I still think the #1 pick is somebody who isn't going to take full slot.

[varoadking]

Johnson lobbied for the Nats to pick Anderson after last night's game:

Via TalkNats:

Quote
“... You're probably right. His next pitch should be some place in the Washington Nationals organization. It's not close. They usually draft really well.  He’s the best player in the country. There is nobody closer to the Major Leagues than that right now. But I don't think you can quantify it. ”

WTF is this cat smokin'?   

[Slateman]

This guy could be in place as Gore's successor or sidekick by 2027. Given the timing of who is hitting free agency, I wonder if that would play into the pick. Holliday is further away from the majors.

I still think the #1 pick is somebody who isn't going to take full slot.

Anderson has now pitched almost 100 more innings than he did last year. He isn't pitching after he gets drafted.

It's incredibly unrealistic to think Anderson can get to the big leagues after one year in the minors.

[imref]

Anderson has now pitched almost 100 more innings than he did last year. He isn't pitching after he gets drafted.

It's incredibly unrealistic to think Anderson can get to the big leagues after one year in the minors.

FWIW, looking again at college pitchers taken early in the 2023 draft:
- Skenes was up right away but he's a freak
- Lowder was up in mid-2024
- Dollander came up this year
- Hurston Waldrep came up in 2024 (but is back in AAA)

Chase Burns was the top college pitcher taken in 2024 and he just got the call.

Granted, small sample size, but it seems that if you are a picking a college arm high in the first round the expectation is that he'll be up quickly.

[Slateman]

FWIW, looking again at college pitchers taken early in the 2023 draft:
- Skenes was up right away but he's a freak
- Lowder was up in mid-2024
- Dollander came up this year
- Hurston Waldrep came up in 2024 (but is back in AAA)

Chase Burns was the top college pitcher taken in 2024 and he just got the call.

Granted, small sample size, but it seems that if you are a picking a college arm high in the first round the expectation is that he'll be up quickly.

The expectation is that you call them up quickly because they're going to blow out their arms and teams are hoping to catch lightening in a bottle.

Lowder is hurt
Dollander is terrible
Waldrup was terrible

Skenes, Lowder, and Burns are all significantly better than Anderson. Anderson is, at best, the third pitcher taken in the draft in 2023 or 2024

If you really want to draft someone who can contribute in 2027, go draft Arnold and take the extra slot money and hope someone like Bremner falls to the second round. But this is objectively terrible, especially since we're going to have a new GM and manager in the next couple years.

[welch]

Holliday. pick the best kid in the draft. Even if he does not start on Opening Day in 2026, he will be along. Meanwhile, hope that Cavalli comes up around the All-Star Break. He can be "Gore's side-kick", and Irvin looked pretty good last night.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Listening to Callis tonight on the pre game,2 things struck me. First, he repeated several times that Rizzo will go with the player who he thinks is the best. Second, he sounded like it's Holliday or Hernandez.

[imref]

Todd Boss' final look at draft prospects:
http://www.nationalsarmrace.com/?p=19024

His take:

Washington: likes “famous” guys and isn’t afraid to roll with Boras clients: this is the argument for Holliday. But, they love taking big body college arms with their first picks (a moniker that describes most of the 1st rounders in the Rizzo era), which screams either Anderson or Doyle. The post season performances of all three college arms re-configured where they stand; going into the playoffs it probably want Arnold-Doyle-Anderson. Coming out of the post-season, it’s Anderson-Arnold-Doyle. I believe Anderson has separated himself from the pack and is now a worthy 1-1 pick. We’d still get a haircut on him, which helps us later on.

I don't think this is accurate, at least not as of late. The Nats haven't taken a college arm with their first pick since Cavalli in 2020 (and Rutledge in 2019). Denaburg in 2018 was a high scool pitcher. 16 & 17 were college arms (Dunning and the mother of all draft busts: Seth Romero). Fedde was a college arm in 2014. Giolito came out of high school in 2012.

So at least more recently, the Nats have prioritized high school hitters (House, Green, King) plus Crews.

I still think they go Holliday.

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

The closer we get the more I'm reading most think it will be Holliday. It lines up with Wood leaving in 5 years (Its happening. Just prepare yourselves). The Lerners will have another star in waiting they can sell the fanbase on.