When the lottery ball bounced the way of the Washington Nationals to win the grand prize of the first draft pick in the July 2025 MLB Draft, the Nationals future changed in that instant.
The Nats draft group, led by Danny Haas and general manager Mike Rizzo, will have their pick of any player who they foresee as the best player in the draft when they announce their choice on July 13, 2025. Under Rizzo’s leadership, the Nationals drafted both Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper at 1-of-1, and Dylan Crews at №2 overall. You could say that the Nats have a very good track record at choosing near the top of the draft with the exception of 2022.
Right now, most evaluators have Ethan Holliday -or- Jace LaViolette at the top of their draft boards with the 1-of-1 pick. If the team drafts Holliday, he will enter 2028 as a 20-year-old and will celebrate his 21st birthday in big league camp in Spring Training of that year. On the other hand, LaViolette turned 21 just two weeks ago, and he would be 24 years old for the 2028 season. Of course, the draft rankings at the top could change between now and then like we saw when Paul Skenes climbed to №1 in the 2023 draft . As we look to the future, both Holliday and LaViolette could be the next superstars in baseball.
Expect that the landscape in the NL East will also change drastically by the year 2028. Juan Soto will celebrate his 30th birthday in that year, and Bryce Harper will turn 36. Yes, the Phillies will be a bunch of alte kakkers making the 2019 Los Viejos of the Nationals look like youngsters.
Why are we fixated on 2028? Because Baseball America does an annual look into the future, four-years forward, and they posted their 2028 Washington Nationals starting lineup, rotation, and closer. Obviously they don’t have the Nats 2025 draft picks seeded into their 2028 lineup at this point. They also place current players into their projections even though they are slated for free agency at that point in the future. Here is what they do have:
Catcher: Keibert Ruiz (29)
First Base: Brady House (25)
Second Base: Luis Garcia Jr. (28)
Third Base: Seaver King (25)
Shortstop: CJ Abrams (27)
Left Field: James Wood (25)
Center Field: Jacob Young (28)
Right Field: Dylan Crews (26)
Designated Hitter: Juan Yepez (30)
No. 1 Starter: MacKenzie Gore (29)
No. 2 Starter: Travis Sykora (24)
No. 3 Starter: Jarlin Susana (24)
No. 4 Starter: Josiah Gray (30)
No. 5 Starter: Mitchell Parker (28)
Closer: Cade Cavalli (29)
Below is how we would see this 2028 roster based on players who are under team control currently and with the expectations that some players will head to free agency. We make a change at starting catcher with Caleb Lomavita in, and Keibert Ruiz as the backup catcher. We also moved Juan Yepez to the bench in favor of the switch-hitting T.J. White as our DH. We assume that MacKenzie Gore and Luis Garcia Jr. hit free agency. We put Jake Irvin in the bullpen in his final year of team control. For first base, we put Yohandy Morales in that spot, and Jake Bennett into the starting rotation. We flipped Jarlin Susana to closer, and Cade Cavalli into the rotation.
There is certainly a lot of depth in the minor leagues now, and that allowed us to build a rotation with Alex Clemmey and Tyler Stuart just outside the MLB roster. The same for Luke Dickerson who should be close to ready to take over at shortstop for CJ Abrams who would be in his final year of team control in 2028.
Catcher: Caleb Lomavita (26)
First Base: Yohandy Morales (27)
Second Base: Seaver King (25)
Third Base: Brady House (25)
Shortstop: CJ Abrams (27)
Left Field: James Wood (25)
Center Field: Jacob Young (28)
Right Field: Dylan Crews (26)
Designated Hitter: T.J. White (25)
No. 1 Starter: Travis Sykora (24)
No. 2 Starter: Jake Bennett (28)
No. 3 Starter: Cade Cavalli (29)
No. 4 Starter: DJ Herz (28)
No. 5 Starter: Mitchell Parker (28)
Closer: Jarlin Susana (24)
Chances are there will be some free agents acquired and inserted into that roster. There isn’t a player older than 29 on that team. Also, that roster assumes every player achieves something close to their ceiling. Inevitably, some of these players won’t make it on the 2028 roster for whatever reason, be it a trade, injury, or just not good enough to crack the roster. Who knows what happens with Robert Hassell III, Daylen Lile, Jackson Rutledge, Cayden Wallace, Elijah Green and others — but keep in mind that some of these players could be backup players on the bench or in the bullpen.
Two former Nats first round picks, Mason Denaburg and Carter Kieboom, are off the roster as of last month. Let’s face it, baseball is tough and can be cruel. Not everybody can be the belle of the ball.
Where this all gets interesting is when you look at drafting LaViolette or Holliday. How would they fit in? Would LaViolette be a corner outfielder or a first baseman? Would Holliday be a middle infielder, third baseman or an outfielder? Would the young Holliday make the 2028 Opening Day roster? You would think so with a little over two years of minor league time; however he would be young as a player who just turned 21.
“If the Nationals select Jace LaViolette with the No. 1 overall pick, the outfield would gain yet another tremendous talent. I would project that James Wood would stick in left field, Dylan Crews would move to center and LaViolette would be in right.”
— Savannah McCann of Baseball America told me
“The Texas A&M standout has plenty of raw power and a plus arm to make this one of the most exciting outfield trios in the majors.”
“If the Nationals decide to draft Ethan Holliday, it is likely that he makes a move to third base long-term. Holliday is already more physical than his brother (Jackson Holliday) and offers a powerful upside at the hot corner. His left-handed swing is smooth and easy — a team would be lucky to have him.”
Much of a roster construction is based on evaluating your best players and fitting them in as starters in your nine spots. The DH allows you to be creative with the roster construction. LaViolette is a big kid, 6’5″, and Holliday is only 17 years old at this point and could grow some more from his 6’4″ frame. Positional flexibility will be a positive. In theory, someone on that 2028 roster projection would lose their starter’s spot.
If the Nats hit the target on their 1-of-1 pick on July 13, 2025, that will be determined in hindsight by real statistics and some subjective analysis. There have been some busts at 1-of-1 picks. Historically, getting a 1-of-1 pick usually leads to a good MLB career and is a decent bet through the years. If you nail it, the future is even brighter. Over the next 210 days, the 1-of-1 pick will be discussed by evaluators, and here on TalkNats, thousands of times. We will work on getting more intel, and a better feel for the player we would pick. As of now, we will listen to the evaluators.
