As we head into 2026, one thing I will be keeping an eye on this season is the progress of the Nationals’ top 5 picks in the 2025 draft. Armed with plenty of bonus pool money, the Nationals were able to country five of MLB Pipeline’s top 100 players in last year’s draft. With Paul Toboni introducing a new development system, I’m curious to see who will break out next year.
Eli Willits, Ethan Petry, Landon Harmon, Miguel Sime Jr. and Coy James were the Nats’ top 5 picks, and that’s a tall order. The Nats decided to select Willits first overall on an underslot deal so they could get away with those four players. This strategy allowed the Nats to get a lot of high-quality players.
Even though Willits is doing well in the underslot, he still has the potential to be the best player in the class. After a strong pro debut as a 17-year-old, Willits is the highest-ranked 2025 draftee in the MLB Pipeline top 100. He’s even ahead of the better-known Ethan Holliday.
Despite being the youngest first overall pick ever, Willits took off in professional ball. Many high school draftees don’t play until the spring after being drafted into affiliated ball. However, Willits was so advanced as a player that the Nats sent him to Low-A.
He rewarded their faith, hit .300 in 15 games. Willits is just a natural baseball player. He makes a lot of contact from both sides of the plate, while also having a very good eye. Defensively, Willits is very instinctive and can make all the plays at shortstop. He is the definition of a gamer.
Willits isn’t a perfect prospect, though. The power is still a bit of a question mark. He probably won’t be a 25 home run guy, but he can add some power. A comparison I like is Geraldo Perdomo, the shortstop for the Diamondbacks who is a crazy Season 2025. Like Willits, Perdomo doesn’t have crazy tools, but he is a natural baseball player with great instincts and feel.
Willits should start at Low-A or High-A in 2026. Due to the abundance of young middle infielders, there is a chance that Willits will move to High-A so that everyone has a spot. Given his strong numbers at Low-A, he could hold his own at the next level. Even if he starts at Low-A, a promotion to High-A is on the horizon. Willits’ goal is to be an MLB player by the age of 20.
Even though Willits is currently the highest-ranked player in his draft class, he was still discounted. Despite being picked later, Kade Anderson and Ethan Holliday both received bigger bonuses. By taking a discount, Willits let the Nats go crazy with their next four picks.
While second-rounder Ethan Petry was given an overslot bonus, he got his $2.09 million bonus was around the closing value of $1.98 million. Petry is your prototypical slugger. At 6’4 and 235 pounds, he is a menacing presence in the batter’s box. When he connects with the ball, it goes very far. He has a number of high-profile home runs in college against the likes of Paul Skenes, Chase Burns and Liam Doyle.
Petry has played in the outfield, but he will likely be a first baseman long term. He’s not a great mover and while he has a big arm, it’s not enough to survive in the outfield. That means he’ll really have to hit.
Like many great sluggers, Petry has some swing and miss in his game. Things improved during his college career, but he will always be a true outcome scorer. In pro ball, Petry showed impressive patience at the plate. He ran in Low-A almost 13% of the time.
As the only 2025 draftee in the Arizona Fall League, Petry also showed off his impressive batting eye. Against the more advanced pitching, Petry struggled with odor issues and some issues tapping into his power. Its .400 on base percentage was still very impressive.
There are many ways this could go for Petry. He could be a middle of the pack, or a guy who doesn’t quite meet the offensive threshold to be an everyday first baseman. Petry should start next season in High-A, and I’m interested in following his progress.
The guy I might be most excited to see is the Nats’ third-round pick Landon Harmon. Using the money they saved from Willits, the Nats signed Harmon to a $2.5 million signing bonus, which is well above the closing value of $1.01 million.
Harmon is a right-handed high school pitcher with an electric fastball. In many ways, he reminds me of Travis Sykora, who the Nats took in the third round of the 2023 draft. Harmon has a projectable frame at 6’5 and 190 pounds. He has room to add at least 20 pounds as he gets older.
Despite the skinny frame, Harmon has a big fastball. It’s set in the mid 90’s and has reached 99. Scouts consider it an asset because of its speed, explosive life on the field and the potential for more speed on the road.
The fastball is definitely the star of the show here. Harmon has shown a slider that appears to be above average, but still needs some work. The change also requires a lot of fine-tuning. Harmon’s command is good for a high school pitcher, but could use some improvement. However, with his live arm and lower effort, he expects to have at least average control.
Harmon will most likely spend most of this season in Low-A. He could start the season in Rookie Ball, depending on what the new management thinks he’s ready for. He’s currently ranked 8th among the Nats, but he could be a big mover.
Miguel Sime Jr., the Nats’ fourth-round pick, is another flame-throwing high school prospect. Like Harmon, Sime signed for well above the closing value. Despite the pick having a closing value of $687k, Sime signed for $2 million.
The similarities between the two pitchers don’t end there, however. Like Harmon, Sime’s fastball is his biggest weapon. He throws even harder than Harmon, consistently working in the upper 90s and even touching triple figures several times. The heater also has a long lifespan and could one day be an asset.
However, Sime’s frame looks more like Jarlin Susana than Harmon. At 18, Sime is a huge guy with a 6’4 235 pound frame. That mass allows him to maintain his speed deep into his starts, just like Susana.
However, Sime is a raw prospect. He has shown he has good feel for pivots, but his curveball and slider are not elite. Every now and then he uncorks a very nice change, but the consistency is not there yet. However, command is his biggest question mark. He can be quite erratic at times, but his control went in a positive direction last spring.
With his stuff, Sime doesn’t have to paint corners like Greg Maddux. All he has to do is be close enough to the zone and not throw it right up the middle. Sime has a huge ceiling and a strong return in the bullpen. However, he is still raw and will likely start the season in Rookie Ball.
In the 5th round, the Nats had another trick up their sleeve. At that point, the Willits roster’s savings had been depleted, but the Nats wanted another big name prospect. By taking advantage of senior signings in rounds 6-10, the Nats were able to save enough money to defeat Coy James in the 5th round.
Around the draft, James felt like he would be an early second or even late first round pick. However, he was seen as a difficult signing due to his commitment to Ole Miss. Despite being taken in the 5th round, the Nats drafted James $2.5 million sign. The next highest bonus of the fifth round was $1.5 million.
The Nats paid for James because of his well-rounded skill set. Although he is now a shortstop, most scouts see its future home at third or second base. He has good hands and actions, but his range isn’t the best. Still, he’s likely a solid defender in the infield.
However, his bat is the real star of the show. From an early age, James was known as an advanced hitter. He has a strong combination of decisiveness and strength. James has the potential to have above-average passing ability and strength. He chases more than you would like and he was inconsistent in the showcase events.
A strong senior year in high school helped his stock rebound, but some questions still remain. However, James is a good hitter with a nice right-handed swing. It’s very exciting to get a guy with that tool in the fifth round. James didn’t play in affiliate games, but he did play in the backfields, where he showed some of that strength.
James could be the man Luke Dickerson should have been last year. Like Dickerson, I think he’ll get his feet wet in rookie ball before moving quickly to Low-A. If James goes to Low-A, Willits would likely be promoted to High-A. While there is some question about James’ ability to stick at shortstop, he should get a chance to play there.
Overall, this is an extremely exciting concept lesson. Considering how young all these guys are, these will be Paul Toboni’s biggest development projects. I’m fascinated to see what these guys can do in their first full seasons and how Toboni can help them improve. This has a chance to be a franchise-changing release.
#Washington #Nationals #draft #class #exciting #watch #farm