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Washington Nationals: Draft Prospects To Keep An Eye On During The College Baseball Playoffs

By Max Rayman

The Washington Nationals logo in centerfield grass before a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Nationals Park on July 26, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
The Washington Nationals logo in centerfield grass before a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Nationals Park on July 26, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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Jud Fabian
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS – MAY 22: Jud Fabian #4 of the Florida Gators throws the ball back in after catching a fly ball during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Baum-Walker Stadium at George Cole Field on May 22, 2021 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Gators to sweep the series 9-2. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Ty Madden

Outside of Rocker and Leiter, Ty Madden is arguably the best college arm entering the draft. The 6’3 righty has been instrumental in Texas becoming the number two team in the Nation. This year in 14 starts, he is 6-4, with a 2.66 ERA, and 103 strikeouts.

Washington’s President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo loves to draft college arms in the first round, having drafted one in four of the last five drafts. Madden would obviously be on Rizzo’s radar and is currently the ninth-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline.

Currently, Madden is slotted to be in Washington’s draft range, but a strong playoff run would change that. This would be disappointing because Washington’s starting rotation has begun to rapidly age and they need an influx of youth and talent.

Matt McLain

In a draft that is loaded with high school shortstops, Matt McLain is the top-rated college middle infielder. Ranked the 12th ranked draft prospect by MLB Pipeline, McLain had an impressive season for the Bruins.

In 43 games, he hit .323, with nine homers, 28 RBIs, and an OPS of .998. Drafted number 25 overall by Arizona in 2018, McLain chose to honor his commitment to UCLA instead and the decision panned out. After battling a thumb injury, the 21-year-old, came into his own, showing off some impressive power for his size.

During the tournament, McLain has an opportunity to vault himself into the top eight, which could lead to some other top talent being pushed down.

Jud Fabian

Florida’s star outfielder Jud Fabian is the 17th ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline. After starting the season off slow, it wasn’t until conference play that Fabian re-established himself as a potential first-round pick.

In 57 games, he hit .258, with 20 homers, 46 RBIs, and an OPS of .956. He struggled at times with strikeouts, being rung up 76 times, but the star outfielder has some impressive pop. During the tournament, he will need to prove he can consistently put the bat on the ball in order for teams to view him as a future cornerstone.

Next. 3 Reasons for Nationals optimism. dark

For now, Mock drafts have him going from the middle to the end of the first round, but a strong playoff performance could vault him into Washington’s range.

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