On Friday, Baseball America released their official Mock Draft 2.0, and with the Washington Nationals holding the keys to the 2025 MLB Draft with the first overall pick, there is a ton of intrigue to the latest prediction. While in years past, there was a pretty clear cut top talent atop the draft, with guys like Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, and Travis Bazzana, this crop of prospects currently does not have a standout option.
As of right now, with the draft a little bit under 3 months away, we have absolutely no idea who the Nationals will take. Preseason picks to go #1 like Jace LaViolette and Ethan Holliday have their fair share of concerns to their prospect profiles, and in LaViolette's case, a down season at a crucial time might be altering his draft positioning.
While we continue to get closer to the draft, our site will continue to ramp up our coverage of the draft, and hopefully someone will be able to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Especially with some of the college options potentially playing in the postseason, there is a very good chance that guys like LaViolette, Jamie Arnold from Florida State, or Aiva Arquette from Oregon State can finish strong and establish themselves as the guy.
But while we wait for this to happen, the current race fro the #1 overall pick is extremely wide open, and nobody has any idea at all where the Nationals will go at the top of the draft. That is why, with Baseball America's recent mock draft, the name chosen for the Nationals has a ton of intrigue.
The name that Baseball America chose to be the first overall pick is righty pitcher Seth Hernandez, a prep pitcher from Corona High School in California. This would be an extremely risky pick, but the Nationals have shown a willingness to invest in high-end pitching talent, most recently taking Travis Sykora in the 3rd round in 2023 after many people believed he would honor his commitment to the University of Texas no matter what. Now, Sykora is one of the top pitching prospects in the sport, and the #1 overall in the organization.
NEW MOCK DRAFT🚨
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) April 18, 2025
The pursuit for 1-1 continues... pic.twitter.com/frQj1FutIv
But back to Hernandez, he is a 6'4" righty who is currently committed to Vanderbilt. According to MLB.com, he is rated as the #5 overall prospect in this class, and has some outstanding pitch grades to his prospect profile. He has a 65-grade fastball, 55-grade curveball, 50-grade slider, 60-grade changup, and 50-grade control, giving him a 60-grade overall score.
He is capable of touching triple digits on his fastball, but typically sits in the mid 90s, with the ability to consistently touch 97-98 MPH. Hernandez has a very athletic build, and also has a very commendable work ethic, which makes you think that there is a good chance he could become a very high-level pitcher at the big league level.
The 18-year-old could easily become the 1st pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, and earn the honor of being the first prep pitcher taken with the #1 pick since Brady Aiken in 2014 out of Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, who infamously did not sign with the Houston Astros, allowing the team to pick 2nd in 2015 where they selected Alex Bregman.
Personally, I am definitely intrigued by Hernandez, but I am not sure how comfortable I would feel in picking a guy who probably won't make the majors for 3 or more years versus a college arm like Jamie Arnold who could legitimately push to be in the rotation as soon as next year. There also is the argument about whether or not the Nationals should take a bat over an arm, as this organization is definitely in need of some high-end bats in the system.
Time will tell at some point once someone begins to separate themselves from the rest of the pack, and perhaps it will end up being Hernandez who establishes himself as the clear top option, but we will just have to let things play out over the next couple months.
What would you think about the Nationals taking Seth Hernandez at #1? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.