The Nationals have a great young core and a great farm system. While the team still lacks a veteran star presence, we may expect greatness in a few years. In this past year's MLB draft, the Washington Nationals selected former South Carolina Gamecock Ethan Petry in the second round. Petry was a standout player in college, selected to the All-SEC First Team, a consensus Freshman All-American, and finished his college career second on the Gamecocks' all-time home run list, with 54 dingers. The Nationals' number 13 prospect (as of the 2025 list) can play the outfield and first base--adding positional depth not only to his development to see where he fits best, but also to give him optimal playing time in the minors
At the University of South Carolina, in addition to his 54 career home runs, he hit for a .336/.462/.661 and drove in 162 runs across 755 plate appearances in 168 games. He has the talent to be a potential star for the Nationals, and while his MLB ETA is currently 2028, and the Nationals' fate in 2026, 2027, and 2028 is unknown, if the Nationals start to see success, and Petry does exceptionally well in the minors, at the very least, he could be a trade piece for the Nats to acquire a superstar for a World Series run, if he is not a massive part of the team's potential future postseason runs already.
The Nationals need positional depth—an essential factor in winning games. The Nationals have not typically relied on utility players, but when they call up Petry, he can fill that role. The Los Angeles Dodgers demonstrate great depth because they rely on utility players like Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernández (both still free agents), who offer veteran presence, have a history of winning and clutch performances, and can play any position on the diamond except pitcher and catcher. Adding Taylor and Hernández would immediately boost positional depth, and while Petry offers less versatility, he will make an impact when called up. He brings power and projects to be a top MLB prospect by the time he arrives.
In a partial minor league season after getting drafted, Petry hit two home runs, with a slash line of .287/.386/.414 across 101 plate appearances in 24 games. Petry's start to his pro career is excellent, and his trajectory is to keep slugging and hitting for a high average consistently. He is definitely a prospect to keep your eyes on.