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The Washington Nationals lucked out and got the first overall pick for the 2025 MLB draft in this offseason's lottery, which leaves them with a huge choice. This is not a draft that has one consensus top overall player, despite there being a high school star that is an MLB legacy player. As soon as the Nationals won the pick, many expected that Oklahoma high schooler Ethan Holliday would be the first overall selection.
He is the son of MLB legend Matt Holliday and the brother of former first overall pick Jackson Holliday. Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter has them going in a different direction in his most recent mock draft. Reuter has them shoring up the starting rotation with the college arm of southpaw Jamie Arnold from the Florida State Seminoles .
Arnold possesses a fantastic fastball/slider combination and is considered about as much of a lock to be a Major Leaguer as anyone in this draft. He is having the another stellar campaign with the Seminoles so far with a 2.39 ERA, 12.
49 K/9 and a 0.959 WHIP. The 21-year-old's fastball is known more for it's movement than it's devastating velocity, but he can get up to 97 mph at times.
He would project as a solid fit along with the other young pitchers that are already making their way to Washington. Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana are getting closer to the big leagues as the top two prospects in the farm system . The development of MacKenzie Gore this season is also a signifier of a great fit as he is another southpaw that fills up the strike zone.
Arnold being a college player is significant as it does put him closer to the timeline that the Nationals are currently on. They aren't a contending team yet, but have a very solid young core already in the Majors. They could just be a few years out and Arnold having that time in college could have him ready sooner than a high schooler like Holliday.
Still, Holliday will very much be in play for the first pick and good reason. He has a very promising power-tool and could be a candidate to slide over to third base. Both players make sense and would be solid options.
Arnold does seem to be the better fit with the current system, though. The good news is that the choice is all up to them. This will be a fun development to watch leading up to July's draft.
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