The Washington Nationals were the big winner of the lottery for the 2025 MLB Draft, which will take place in July, after they earned the right to choose first on Tuesday night
The lottery to define the order of selection of the 30 franchises that make up Major League Baseball was held during the Winter Meetings in Dallas
Before the draw, the Nationals had the fourth highest percentage chance to choose in the first round, but luck favored them and they overcame the two franchises with higher percentages, the Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins, who were ranked with the highest odds (22.5%).
The Nats have been very fortunate to recruit talent in recent years, after in 2023, they got the No. 2 overall pick. They have also had a great eye for selection, as in previous years they found generational talent of the caliber of Stephen Strasburg in 2009 and Bryce Harper the following year.
Recruiting experts estimate that for the draft, scheduled for July 13, 2025, the first overall pick will be Ethan Holliday, son of legend Matt Holliday. Ethan would increase the family legacy, joining his brother Jackson Holliday, who was taken as the first overall pick by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2022 draft
Jackson is a 17-year-old infielder and plays on the left side. Some scouts have considered him an even better prospect than his brother, who is already a young baseball figure. He also stands out as a left-handed hitter with a lot of power and physical size. He is 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs around 200 pounds and is currently considered a plus-level athlete at this point, for his size, but probably not a high-performance MLB player.
Additionally, as the Nats top prospects are in the outfield, Holliday would become another young superstar infielder.
2025 MLB Draft order: First round
1. Nationals
2. Angels
3. Mariners
4. Rockies
5. Cardinals
6. Pirates
7. Marlins
8. Blue Jays
9. Reds
10. Sox
11. A’s
12. Rangers
13. Giants
14. Rays
15. Red Sox
16. Twins
17. Cubs
18. Diamondbacks
19. Orioles
20. Brewers
21. Astros
22. Braves
23. Royals
24. Tigers
25. Padres
26. Phillies
27. Guardians
Mets and Yankees penalized for Draft
For Tuesday’s draw, the clubs that advanced to the playoffs were not considered, nor were the White Sox and the Athletics, who were excluded because they were considered ‘paying clubs’ and by rule, those who contribute shared revenue dollars cannot be selected in consecutive lotteries. Chicago chose in the fifth overall position in 2024 and the A’s did so in the fourth position and sixth in 2023
In addition, teams that did not make the playoffs are also not eligible to receive a top-10 pick, so Chicago will pick 10th and Oakland 11th, respectively.
In the case of the New York teams, the Yankees, Mets and Dodgers, they suffered a 10-position penalty for exceeding the second surcharge threshold of the Competitive Balance Tax.