Nationals Select First in 2025 MLB Draft; How Last 10 No. 1 Picks Have Fared

Fox Sports

13-07-2025

The Washington Nationals, who are more than halfway through their sixth consecutive losing season since winning the 2019 World Series, have the No. 1 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft on Sunday evening.
After firing both their general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez a week ago, it's unclear who the Nationals will take with the first overall pick. Will it be infielder Ethan Holliday, the youngest son of former MLB star Matt Holliday? Could LSU left-hander and national champion Kade Anderson hear his name called?
One way or another, the draft is an inexact science — furthered by the implementation of the MLB Draft Lottery in 2022 — with 20 rounds and players sometimes being traded before they even reach the big leagues.
That said, here's how each of the last 10 No. 1 picks has fared. IF Travis Bazzana, Cleveland Guardians (2024)
Bazzana flaunted power and speed while playing multiple positions at Oregon State, but he has primarily played second base in Cleveland's minor-league ranks. To date, Bazzana hasn't reached the big leagues but has risen to the organization's Double-A Akron affiliate. RHP Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates (2023)
Skenes has been sensational. Making his MLB debut just 10 months after being drafted out of LSU, the hard-throwing right-hander instantly became an elite force. Skenes has pitched deep into games, kept runners off the basepaths at an elite clip and posted strikeouts at a high rate while throwing as many as seven pitches, but primarily a four-seamer, split-fingered fastball and sweeper. The starter for the National League in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game, Skenes has a career 1.98 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 301 strikeouts over his first 43 MLB starts (254 innings pitched). IF Jackson Holliday, Baltimore Orioles (2022)
"No … there is another" is what the baseball world was told after Holliday, the older son of seven-time All-Star and World Series champion Matt Holliday, was selected with the foresight of his younger brother, Ethan, on the horizon. Selected out of high school, Jackson Holliday reached the big leagues in 2024 but struggled to the tune of a .189 batting average. In his first full season at the MLB level in 2025, Holliday has flaunted some power from the left side while holding his own as Baltimore's everyday second baseman. C Henry Davis, Pittsburgh Pirates (2021)
This is a unique one, as Skenes and Davis became the first battery of former No. 1 picks to start a game together earlier this season. As for the backstop, Davis reached the big leagues in 2023 but has been up and down from the MLB roster, appearing in a combined 144 games. Across his 44 appearances behind the plate for the Pirates this season, Davis has posted 1 DRS. For what it's worth, across Davis' combined minor-league career, the former Louisville backstop has raked, boasting a career .529 slugging percentage. IF Spencer Torkelson, Detroit Tigers (2020)
Torkelson was called up to the Tigers during the 2022 season, and it has been a seesaw ride, but the potential is apparent. Drafted as a third baseman, Torkelson has exclusively played first base at the big-league level. At the plate, the powerful right-handed hitter blasted 31 home runs in 2023 and has hit 21 long balls this season, while boasting a career-high .494 slugging percentage. Torkelson, an Arizona State product, is among the faces of a Tigers team that owns the best record in MLB this season (59-37). C Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles (2019)
Another Oregon State star drafted with the No. 1 pick, Rutschman hit the ground running with the Orioles in 2022, quickly becoming one of the stars of the team. The switch-hitting catcher has considerable power, moves well on the basepaths and has been one of the best all-around backstops in the sport over his three-plus years on the scene. A two-time All-Star and 2023 Silver Slugger Award winner, Rutschman was the runner-up for the 2022 American League Rookie of the Year Award. He averaged 20 home runs and 80 RBIs per season from 2023-24. RHP Casey Mize, Detroit Tigers (2018)
Like his Tigers teammate and previously mentioned No. 1 pick Torkelson, Mize has endured a roller-coaster career but one that has made a turn for the better. After making seven starts in 2020, the right-hander posted a plausible 3.71 ERA over 30 starts in 2021. However, Mize then required Tommy John surgery two starts into the ensuing year and missed the rest of 2022 and all of 2023 due to recovery from the elbow injury. In 2024, Mize made 22 appearances (20 starts) and is now pitching at an All-Star level. Through his first 16 starts of 2025, the Auburn product has recorded a 3.15 ERA and 1.22 WHIP across 88.2 innings. Moreover, Mize has been able to effectively maintain a five-pitch arsenal: four-seamer, split-fingered fastball, slurve, slider and sinker. IF Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins (2017)
Lewis brings the power. Since arriving in 2022, he has hit for power and with efficiency. The issue for Lewis, who was selected out of high school, has been injuries, specifically his knee and hamstring, which have limited him to a combined 193 games. When healthy, Lewis is a force to be reckoned with. While flashing leather at the hot corner, Lewis averaged 16 home runs, 50 RBIs and a .493 slugging percentage across 70 games per season from 2023-24 and cranked four home runs for Minnesota in the 2023 postseason. OF Mickey Moniak, Philadelphia Phillies (2016)
Moniak's MLB career has been an adventure. After receiving minimal playing time with the Phillies from 2020-22, Moniak was traded midseason to the Los Angeles Angels, with whom he didn't become a full-time starter until 2023. In said season, Moniak was limited to 85 games but still managed to total 14 home runs, 45 RBIs and a .495 slugging percentage. Following a tedious 2024 campaign, the Angels released Moniak in spring training, and he signed with the Colorado Rockies, with whom the outfielder is in the midst of a career year. Across 78 games, Moniak has totaled 13 home runs and 32 RBIs while owning a .256/.303/.520 slash line. While strikeouts have been an issue, Moniak has shown signs of promise in the form of his power and has started at all three outfield positions throughout his career. IF Dansby Swanson, Arizona Diamondbacks (2015)
The Diamondbacks drafted Swanson first overall, but he was sent to the Atlanta Braves five months later as part of a blockbuster trade that sent right-handed pitcher and 2015 All-Star Shelby Miller to Arizona. The deal worked out quite well for the Braves, as Swanson, who first debuted in 2016, became one of the best shortstops in the sport. While it took some time for the power to come along, the Vanderbilt star was stellar at the middle-infield position and averaged 26 home runs and 92 RBIs per season from 2021-22. Swanson earned one Gold Glove and one All-Star nod with the Braves, with whom he won the 2021 World Series, before joining the Chicago Cubs after the 2022 season.
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