Recapping Nats' 2025 draft class

Apologies that my annual Nationals draft tracker was not up this year. I was making my way back from covering the team in Milwaukee on Monday and couldn’t follow along the second day of the MLB Draft live.

But on this, the slowest day in the sports calendar, let us revisit the 17 picks the Nationals made in Rounds 4-20 throughout the day Monday.

Of course, we know the Nationals brass – now led by interim general manager Mike DeBartolo along with mainstays vice president of amateur scouting Danny Haas, senior director of amateur Scouting Brad Ciolek and assistant director and national crosschecker of amateur scouting Reed Dunn – made somewhat of a surprising pick by taking Oklahoma high school shortstop Eli Willits at No. 1 overall.

Their other two picks from Sunday night include power-hitting outfielder Ethan Petry out of the University of South Carolina at No. 49 overall and right-hander Landon Harmon out of East Union Attendance Center High School (Miss.) with the No. 80 overall pick.

And with that, let’s take a look at the rest of the Nationals’ 2025 draft class (round, overall, name, position, B/T, height, weight, age, school) …

Rd. 4 (111) – Miguel Sime Jr., RHP, R/R, 6-4, 235, 18, Poly Prep Country Day School (NY)
Sime Jr. posted a 1.47 ERA (eight earned runs in 49 ⅓ innings) with 89 strikeouts and no home runs allowed in eight outings on his way to being named the Gatorade High School Player of the Year in the state of New York, a Perfect Game All-American and a second-team ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American as a senior.

Sime was rated as the No. 86 draft prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 88 prospect by Baseball America. He was the top high school prospect in New York and the No. 6 high school right-handed pitching prospect in the country, according to Perfect Game. Prior to the draft, he participated in the MLB Draft League, striking out 11 batters and posting a .161 opponents’ average (5-for-31) in 8 ⅔ innings. He had a commitment to play at LSU.

Rd. 5 (142) – Coy James, SS, R/R, 6-0, 185, 18, Davie High School (NC)
James hit .605 with 15 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 25 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, 22 walks, 50 runs scored and just six strikeouts on his way to being named Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year and 4A Player of the Year by the North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association.

The right-handed hitter was named a First Team All-American by ABCA/Rawlings this season. He was ranked as the No. 15 overall player and No. 9 shortstop, according to Perfect Game, while being named to their All-American Game in 2024. He was also ranked the No. 49 overall draft prospect by Baseball America and the No. 94 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He was committed to play at the University of Mississippi.

Rd. 6 (171) – Boston Smith, C, L/R, 5-10, 195, 22, Wright State University (OH)
Smith’s 26 homers tied for the most in all of NCAA Division I this year. He also ranked seventh in slugging percentage (.770) and tied for 10th in walks (57) on his way to being named second-team All-America by Baseball America, D1Baseball.com, ABCA/Rawlings and Perfect Game. He hit .332 with 10 doubles, two triples, 71 RBIs, 57 walks and a .500 on-base percentage in 59 games with the Raiders.

Over three seasons at Wright State after transferring from Cincinnati, Smith slashed .298/.430/.658 with 38 doubles, 10 triples, 51 home runs, 157 RBIs, 120 walks and 165 runs scored in 170 games. As a junior in 2024, he was named Second-Team All-Horizon League as a shortstop while leading the league with 11 longballs.

Rd. 7 (201) – Julian Tonghini, RHP, R/R, 6-2, 196, 23, University of Arizona
Tonghini went 5-2 with a 4.26 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 25 ⅓ innings for the Wildcats this season. The righty spent the 2024 season at the University of Indiana, going 2-2 with a 6.25 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 36 innings. He spent the two previous seasons at Boston College and combined to go 3-1 with a 5.29 ERA, three saves and 51 strikeouts in 49 ⅓ innings. A native of New Canaan, Conn., Tonghini attended the Salisbury School where he was named WNEPBL Pitcher of the Year as a senior.

Rd. 8 (231) – Riley Maddox, RHP, R/R, 6-1, 210, 22, University of Mississippi
Maddox struck out 69 batters in 69 ⅔ innings across 17 games (16 starts) as a senior in 2025. During his junior season in 2024, Maddox led the team in starts (14) and innings (69), and was second on the team in strikeouts (53).

Rd. 9 (261) – Wyatt Henseler, 3B, R/R, 6-1, 215, 23, Texas A&M University
Henseler hit .319 with 15 doubles, 12 home runs, 33 RBIs, 19 walks, 21 hit-by-pitches and 48 runs scored for the Aggies this season. The righty spent the previous four seasons at the University of Pennsylvania, where he set career Ivy League records for home runs (54), RBIs (189) and total bases (560). Henseler was named the Ivy League Player of the Year, ECAC Player of the Year, First-Team All-Ivy League, ABCA First-Team All-East Region and an ABCA Third-Team All-American in 2024 after he hit an Ivy League-record 22 home runs. He finished the season with a .360 average, nine doubles, two triple, 56 RBIs, 28 walks and 64 runs scored.

Rd. 10, (291) – Hunter Hines, 1B, L/R, 6-3, 210, 22, Mississippi State University
Hines is Mississippi State’s all-time home run leader. He clubbed 70 home runs across four collegiate seasons while hitting .282 with a .373 on-base percentage and a .581 slugging percentage in 228 career games. As a senior in 2025, Hines slashed .280/.380/.578 with 15 doubles, 16 homers, 52 RBsI, 33 walks and 49 runs scored in 57 games.

Rd. 11 (321) – Jack Moroknek, OF, L/R, 6-3, 205, 22, Butler University (IN)
Moroknek hit .372 with 16 doubles, a triple, 18 home runs, 57 RBIs, 26 walks, two stolen bases and 57 runs scored for the Bulldogs in 2025. He was named Second-Team All-Big East after he set the Butler school record for most total bases in a single-season  with 153. He also led the team in hits (81), batting average, RBsI, homers, runs scored, slugging percentage (.702) and OPS (1.145) this season.

The left-handed hitter hit .327 with 14 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 44 RBIs, 27 walks, four stolen bases and 38 runs scored in 55 games as a sophomore.

Rd. 12 (351) – Ben Moore, LHP, L/L, 6-4, 215, 21, Old Dominion University (VA)
A Frederick, Md., native, Moore pitched to a 4.45 ERA with 122 strikeouts in 129 ⅓ innings pitched across three collegiate seasons. He posted a 2.68 ERA as a sophomore in 2024 and a 1.88 ERA as a freshman in 2023.

Rd. 13 (381) – Tucker Biven, RHP, R/R, 6-1, 210, 21, University of Louisville
Biven went 5-0 with a 3.71 ERA, four saves and 36 strikeouts in 43 ⅔ innings this season. The right-hander was a member of the 2024 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. He struck out five in 2 ⅔ scoreless innings in his only appearance during the International Friendship Series against Chinese Taipei. As a sophomore at Louisville in 2024, he led the Cardinals with 24 relief appearances on the mound. He went 4-2 with a 3.82 ERA, five saves and 40 strikeouts in 35 ⅓ innings in those games.

Rd. 14 (411) – Nick Hollifield, C, R/R, 5-11, 190, 21, University of Alabama-Birmingham
Hollifield hit .266 with 13 doubles, five homers, 30 RBIs, 31 walks and 33 runs scored in 52 games. He struck out just 20 times in 223 plate appearances, good for only 9 percent of the time.. Hollifield was on the Buster Posey Award midseason watch list (best collegiate catcher) and was on the Conference USA All-Freshman team in 2023.

Rd. 15 (441) – Jacob Walsh, 1B, L/L, 6-4, 225, 22, University of Oregon
Walsh hit .332 with 17 doubles, 19 home runs, 60 RBIs, 36 walks, eight stolen bases and 54 runs scored this season. He was named First-Team All-Big Ten, Second-Team ABCA/Rawlings All-Region and a Third-Team All-American by NCBWA. He was a finalist for the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award (best offensive player) and a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy (top collegiate player).

The big lefty finished his career at Oregon as the school’s all-time leader in home runs (59), RBIs (191) and multiple-RBI games (50). He ranks second in Ducks history in games started (232), at-bats (919), runs scored (163), hits (258), doubles (60) and multiple-hit games (73).

Rd. 16 (471) – Levi Huesman, LHP, R/L, 6-0, 192, 21, Vanderbilt University
A Hanover, Va., native, Huesman posted a 2.81 ERA (five earned runs in 16 innings) with 20 strikeouts in 18 games during his junior season in 2025.

Rd. 17 (501) – Bryce Molinaro, 3B, R/R, 6-0, 190, 21, Penn State University
Molinaro hit .267 with eight doubles, a triple, 13 home runs, 61 RBIs, 34 walks, eight stolen bases and 46 runs scored this season. He recorded 17 multi-hit games and 20 multi-RBI games, and his 61 RBIs were the second-most in a single season in school history. The righty ranks seventh in Nittany Lions history with a .530 career slugging percentage. He tallied 21 doubles, four triples, 24 home runs and 106 RBIs in 109 career games.

Rd. 18 (531) – Owen Puk, RHP, R/R, 6-5, 230, 22, Florida International University
Puk went 4-1 with a 4.84 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 35 ⅓ innings across 13 games (10 starts). Opposing batters hit .229 with just two home runs against him.

Rd. 19 (561) – Mason Pike, RHP, S/R, 6-0, 193, 18. Puyallup High School (WA)
Pike allowed only one earned run in 40 innings (0.23 ERA) with 64 strikeouts in seven games this season. He allowed just 15 hits and nine walks on his way to winning Gatorade Washington Player of the Year. The righty was an All-American and the No. 44 overall player according to Perfect Game. He was ranked the No. 68 overall draft prospect and a First Team High School All-American by Baseball America.

He has a commitment to Oregon State.

Rd. 20 (591) – Juan Cruz, 1B, R/R, 6-5, 240, 20, Alabama State University
Cruz was named SWAC Hitter of the Year after hitting .420 with 23 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 73 RBIs, 33 walks, six stolen bases and 62 runs scored. With that, he was also named ABCA All-Southeast Region, First-Team All-SWAC and a NCBWA Third-Team All-American.

The righty was the SWAC Freshman of the Year and named First-Team All-SWAC in 2024. He ranked second in the SWAC and 33rd in the nation with a .389 average and added 10 doubles, eight home runs and 51 RBIs.

Of the 20 players selected by the Nationals in the 2025 MLB Draft, there were seven right-handers, two left-handers, two outfielders, seven infielders and two catchers. They selected 15 from four-year universities and five from the high school ranks.