As the vast majority of the Nationals’ front office and coaching staffs were overhauled this fall and winter, one corner of the organization remained intact.

The club’s international scouting department is still under previous management, namely Victor Rodriguez, who was hired in 2023 and for the last two years has been director international operations. Rodriguez was hired by Mike Rizzo, but he continues to serve in the same role under Paul Toboni.

What helped his cause? The fact his first job was with the Red Sox, who employed both Toboni and Justin Horowitz. And the fact his next job was with the Rays, who employed Anirudh Kilambi. Those three men now hold some of the top titles in the Nats front office, with Rodriguez a welcome face running one of baseball operations’ most important departments.

“It’s always good to come and see somebody that you’ve worked with in the past, because that learning curve and that trust gets expedited a little bit better,” Rodriguez said. “It’s really exciting for me to be able to work alongside all these guys again.”

Rodriguez spoke with reporters Thursday, when Major League Baseball’s international signing period officially opened. The Nationals added 15 new players from three Latin American countries, a group headlined by two highly ranked Dominican outfielders: Samil Serrano and Isaias Suarez.

There’s no more perilous endeavor in baseball than the scouting of 18-year-old high school players, trying to determine who is going to develop into major leaguers and who isn’t. Well, aside from the scouting of 16-year-old Latin American prospects, who have the ability to sign for millions of dollars long before anyone truly knows their chances for professional success.

Victor Rodriguez has been scouting these players for a decade and a half, first for the Red Sox and then for the Rays. Now the newly promoted director of international scouting for the Nationals, Rodriguez on Wednesday was tasked with officially signing his first class of Latin American teenagers.

How does he differentiate between one 16-year-old and another? How can he tell who’s going to make it and who probably won’t at such a young age?

“We try to keep it as simple as possible,” Rodriguez said. “Basically, don’t ignore the obvious here. The big leaguers, they stick out. Hitters stick out. Guys that throw strikes. … We use as much information as we can, but also not lose our instincts as scouts. That’s mainly how I try to simplify it. From a young age, I’ve been able to scout guys that have reached the big leagues. And one thing that always sticks out is: A hitter hits, and a pitcher throws strikes.”

Rodriguez and the Nationals hope as many of the 14 players they signed Wednesday as possible fit that criteria and find their way to Washington in due time. Two, though, stand out from the crowd and were deemed worthy of seven-figure signing bonuses.