This is not a mock draft, nor is it a look at who the Nationals could select in the MLB draft this weekend, during which they’ll pick 11th, then 42nd, then 78th and so on. It’s also not a breakdown of how the Nats might divvy up their bonus pool money, though the draft will be a fascinating glance at the new front office’s approach to working the system to collect the most talent.
No, the reason we’re here, sharing this tiny slice of the internet, is bigger than any one amateur player or signing bonus. The reason, to put it plainly, is that the draft is this new front office’s thing, the part of the team-building process that many of these executives have built their careers on. And with this draft in particular, it’s their first opportunity to meaningfully change the type of players in the Nats’ minor league system — and to really show why they’re the right group to turn the organization around.
Good, bad or otherwise, the results won’t be immediate. The draft isn’t set up that way, which is why the trade deadline has gotten much more oxygen in D.C. in recent weeks, including on this website. But the draft process has already offered the best illustration yet of how this front office operates, particularly with how it’s blending amateur scouting and player development.