Five Major League Baseball teams finished the 2024 season with a worse record than the Washington Nationals, but it will be the 2019 World Series champions who get the No. 1 pick in next summer's MLB Draft.
The league conducted its annual draft lottery on Tuesday evening, and Washington got lucky, earning the top pick despite only having a 10.2% chance to do so. The Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins both had 22.5% chances. The other teams that finished worse than Washington, the Athletics and Chicago White Sox, were not eligible for lottery picks.
After Washington, the Los Angeles Angels will pick second and the Seattle Mariners third.
Naturally, Nationals fans were ecstatic at the news.
“YOUR WASHINGTON NATIONALS HAVE THE #1 PICK IN THE MLB DRAFT,” wrote one fan in all caps. “ETHAN HOLLIDAY, SEE YOU SOON.”
Infielder Ethan Holliday, son of former MLB player Matt Holliday, is the consensus top prospect in this year's draft class. While some celebrated Holliday's potential new home in Washington, others speculated that outfielder Jace Laviolette might go first instead. Aria Gerson of The Tennessean resorted to the popular Spiderman meme to describe Nationals fans.
“Half my TL being convinced the Nats are getting Jace LaViolette and the other half convinced they’re getting Ethan Holliday,” she wrote.
Not all Nationals fans were celebrating. Even five years removed from a championship, they've seen a lot of losing in their lives and it's worn on them.
“Who cares? In six years, he’ll probably be playing for the Phillies or the Mets,” one fan wrote.
“Sweet! Can’t wait to see that draft pick sign a 500 million dollar deal with the Yankees in 5 years,” added another.
MLB reporter and radio personality Matt Paulsen pointed out maybe the coolest aspect of the whole thing, as former Nationals first baseman Matt Adams stood on stage to represent the team during the lottery.
“Matt Adams was on the Cardinals with Matt Holliday when Ethan Holliday was a toddler,” he said. “He saw him running around the clubhouse and played with him at the ballpark. Now he helped the Nats get the No. 1 pick that could end up becoming Ethan Holliday. Baseball, man! Sports!”