The Washington Nationals are on the clock, sort of.
The 2025 MLB Draft doesn't start until Sunday night, but when you have the No. 1 overall pick, the clock starts much earlier.
So what are the Nats going to do?
They can either take Ethan Holliday, or they can take a pitcher. That's really the equation being crunched by a front office that just lost Mike Rizzo, its leader for more than 15 years.
Holliday is the son of Rockies legend Matt and Orioles young star Jackson.
The pitchers on the board are LSU's Kade Anderson, Tennessee's Liam Doyle and Florida State's Jamie Arnold.
The Sporting News' final mock draft has Anderson going to the Nats, not Holliday.
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Holliday is a different kind of risk. He's a big-bodied high school shortstop that might end up at third base.
But he's also got unquestionably phenomenal pedigree.
Pitchers are a risk, too, based in the likelihood of arm injuries.
Really, there's risk everywhere.
It's not a guarantee that Holliday is the best player in his class. But if he reaches his potential, he might be.
Can the Nationals afford to pass that up just to take an older arm who might be a bit closer to the majors?
That's a question they're running out of time to answer.
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