Three Washington Nationals land in 2021 MLB re-draft

"Wood was a much more prominent high school prospect throughout the 2020 draft circuit and excelled against some of the best arms in the class thanks to a unique combination of size, leverage power and bat-to-ball skills. He entered the draft spring as a potential top 10 overall pick, but his stock fell after a disappointing spring season with IMG Academy. The Padres are always a team to bet on big tools and upside, and they did so again with Wood in the second round with the 62nd overall pick. He was a key piece in the massive prospect haul sent to the Nationals in exchange for Juan Soto and has blossomed into a slugger who can power a major league lineup when he’s going right. Wood hit .256/.350/.475 with 31 home runs and 38 doubles in his all-star 2025 season, though his longer levers and strikeout tendencies—a 32.1% strikeout rate in 2025—create more variance in his offensive profile. He’s entering just his age-23 season in 2026 and probably boasts the greatest pure offensive upside from this class five years later."

Young was overshadowed by Florida teammate (and everyday center fielder) Jud Fabian in the 2021 draft class and ranked in the back of the BA 500 as a tweener outfield prospect with better skills than tools. Many scouts thought he had upside as a defender in center field but just never got to see him play the position much. The Nationals signed him for $275,000 in the seventh round. Four years later, Young is one of the best outfield defenders in the game and has played 100-plus games in back-to-back seasons as the Nationals’ center fielder. His 25 defensive runs saved the last two seasons is tied (with Sal Frelick) for ninth-best among all defenders. Young’s bat might be too light to make much noise in a lineup, but there’s clearly a role for him on most big league teams.

Lile was a hit-first prospect who had polarizing reviews from scouts at the time because so much of his draft value was baked into being right about his hit tool evaluations. Without much in the way of secondary tools or projection, teams knew that missing on his bat would mean an empty pick. Even so, his hitting prowess was viewed so positively that he was still seen as a clear top two-round player. He signed for $1.75 million with the Nationals in the second round and largely looks like the player he was expected to be. In 91 games with the Nationals in 2025, Lile hit .299/.347/.498 with a 137 OPS+ and more contact skills and line drives than over-the-fence power as a corner outfielder. He finished fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting and was the team’s top hitter by wRC+ (132) among all batters with at least 300 plate appearances.