Nats' Top 5 homegrown Draft picks

February 15th, 2021

Every year, Major League teams draft players hoping they will make an impact on their success -- that kind of future star that can bring championships to an organization. Since 2005, the Nationals have selected franchise-changing talents in the June Draft. From players who helped the Nats get to the playoffs to those who helped them win the World Series, take a look at five of their top homegrown Draft picks. (All records cited are from the Washington era.)

1.
Draft: 2009, No. 1 overall
Pitcher WAR: 32.1

The Nationals knew they were landing a standout talent when they selected Strasburg with the first pick in the 2009 Draft. Ten years later, he became the World Series Most Valuable Player Award winner. Strasburg is 112-59 with a 3.19 ERA in 11 seasons -- all with Washington -- and his .655 win-loss percentage ranks second among active pitchers. Of all his accomplishments, Strasburg shined the brightest in the playoffs, where he became the first pitcher to go 5-0 in the postseason during the Nationals’ 2019 World Series run.

“He’s been near and dear to my heart,” general manager Mike Rizzo said at the time. “He’s grown so much as a person and as a pitcher. When we first drafted him, he was a stuff guy, more of a thrower than a pitcher. Now, he’s a complete pitcher, a pillar in our community and a leader on this ballclub -- a guy we lean on in critical situations.”

2.
Draft: 2005, No. 4 overall
bWAR: 38.5

The face of the franchise, Zimmerman became the Nationals’ first ever Draft pick when the team relocated to Washington, D.C., in 2005. From then, he made his mark as their statistical leader in WAR, games played (1,689), homers (270), runs (936), RBIs (1,015), doubles (401), walks (630) and total bases (3,039). Zimmerman has hit .279/.343/.475 with an .818 OPS across 15 seasons. He memorably belted the Nationals’ first World Series home run in franchise history in '19.

“I just wanted to come back and play and have the opportunity to help this team win,” Zimmerman said after signing a one-year deal to return to the Nats for the 2021 season. “Playing anywhere else, I think, would really be weird.”

3.
Draft: 2011, No. 6 overall
bWAR: 29.1

Rendon was a driving force behind Washington’s first championship in 2019, following a regular season in which he batted .319 and drove in a team-record 126 RBIs. That year, he hit three homers in the playoffs, including two in the World Series. In seven seasons, Rendon slashed .290/.369/.490 with an .859 OPS. He holds several of the team’s single-game marks, including most hits (six) and RBIs (10), and his WAR with the Nats ranks second behind only Zimmerman.

4.
Draft: 2010, No. 1 overall
bWAR: 27.5

Harper burst into the Majors two years after the Nationals selected him with the first pick in the 2010 Draft, and he made his presence known immediately. He won the '12 Rookie of the Year Award (the youngest position player to do so), earned an All-Star selection and received MVP votes that season. He helped propel the Nats to their first playoff appearance the same year, for a total of four postseason berths. Just three years later, he was named the National League MVP in '15. Harper slashed .279/.388/.512 and garnered six All-Star nods over seven seasons. He holds the Nats’ records for slugging percentage, OPS (.900) and OPS+ (139).

5.
Draft: 2007, second round
Pitcher WAR: 19.5

Zimmermann’s seven years in Washington were headlined by throwing the first no-hitter in Nationals history in the 2014 regular-season finale. He posted a 70-50 record and a 3.32 ERA over 178 starts, including eight complete games and four shutouts with Washington. Zimmermann topped the NL in wins (19) in '13, and he earned back-to-back All-Star selections in '13-14. Among Nats pitchers, he ranks fourth in wins and strikeouts (903).