Doc Walker & Scott Jackson are in for Kevin Sheehan this week, and just a few days before the 2023 MLB Draft, questions abound as to who the Nationals will select at No. 2.
Quite a few players have that dawg in them and give Doc & Scott a K-9 Alert, but when Nats Chat podcast host Al Galdi joined them on Thursday, he was feeling LSU…and one particular Tiger if they have their choice.
“Generally speaking, drafting position players is safer than pitchers, because pitchers break more frequently, so all things equal, I’d rather the Nationals get Dylan Crews than Paul Skenes,” Galdi said. “But, attached to that is a caveat: Skenes is being talked about as the best pitcher in a draft since Stephen Strasburg in 2009. Crews is well-regarded, but if the Nats evaluate these guys and see Skenes at a level Crews is not at, that alters the conversation. And, of course, it’s also worth noting that Crews is represented by Scott Boras and Skenes is not, so that may be a consideration given how much the Nats have danced the Boras dance over the years. It shouldn’t dictate who they take, but I don’t know how you can’t at least think about that.”
Of course, the Nationals likely can’t go wrong whether it’s Crews, Skenes, Wyatt Langford, or anyone else, as this draft is as deep at the top as it gets in Galdi’s eyes.
“This draft is so loaded at the top – you have three college players who in most years could be the perceived runaway No. 1 pick in any year, plus a few high school players in that spot,” Galdi said. “The Nats at No. 2 are guaranteed to have a shot at one of Crews or Skenes, if not both, because there’s a lot of talk the Pirates might draft someone in an under-slot scenario.
Skenes’ comparison to Strasburg is enticing but also worrisome, given Strasburg’s career health trajectory – but has sports science and medicine come far enough in 14 years to overcome the worry?
“With any pitcher there’s risk, even though each pitcher is different, so you have to study biomechanics,” Galdi said. “Skenes is consistently throwing over 100 MPH, and we do know it’s unnatural to do that – but we’re at a point where Tommy John surgery is almost like a dental cleaning, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he needed it.”
Skenes could pitch in MLB this year, at least in Chris Sale’s eyes, so he could potentially do that in DC, and he could do so after the trade deadline – where the Nats could look a little different.
“The obvious guy would be Jeimer Candelario, who you trade to the highest bidder and don’t think twice about, but beyond that, it’s dicey,” Galdi said. “Trevor Williams is on a two-year deal and maybe you get some value for him, but Dominic Smith is having a disappointing season and the Nats bullpen has fallen off, so I don’t know if any of their relievers will be extremely attractive. I hope the Nats are able to trade a many guys as possible and add to their inventory of prospects, but it will be interesting to see.”
Take a listen to Galdi’s entire appearance with Scott & Doc, which also includes some thoughts on the Orioles, Shohei Ohtani, and the Commanders’ upcoming season, above!
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