PROSPECT REVIEW: JAKE BENNETT

Age on opening day 2024: 23

How acquired: Drafted in second round in 2022 from University of Oklahoma

Ranking: No. 10 per MLB Pipeline, previously No. 10 per Baseball America before Nov. 6 top 10 update

MLB ETA: 2024
* Projected by MLB Pipeline

The Nationals hadn’t held a top-10 pick in the draft in 11 years. Not since Anthony Rendon dropped down the board and landed in their lap with the No. 6 pick in 2011 had they been in a position to choose a player as early in the draft as they did Sunday night, when they used the fifth overall pick on Florida high school outfielder Elijah Green.

Which brings an added amount of pressure to an organization that hasn’t struck gold with a first-round pick in a long time and knows it needs to get this one right.

“I think there’s more pressure when you pick at the bottom,” longtime vice president of scouting operations Kris Kline insisted late Sunday night. “Obviously, every year you’d like to pick at the bottom, because that’s a reflection of how your major league team is doing. But we’re going through a process here of rebuilding.”

The Nats’ track record with early first-round picks is solid. Who wouldn’t take Ryan Zimmerman, Ross Detwiler, Aaron Crow, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Drew Storen and Rendon? Sure, Detwiler and Storen aren’t on the same level as the big names there, but each made it to and stuck in the big leagues for a while. (Detwiler’s still pitching for the Reds, some 15 years after he was drafted.) And Crow, though he didn’t sign with the Nats, ultimately made an All-Star team with the Royals before his career fizzled out.

The Nationals’ track record with late first-round picks is anything but solid. Of their last nine selections, only Lucas Giolito (16th in 2012) has produced more than 1.5 Wins Above Replacement in the big leagues, and he’s done it for the White Sox. Erick Fedde (18th in 2014) has established himself as a back-of-the-rotation starter on a rebuilding club. Carter Kieboom (28th in 2016), Seth Romero (25th in 2017), Mason Denaburg (27th in 2018) and Jackson Rutledge (17th in 2019) all have been too injured and/or ineffective to make it so far. Cade Cavalli (22nd in 2020) and Brady House (11th in 2021) are hoping to be part of the organization’s next contending roster.

The Nationals concluded the 2019 First-Year Player Draft with a total of 39 selections. The Nats selected 13 right-handed pitchers, six left-handed pitchers, two outfielders, 14 infielders and four catchers. 24 of the selections came from four-year universities, seven from junior colleges and eight from the high school ranks. Adding to the nine selections made on the first two days, the Nats started the final day of the draft by selecting Fresno State shortstop J.T. Arruda in the 11th...