Organizational prospect rankings, by their nature, are going to fluctuate year to year. And this has especially been true for the Nationals, who have seen their farm system completely overhauled in recent seasons.

As recently as 2021, the organization’s top 10 list (as compiled by Baseball America) was headlined by three homegrown pitchers (Cade Cavalli, Jackson Rutledge, Cole Henry) and two internationally signed infielders (Yasel Antuna, Armando Cruz).

Only two years later, that list looked totally different, bolstered by the additions of top prospects acquired in the Juan Soto trade (James Wood, Robert Hassell III) and more recent first round draft picks (Elijah Green, Brady House).

The top-tier talent perhaps peaked one year ago, when Dylan Crews and Yoyo Morales joined Wood, House and Cavalli to create a pretty impressive one through five.

Now, with Baseball America releasing a new top prospects list within the last week, there’s a whole new set of promising young players busting down the doors, with five of the new top 10 having been acquired by the Nationals in the last 16 months alone.

Watch the video of Seaver King watching commissioner Rob Manfred announce him as the No. 10 pick in the MLB Draft, and you quickly understand how meaningful this moment was for the 21-year-old.

King, who only received an offer coming out Athens Christian High School in Georgia from Division II Wingate, then parlayed two dominant seasons there into one season at powerhouse Wake Forest, was now considered the 10th best player in the country, drafted by the Nationals on Sunday night.

Surrounded by friends and family cheering him on, King hugged his parents, then broke down for a moment and had to compose himself, perhaps not yet truly believing what happened.

“If you asked me three years ago if I would’ve been in the draft, period, I would’ve said probably not, let alone be a top-10 pick and be in an organization that values development as much as they do,” he said in a Zoom session with reporters a little while later. “I think it’s just surreal. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m glad I didn’t know it was going to happen, because it’s just kind of better that way.”

King wasn’t a name associated with the Nationals in the days leading up to the draft. He expected to be taken several spots lower in the first round. In the end, it shouldn’t have come as that much surprise, because he’s been defying the odds on the baseball field for some time now.

The Washington Nationals selected collegiate shortstop Seaver King out of Wake Forest University with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Sunday. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Vice President, Amateur Scouting Danny Haas, Senior Director, Amateur Scouting Brad Ciolek, and Assistant Director and National Crosschecker, Amateur Scouting Reed Dunn made the joint announcement.

King, 21, hit .308 with 14 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs, 64 RBI, 25 walks, 11 stolen bases and 59 runs scored in 60 games as he helped lead Wake Forest to the Greenville Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. He posted a .377 on-base percentage, .577 slugging percentage and recorded a hit in 48 games, including 24 multi-hit performances. King recorded 21 multi-RBI games including eight games with three or more. He reached base safely in 31 straight games during the 2024 campaign (April 2-May 25), posting an 11-game hit streak (April 6-23) and a 16-game hit streak (April 27-May 24) during that span. 

The No. 17 draft prospect according to Baseball America and MLBPipeline.com, King was a Dick Howser Trophy (top collegiate player) semifinalist and garnered Third-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors after his junior season. Prior to the start of his junior campaign, he was named Preseason Third-Team All-America by D1Baseball.com.

Between his sophomore and junior seasons, King played for Harwich in the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he slashed .424/.479/.542 with four doubles, one homer, nine RBI, five stolen bases, seven walks and 15 runs scored in 16 games.

Standing at six-foot, 195-pounds, King began his collegiate career at Wingate (N.C.) University, where he had a 47-game hitting streak as a sophomore in 2023, the third-longest hitting streak in Division II history. He went on to lead Wingate in batting average (.411), slugging (.699), on-base percentage (.457), runs (63), hits (90), RBI (53), doubles (20), triples (5), home runs (11), total bases (153) and stolen bases (13). Following the season, he was named to the USA Baseball Collegiate Team.

MILWAUKEE – Given the choice between drafting one of the best high school players in the country or a more experienced player from a top college program, the Nationals tonight went with experience, not to mention versatility.

The Nats selected Wake Forest’s Seaver King with the 10th overall pick in the MLB Draft, choosing a talented player who spent time at four different positions this season for the Demon Deacons after previously dominating at the Division II level.

They then used the pick they got Saturday night from the Royals in the Hunter Harvey trade on Cal catcher Caleb Lomavita before using their second-round pick on New Jersey high school shortstop Luke Dickerson.

In announcing the first-round pick live from the MLB All-Star Game in Texas, commissioner Rob Manfred called King a shortstop. The Nationals then announced him through their social media feeds as a third baseman/outfielder. Wherever he winds up playing in the field, he could find himself on a fast track to D.C.

King, 21, hit .308 with 16 homers, 64 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, a .377 on-base percentage and .954 OPS in 60 games at Wake Forest. A right-handed batter and thrower, he played 36 games at third base, 21 in center field, 10 at shortstop and two at second base.