Nationals sign first-round pick Elijah Green

The Nationals agreed to a deal with fifth overall pick Elijah Green, according to a team announcement. Bonus terms have not yet been disclosed; the fifth overall pick comes with a slot value of $6.4977M.

Green, an outfielder out of IMG Academy in Florida, has been one of the highest-touted prospects in the 2022 class for years. Regarded as a possible candidate for the first pick early in draft rumors, Green was generally viewed as a top ten talent throughout the process. Each of Baseball America, ESPN, The Athletic and MLB Pipeline placed Green between third and seventh on their pre-draft class rankings. Only FanGraphs, which slotted him 11th, had him outside the top ten among the five major outlets.

Listed at 6-foot-3, 214 pounds, Green already has big league physicality at 18 years of age. Evaluators rave about his physical toolset, with most suggesting he’ll wind up with plus-plus (a 70 on the 20-80 scale) raw power and speed at his peak. Reports suggest he has a strong chance to stick in center field over the long-term, and his combination of power and athleticism give him superstar-caliber upside. Yet each outlet raised a question about Green’s propensity to swing and miss, both due to chasing secondary stuff outside the strike zone and getting beaten by fastballs in the zone.

Green had been committed to Miami (FL), but he’ll forego college and head to pro ball. There’s obviously risk inherent with the swing-and-miss in his profile, but he has arguably the class’ loftiest ceiling. He’ll add a possible marquee talent to a Washington farm system that had just one player (right-hander Cade Cavalli) on Baseball America’s most recent Top 100 prospects update.