Elite Washington Nationals Prospect Could Be Even Better After Getting Surgery
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The Washington Nationals are brimming with talent on their Major League roster and in their pipeline.
It's the best outlook this franchise has had for years after undergoing a rebuild following their World Series championship in 2019.
With the likes of CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. leading the infield, James Wood and Dylan Crews in the outfield and the group of established and rising stars like MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, DJ Herz and Mitchell Parker in the rotation, there is a good foundation in place for the Nationals to build upon.
But there are also more coming, and while Brady House is the next prospect everyone is keeping their eye on, the best one on the farm could be another pitcher; Travis Sykora.
Selected in the third round of the 2023 draft, he was sensational in his debut professional season last year, posting a 2.33 ERA across his 20 starts with 129 strikeouts in 85 innings.
That earned him second spot in Washington's pipeline and No. 70 overall per MLB.com.
Turning 21 in April, the sky is the limit for what the right-hander can accomplish because he could even be better going forward in his career after he underwent hip surgery this offseason.
"Not that velocity is everything, but I think I'm gonna be back to hopefully throwing 100 again. It's going to feel good because — I mean, I like throwing 100, I guess," he said per Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post.
Sykora sat in the mid-90s throughout 2024.
It was a velocity range that still allowed him to dominate his competition at the Single-A level, but getting back to triple digits with his fastball should unlock something that showcases the true future ace stuff he possesses.
The scary part for opposing hitters is Sykora learned how to pitch without overwhelming speed.
"Yeah, it's kind of like a blessing in disguise, because throwing 100, you can rely on just trying to blow it by everyone on every pitch. Now I can combine what I learned from a pitchability standpoint with my old velocity. I think that's going to be a separator," he said.
According to Nusbaum, Sykora felt a pinch in his hip and compensated for that by altering his mechanics. And after the season, an MRI revealed something that suggested he should get hip surgery.
Mid-May is when he's expected to be back for game action.
The Nationals will likely start him in Single-A again when he returns, allowing him to face that level of competition during the early part of his recovery.
But when he settles in, there's a chance he could fly up the farm system this year to be the next young player knocking on the door to join the rest of the young stars in the Majors.
