The Washington Nationals are a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise based in Washington, D.C. Prior to 2005, they were known as the Montreal Expos and based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Nationals play in the National League East division. Since the institution of MLB's Rule 4 Draft, the Expos/Nationals have selected 73 players in the first round. Officially known as the "First-Year Player Draft", the Rule 4 Draft is MLB's primary mechanism for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings, with the team possessing the worst record receiving the first pick. In addition, teams which lost free agents in the previous off-season may be awarded compensatory or supplementary picks. The First-Year Player Draft is unrelated to the 1968 expansion draft in which the Expos initially filled their roster.

Of the 73 players picked in the first round by Montreal or Washington, 38 have been pitchers, the most of any position; 27 of them were right-handed, while 11 were left-handed. Thirteen outfielders, ten shortstops, five third basemen, four catchers, and three first basemen were also taken. The team has never drafted a player at second base. In all, 40 of the players were drafted from high school, 27 from four-year colleges, and four from junior colleges. Eleven of the players came from high schools, universities, or junior colleges in the state of California, and Florida follows with 10 players. They have also drafted two players from Puerto Rico: Josue Estrada (1993) and Hiram Bocachica (1994).

No pick has been elected to the Hall of Fame. One first-round pick, Bryce Harper (2010), has been named Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in his career, earning National League rookie honors in 2012 and National League MVP honors in 2015, both with the Nationals. Harper is the second of the Nationals' two overall #1 selections; the first was Stephen Strasburg in 2009. Condredge Holloway (1971) was drafted as a shortstop, but ended up becoming a quarterback in the Canadian Football League, and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

The Expos/Nationals have made 19 selections in the supplemental round of the draft and six compensatory picks since their entry into the league in 1969. These additional picks are provided when a team loses a particularly valuable free agent in the previous off-season, or, more recently, if a team fails to sign a draft pick from the previous year. The Expos/Nationals have failed to sign four of their first-round picks: Condredge Holloway (1971), Charles Johnson (1989), John Patterson (1996), and Aaron Crow (2008). The Expos received no compensation for failing to sign Holloway, but received the 40th pick in 1990, the 52nd pick in 1997, and the 10th pick in 2009 for failing to sign Johnson, Patterson, and Crow, respectively.

Key Year Each year links to an article about that year's Major League Baseball draft. Position Indicates the secondary/collegiate position at which the player was drafted, rather than the professional position the player may have gone on to play Pick Indicates the number of the pick* Player did not sign with the Expos/Nationals § Indicates a supplemental pick '19 Player was a member of the Nationals' 2019 championship team

Picks

Year Name Position School (location) Pick Ref 1968 1969 Left-handed pitcher Deer Park High School(Deer Park, Texas) 1970 Catcher Smithfield-Selma High School(Selma, North Carolina) 1971* Shortstop Lee High School(Huntsville, Alabama) 1972 Catcher Bishop Byrne High School(Memphis, Tennessee) 1973 Shortstop Edgewood High School(West Covina, California) 1974 Third baseman Stebbins High School(Dayton, Ohio) 1975 Shortstop Crockett High School(Austin, Texas) 1976 Right-handed pitcher Verdugo Hills High School(Sunland, California) 1977 Right-handed pitcher Joliet Catholic Academy(Joliet, Illinois) 1978 Shortstop Chipola Junior College(Marianna, Florida) 1979 First baseman California State University, Fullerton(Fullerton, California) 1980 Outfielder University of Arizona(Tucson, Arizona) 1981 Left-handed pitcher Oklahoma State University–Stillwater(Stillwater, Oklahoma) 1982 1983 Right-handed pitcher University of Michigan(Ann Arbor, Michigan) Right-handed pitcher Wichita North High School(Wichita, Kansas) 1984 Catcher California State University, Fullerton(Fullerton, California) Left-handed pitcher Rice University(Houston, Texas) § 1985 Third baseman Oklahoma State University–Stillwater(Stillwater, Oklahoma) 1986 Outfielder Hogan High School(Vallejo, California) 1987 Shortstop Seaford Senior High School(Seaford, Delaware) Outfielder Imperial Valley College(Imperial, California) § 1988 Right-handed pitcher Washington State University(Pullman, Washington) 1989* Catcher Fort Pierce Westwood High School(Fort Pierce, Florida) 1990 Third baseman Carlsbad High School(Carlsbad, New Mexico) Outfielder Jones County High School(Gray, Georgia) Left-handed pitcher Sebring High School(Sebring, Florida) § Right-handed pitcher Stanford University(Stanford, California) § Left-handed pitcher East Noble High School(Kendallville, Indiana) § Outfielder Plainview High School(Plainview, Texas) § 1991 First baseman Thornwood High School(South Holland, Illinois) 1992 Left-handed pitcher Mississippi State University(Mississippi State, Mississippi) 1993 Outfielder Cretin High School(St. Paul, Minnesota) Outfielder Medardo Carazo High School(Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico) § 1994 Shortstop Rexville High School(Bayamon, Puerto Rico) Right-handed pitcher Oregon State University(Corvallis, Oregon) § 1995 Shortstop Pace Academy(Atlanta, Georgia) 1996* Right-handed pitcher West Orange-Stark High School(West Orange, Texas) 1997 Right-handed pitcher Oak Grove High School(Hattiesburg, Mississippi) Right-handed pitcher Chancellor High School(Fredericksburg, Virginia) § Shortstop Henry Clay High School(Lexington, Kentucky) § Right-handed pitcher Auburn University(Auburn, Alabama) § First baseman East St. John High School(Garyville, Louisiana) § Right-handed pitcher River Ridge High School(New Port Richey, Florida) § Right-handed pitcher Westmoore High School(Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) § Outfielder Petal High School(Petal, Mississippi) § 1998 Shortstop Malvern Preparatory School(Malvern, Pennsylvania) Outfielder University of Florida(Gainesville, Florida) § 1999 Left-handed pitcher Jasper High School(Jasper, Texas) 2000 Right-handed pitcher Stanford University(Stanford, California) 2001 Right-handed pitcher University of California, Los Angeles(Los Angeles, California) 2002 Right-handed pitcher Cypress Falls High School(Houston, Texas) 2003 Right-handed pitcher California State University, Fullerton(Fullerton, California) 2004 Left-handed pitcher College of William & Mary(Williamsburg, Virginia) 2005 '19 Third baseman University of Virginia(Charlottesville, Virginia) 2006 Outfielder Monsignor Edward Pace High School(Miami Gardens, Florida) Right-handed pitcher John Carroll Catholic High School(Fort Pierce, Florida) 2007 Left-handed pitcher Missouri State University(Springfield, Missouri) Left-handed pitcher Calhoun High School(Calhoun, Georgia) § Outfielder Hillsborough High School(Tampa, Florida) § 2008* Right-handed pitcher University of Missouri(Columbia, Missouri) 2009 '19 Right-handed pitcher San Diego State University(San Diego, California) Right-handed pitcher Stanford University(Stanford, California) § 2010 Outfielder College of Southern Nevada(Henderson, Nevada) 2011 '19 Third baseman Rice University(Houston, Texas) Right-handed pitcher University of Kentucky(Lexington, Kentucky) Outfielder Miami Dade College(Miami, Florida) § 2012 Right-handed pitcher Harvard-Westlake High School(Los Angeles, California) 2013 2014 '19 Right-handed pitcher University of Nevada, Las Vegas(Las Vegas, Nevada) 2015 2016 '19 Shortstop Walton High School(Marietta, Georgia) Right-handed pitcher University of Florida(Gainesville, Florida) § 2017 Left-handed pitcher University of Houston(Houston, Texas) 2018Mason DenaburgRight-handed pitcherMerritt Island High School(Merritt Island, Florida)272019Jackson RutledgeRight-handed pitcherSan Jacinto College(Houston, Texas)172020Cade CavalliRight-handed pitcherUniversity of Oklahoma(Norman, Oklahoma)222021Brady HouseShortstopWinder-Barrow High School(Winder, Georgia)112022Elijah GreenOutfielderIMG Academy(Bradenton, Florida)52023Dylan CrewsOutfielderLSU(Baton Rouge, Louisiana)22024Seaver KingShortstopWake Forest University(Winston-Salem, North Carolina)102025Eli WillitsShortstopFort Cobb-Broxton High School(Fort Cobb, Oklahoma)12026Chris HacopianSecond basemanTexas A&M University(College Station, Texas)11

See also Washington Nationals minor league players

Footnotes Through the 2012 draft, free agents were evaluated by the Elias Sports Bureau and rated "Type A", "Type B", or not compensation-eligible. If a team offered arbitration to a player but that player refused and subsequently signed with another team, the original team was able to receive additional draft picks. If a "Type A" free agent left in this way, his previous team received a supplemental pick and a compensatory pick from the team with which he signed. If a "Type B" free agent left in this way, his previous team received only a supplemental pick. Since the 2013 draft, free agents are no longer classified by type; instead, compensatory picks are only awarded if the team offered its free agent a contract worth at least the average of the 125 current richest MLB contracts. However, if the free agent's last team acquired the player in a trade during the last year of his contract, it is ineligible to receive compensatory picks for that player. The Expos and other expansion teams (Seattle Pilots, Kansas City Royals, and San Diego Padres) did not receive first-round picks in 1968. They began the selection process at the end of the fourth round of the regular phase. The Expos gained a compensatory first-round pick in 1980 from the New York Yankees for losing free agent Rudy May. The Expos lost their first-round pick in 1982 to the Chicago Cubs as compensation for signing free agent Tim Blackwell. The Expos gained a compensatory first-round pick in 1983 from the San Francisco Giants for losing free agent Joel Youngblood. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1984 for losing free agent Manny Trillo. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1987 for losing free agent Andre Dawson. The Expos gained a compensatory first-round pick in 1990 from the California Angels for losing free agent Mark Langston. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1990 for losing free agent Mark Langston. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1990 for losing free agent Hubie Brooks. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1990 for losing free agent Pascual Perez. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1990 for failing to sign draft pick Charles Johnson. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1993 for losing free agent Spike Owen. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1994 for losing free agent Dennis Martínez. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1997 for losing free agent Mel Rojas. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1997 for losing free agent Moisés Alou. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1997 for losing free agent Mel Rojas. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1997 for losing free agent Moisés Alou. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1997 for losing free agent Mel Rojas. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1997 for losing free agent Moisés Alou. The Expos gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1997 for failing to sign draft pick John Patterson.