Washington Nationals’ 2019 first round pick, Jackson Rutledge, a 6’8’’ right-hander, was the second-highest ranked right-handed pitcher and third-highest ranked arm overall on MLB Pipeline’s list of the top prospects in the 2019 Draft class. He was still on the board after 16 other teams made their selections, so the Nationals’ made the 20-year-old righty their top pick, at No. 17 overall.
It turns out Rutledge and the Nationals knew each other well.