I had the great privilege of speaking with Baseball America National writer Carlos Collazo. We had a very fun discussion about his background, the Nationals’ new scheme, the state of the Nats farm system and the 2026 draft. He provided excellent information, as you would expect from one of the best prospect evaluators and writers in the business.
Advertisement
How it started:
Since he was a child, Carlos Collazo has been in love with baseball. His father taught Carlos and his brothers to play this game from a young age. At the age of four, young Carlos Collazo was all about baseball. Like most children, Collazo dreamed of becoming a major league player.
He played through high school and even had a D3 offer. However, he understood that his playing career was not going to go beyond that. Collazo, who already had a growing passion for writing, decided to attend the University of North Carolina to pursue a career in journalism.
That led him to Baseball America, then headquartered in that area. He landed an internship at BA before turning it into a full-time job. Collazo has worked for BA since 2017.
Advertisement
Along the way, Collazo met many interesting people in the baseball industry. One of the people he’s connected with over the years is the Nationals’ new president of baseball operations, Paul Toboni. He told me: “Paul Toboni is one of the few POBOs I knew before becoming one of the best”.
Collazo said he has a lot of respect for what Toboni did in Boston and holds the people he hired in high regard. As a young writer who has spent a lot of time in the scouting world, Collazo has unique insight into Toboni, as well as the baseball world as a whole.
BA National Connection:
There is, however, one rental that Toboni made that Collazo has a very special connection with. A little over a week ago, the Nationals hiring Peter Flaherty will be the scouting supervisor for the Northeast region. Flaherty has worked with Collazo on the content project for Baseball America for the past several years.
Advertisement
The two men had a special relationship, with Collazo calling him “my sidekick.” Unlike Collazo, who came to BA straight from college, Flaherty had scouting experience. He worked with the Yankees for a year and spent his summers working in the Cape Cod League. Collazo said that “Peter has a natural sense for evaluating and scouting players.”
While he’s excited for his friend, Collazo told me he’s going to miss his buddy. He noted that it’s “very sad to see him go from a selfish standpoint because he’s done a tremendous job helping us raise our interim coverage.” Collazo’s loss is the Nationals’ gain, as it appears the organization is getting a great scout and someone Collazo described as an A+ human.
Thoughts on the Washington Nationals’ prospects:
Flaherty will help rebuild a national agricultural system that Collazo considers strong, but disappointing. Although he’s high on some prospects, Collazo doesn’t think the system is where it needs to be given how much the Nats have lost in recent years.
Advertisement
None of the Nats prospects will appear in the top 15 in the next BA update. For a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2019, you’d like to see more blue-chip talent in the system. That’s not to say the Nats have a bad system according to Collazo.
One guy he really likes is Eli Willits, the No. 1 overall pick for 2025. The high school shortstop has been overshadowed by the more famous Ethan Holliday, but Collazo is very high on Willits. He did not appreciate some of the talk about Willits being the cheap option, saying, “There was a lot of narrative that was getting out of hand that I didn’t like.”
Collazo didn’t think selecting Willits first overall was a reach, and noted that Willits was one of the top three players on their board in a draft without a clear top player. He said Willits was the most complete offensive player in the class and had fewer swing-and-miss questions than Ethan Holliday.
The Harry Ford trade was one of the moves that really excited Collazo. He called it “the exact type of deal you want to make if you’re a team like the Nationals.” Although he considers Jose A. Ferrer a good reliever, Collazo noted that quality relievers are a luxury rather than a necessity for rebuilding teams like the Nats. If you can move a reliever for a quality prospect like Ford, you should, at least according to him.
Advertisement
This logic makes perfect sense. It’s much harder to find a legitimate starting catcher than it is to find a reliever. Bullpen arms emerge all the time, but starting receivers aren’t something you can find on the cheap.
As a player, Collazo likes Ford’s offensive game. He noted that Ford has now been productive for several seasons in the minors. With his success in AAA last year, Collazo noted that Ford is “ready for a chance to prove what he can do in the big leagues.” Given Cal Raleigh’s presence, he would never get that chance in Seattle.
Collazo and those around the game, however, are more skeptical of Ford’s defense. He said there were mixed opinions around the game about whether Ford could stay behind the plate. The Nationals will give him a chance, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. Fortunately, Ford has the athleticism to play on the field.
In-Depth Preview of the 2026 Draft:
One thing Collazo is excited about is the upcoming 2026 draft. He called it “one of the deepest and most impactful courses I’ve taken in a few years.” Unfortunately for the Nats, they are unable to pick among the top of the class this year due to lottery rules.
Advertisement
Collazo views UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky as the No. 1 overall pick heading into the season. If he were in the 2025 class, Collazo said the Nats would have had no debate over who to take. He views Cholowsky as someone who is close to being a generational talent, even if he hasn’t fully committed to using the G-word.
Although it’s a shame the Nats won’t be able to take Cholowsky, Collazo is still very optimistic about this class. He mentioned a group of college hitters, including Sawyer Strosnider, Derek Curiel and Chris Hacopian, as potential options for the Nats. On the high school batting side, he shouted out Jacob Lomard, Tyler Spangler and Blake Bowen.
Collazo is also excited about the top three college weapons, which he considers to be Liam Peterson, Cameron Flukey and Jackson Flora. Even if the Nats only pick 11, Collazo is confident they can come out of this draft with a nice haul.
He also seems more confident that these players will get the development they need. Under the previous regime, Collazo said the team “really struggled to improve the players they brought into their system.” He added that he was curious to see if that might change under this new regime.
Advertisement
He believes the new regime could help some players, notably Alex Clemmey and Seaver King. As far as Clemmey is concerned, he just needs to throw more strikes. Collazo said he likes Clemmey’s stuff but projects him as a reliever right now because of his control issues.
Collazo really liked King coming out of college because of his athleticism and sneaky power. Despite a difficult year, Collazo still has confidence in King because of these attributes. He has been encouraged by King’s performance in the AFL and is intrigued to see if he can keep that momentum going.
Overall, Collazo seemed cautiously optimistic about the state of the Nats. He loved the recruitments made by the new regime, but still seems to believe that the team is not that cohesive yet. Carlos was really fun to talk to and our conversation was fascinating. If you would like to see his work, subscribe to Baseball America or watch some of his content on the BA YouTube channel. He is one of the best in the business and it was a real pleasure to talk with him.
