Coy James may have been a 5th rounder in the 2025 draft, but he is not your average fifth round pick. The Nats gave James a $2.5 million signing bonus, paying him approximately the slot value of the 39th overall pick in that draft. With that in mind, big things were expected from the high school shortstop, and so far he has lived up to expectations.
It has not been a perfect first season for James by any means. He is only hitting .222 and is striking out 25.4% of the time in Low-A. However, he is showing flashes of immense upside with 16 homers and 27 steals. His .755 OPS is also above league average. James remains a work in progress, but his upside remains tantalizing.
We got reminded of how loud those tools are last night. While the Nats were lifelessly meandering to a 7th straight loss, James hit a 456 foot bomb. That is some crazy raw power for a 19 year old. When James is firing on all cylinders, he is one of the most impressive of the Nats many infield prospects.
James' season has been interesting because going into the draft scouts were split on if he were a power first guy or a hit first profile. Baseball America gave him a 55 hit tool with 50 power, while MLB Pipeline gave him a 45 hit tool with 55 power. So far the Pipeline projection has been more accurate, though his raw power might be closer to a 60.
Interestingly, it also seems like James' athleticism got undersold coming out of the draft as well. Both BA and Pipeline graded him as an average runner. However, he has looked more explosive in pro ball. He has 27 steals, but Fangraphs also gave him a 60 run tool in their early season update.

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