Since he was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2023 MLB Draft, Travis Sykora was seen as a crown jewel in the Nationals system. Despite not being taken until the 71st pick, Sykora got $2.6 million, which
was top 35 money in his class. He was a 6’6 flamethrower from Texas with an upper 90’s fastball, and more polish than expected.
Sykora idolizes Nolan Ryan, and it is easy to see that on the mound. Like Ryan, Sykora has a big leg kick and produces easy velocity. In 2024 and the first half of 2025, Sykora was trending to be a future ace. He posted a 2.33 ERA in 2024 with a crazy 39.2% strikeout rate. Sykora just overwhelmed Low-A hitters with his mix of stuff and polish.
It was more of the same to start in 2025. After a delayed start to the season due to offseason hip surgery, Sykora was dominant. He had a few tuneup outings in rookie ball and Low-A, but really got going in High-A. In six High-A starts, he posted a 1.21 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 29.2 innings. He looked like a man amongst boys at yet another level.
However, things came crashing down very quickly. Sykora had a couple starts in AA, where he was still getting strikeouts, but was walking more guys. The more patient hitters were not chasing his pitches as much. This is something Sykora would have likely been able to adapt to, but he did not get the chance.
After striking out the side in the first inning of his second AA start, Sykora exited the game with an arm injury. A couple weeks later, Nats fans got the dreaded news that Sykora would need to undergo Tommy John Surgery. He would undergo surgery in late August.
Before the injury, Sykora was easily a top 50 prospect and was well on his way to being a top 25 prospect in the game. He was so dominant in the lower levels and had all the tools. Sykora’s fastball sits in the mid to upper 90’s. He combines that with a slider and a splitter, which both have plus potential. While his command is not perfect, it is quite advanced for a 21 year old power pitcher. He is also a smart pitcher, with the ability to mix and match well.
After the injury, Sykora’s stock has inevitably dropped. He missed the back half of 2026 and will miss most, if not all of 2026. That is a lot of development time that is now gone. Sykora was also an older high school prospect in 2023. By the time he comes back, he will be entering his age 23 season, with just 4.2 innings above A ball.
He went from a top 50 lock to a fringe top 100 prospect. Baseball America now has him as the Nats 5th ranked prospect. For me, that is a bit of an overreaction. I understand it, but still think Sykora is a top 3 or 4 prospect in the system. His results were just too good.
For me, Sykora should be comfortably ahead of a guy like Luis Perales, who BA has ahead of him. While Perales is healthy now, he missed almost all of 2025 due to a TJ of his own. When he came back, his stuff looked better than ever, but his control was erratic. He also has much more reliever risk than Sykora.
Travis Sykora should be in the 2-4 range on the Nats prospect list. Eli Willits is the clear number one for me, but Sykora, Harry Ford and Jarlin Susana are all in the same tier. Of those three, Sykora still has the best chance of being a truly impactful player. It is easy to see him becoming a top of the rotation arm. Susana has relief risk and injury concerns of his own, while Ford has a lower ceiling.
Ranking a pitcher who won’t pitch next season is a tough exercise because of the uncertainty. Sykora is missing a lot of time to develop and it is no guarantee that he comes back the same. Most guys come back from their first TJ fine, but it is still not 100%. When Sykora does come back in 2027, he will also be on an innings limit.
The next time we are likely to see Sykora totally unleashed is 2028. He may get a taste of big league action in 2027, but he is not likely to be a full time MLB player until 2028. This surgery really pushes back his timeline and drops his stock. However, it is important not to overreact as well. A healthy Travis Sykora can still be an ace, and there are not many arms like that in the Minor Leagues.
