Pick 8 – Washington Senators
Selection: SP Tony Saunders
The Washington Senators are a machine—well-built, well-run, and well ahead of schedule. They led the DBL in wins, only to see their season end abruptly at the hands of the eventual champions. It was a disappointing finish, but not a derailing one; this is a franchise built on stability, depth, and decisiveness.
And Washington wasted no time reminding the league of that decisiveness. The offseason opened with two bold moves: trading away a top-20 bat in Carl Everett—almost certainly a cost-containment decision—and moving a strong starter in Erik Hanson, likely age-related calculus. On paper, the Senators are still among the league’s elite. But even elite teams have cracks to fill. For Washington, those cracks are in the corner outfield and, more glaringly, the back of the rotation.
The organization freed considerable cap space with its early moves, and they’ll be aggressive. Bats will be available in free agency—good bats, at that. For example, if Cincinnati decies to not Eric Davis, he’ll be on Washington’s radar, guaranteed. So with hitting options plentiful, the Senators turn to the side of the market that’s always thinner, always pricier, always harder to fix: pitching.
And that leads them straight to Tony Saunders.
Saunders isn’t a perfect prospect. The control issues are real enough to scare off more conservative front offices. But Washington isn’t conservative—they’re confident. They know what their infrastructure can fix, and they know what traits can’t be taught. Saunders is a lefty with deception, toughness, and enough raw ability to grow into a mid-rotation threat. With so many arms flying off the board early, the Senators can’t afford to wait. They won’t.
More importantly, Saunders doesn’t need to be “the guy.” Not here. Not on a roster that already features Andy Pettitte, Livan Hernandez, and John Burkett. Washington just needs him to be solid, to be competitive, and to make opposing teams earn their runs at the back end of the rotation.
In other words: the perfect environment for a left-hander with control concerns and upside waiting to be unlocked.
This pick isn’t about panic. It’s about preparation. And if Washington wants to stay atop the standings, Tony Saunders is the type of arm they need to keep the machine humming.