“The Battle of the Beltways” could become a whole lot more interesting in a few years.

The Washington Nationals won the draft lottery Tuesday at the winter meetings and earned the top pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, and with it, they could choose who many consider to be the top prospect available: Ethan Holliday.

Holliday, of course, is the younger brother of Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday, himself a No. 1 overall pick in 2022. The Beltway Series between Baltimore and Washington is just about the tamest rivalry in baseball, but for former All-Star and dad Matt Holliday and the rest of the family, it has the potential to be the most intense four-game span on the calendar each summer.

Ethan is considered the top prospect in the upcoming draft, per MLB Pipeline. The latest Baseball America standings list Ethan at No. 2.

The scouting reports indicate Ethan, who attends Stillwater High School in Oklahoma and committed (and likely won’t attend) his uncle’s Oklahoma State, is built more like his father than brother. He’s a left-handed batter with power and plays shortstop well, although Baseball America ponders whether Ethan will slot into the corner outfield in the future.

Brad Ciolek, the Nationals’ senior director of amateur scouting, already knows the Holliday family well. He ran Baltimore’s draft operations when the Orioles chose Jackson in 2022, and now he could snag the other brother.

Jackson Holliday rose rapidly through the minor leagues to debut this year for Baltimore, and while he hasn’t found a rhythm at the plate in the majors yet, the Orioles expect him to compete for a starting place in their infield once again this spring. Perhaps Ethan Holliday will be another fast riser through the ranks, joining Washington’s rebuilding MLB squad in a year or two.

Ethan and Jackson Holliday have competed their whole lives — in the batting cage or on the pickleball court. If there’s a winner and loser, they’re eager to battle it out.

“I’ve always tried to push Ethan, because he’s super, ultratalented,” Jackson Holliday said in March. “It’s pretty fun. It’s probably the most competitive thing he’ll do until he gets to minor league baseball; the high school season will probably be pretty easy for him.”

The path to the majors could begin shortly. And if the Nationals choose him, they’ll eventually be about an hour apart — depending on that notorious I-95 traffic.