Sykora has been sitting 96-97 mph with his fastball in camp, Sam Dykstra of MLB.com reports.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander got an over-slot bonus after being selected 71st overall in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, and it's beginning to look like the Nationals made a very wise investment in buying him out of a commitment to the University of Texas. The extension he gets on his pitches makes him tough for batters to pick up, and he's shown improvement with his slider in camp while also having a potentially plus split-finger pitch in his arsenal. Sykora won't turn 20 years old until late April, but he could move through multiple levels of the system this year in his pro debut if his control and command can keep up with his raw stuff.