Sykora has a 2.51 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 101:22 K:BB through 16 starts (68 innings) for Single-A Frederickburg.
The right-hander, a third-round pick out of a Texas high school in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, didn't turn 20 years until late April, but he's been utterly dominant in his first pro campaign. Sykora has combined a fastball that sits 95-97 mph with a rapidly improving slider and splitter, and he's gotten stronger as the season has progressed -- he fired six perfect innings with 10 strikeouts against Carolina on Aug. 9, the first time in his career he'd worked more than five frames in a start. The Nationals won't push him up the ladder too quickly given his age, but a 2026 big-league debut isn't off the table if he continues developing at his current pace.