Peter Flaherty III Lands Pro Scouting Job with Washington Nationals

Peter Flaherty III has joined the Washington Nationals as Northeast Area Supervisor for Amateur Acquisitions.

The 28-year-old Belmont native took the job earlier this year.

He spent the previous three years as a national writer and analyst at Baseball America.

In his new role, Flaherty will oversee evaluations of high school and college draft prospects in New England, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.

“You have to put together the puzzle and make sure you’re getting enough looks at guys to feel comfortable and confident in your assessment of them,” Flaherty said.

“And just be as thorough as you can.”

Flaherty grew up in Belmont, where he graduated from Belmont Hill in 2017.

He played varsity baseball there.

His former coach, Michael Grant, remembers Flaherty approaching him about talented players on opposing teams.

“He’s got a really good baseball mind and is super passionate about the sport,” said Grant, now Belmont Hill’s associate head of school and dean of faculty.

“He was just so passionate to know, and I think that was super distinctive about him.”

After high school, Flaherty attended the College of the Holy Cross.

He graduated in 2021 with a degree in political science.

His path into professional baseball went through the Cape Cod Baseball League, the most prestigious collegiate summer league in the country.

Flaherty started with the Cotuit Kettleers as a liaison with Major League Baseball.

He then became a general manager intern.

Eventually, he rose to director of baseball operations.

In his first season with Cotuit, Flaherty compiled scouting reports and advanced player metrics.

He also built relationships with MLB scouts who attended Cape League games.

Over the next six years, his responsibilities grew.

He took a lead role in assembling Cotuit’s roster alongside the team’s general manager and coaching staff.

Flaherty tracked college players from across the country, monitoring their regular seasons and performances in other summer leagues.

The rosters he helped build led the Cape Cod Baseball League in the number of players selected in the MLB draft in both 2021 and 2022.

Mike Roberts, Cotuit’s coach during that period, said he saw a “scout in the making” from the start.

“He embraced learning growing up and really showed a high level of what I call baseball IQ,” Roberts said.

“He may not have pitched or played center field at a high level, but he’s one of the few who I saw at his age where he had that understanding.”

The Nationals are not the only team making news this offseason.

Baseball America recently released an updated top-10 list of Washington Nationals prospects.

Eli Willits, the team’s first overall pick in the 2025 draft, was ranked the number-one prospect.

Willits posted a 17.7% walk rate in his first full professional season.

He hit 14 home runs, 27 doubles, and 8 triples in 114 games.

The 18-year-old also stole 62 bases.

Baseball America wrote that Willits is “tracking like an All-Star shortstop who could lead the league in stolen bases and runs.”

Another prospect, Samil Serrano, was ranked fifth on the list.

Serrano just turned 18 and was the Nationals’ biggest international signing this past year, inking a deal worth $1.97 million.

Meanwhile, the Nationals front office is also working on extensions for two of its established stars.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported that the team is expected to attempt to extend right fielder James Wood and infielder CJ Abrams this offseason.

Wood is a Rockville, Maryland native who could sign with his hometown team.

General manager Paul Toboni told 106.7 that he had dinner with Abrams in Atlanta this offseason to discuss the team’s vision for 2027.

The Nationals recently signed pitcher Cade Cavalli to a contract extension through 2030, with a team option for 2031.

Toboni has said the front office is open to listening to trade offers for its top players but is not actively shopping them.

For Flaherty, the new role puts him at the center of the team’s long-term talent pipeline.

His territory covers four states and includes some of the most competitive amateur baseball regions in the country.

The Cape Cod Baseball League, where Flaherty built his reputation, has produced hundreds of major league players.

Scouts from all 30 MLB teams attend Cape League games regularly.

The league’s wooden-bat format forces hitters to rely on contact and discipline rather than sheer power.

Flaherty’s experience evaluating players in that environment gave him a foundation for identifying professional talent.

His background as a writer and analyst at Baseball America also gave him a national perspective on the draft landscape.

Baseball America is widely regarded as the industry standard for prospect coverage and draft analysis.

Flaherty’s move from covering prospects to evaluating them represents a shift from observer to decision-maker.

The Nationals have been rebuilding their farm system over the past several seasons.

They selected Willits with the first overall pick in 2025.

They have also invested heavily in international signings like Serrano.

The team finished the 2026 season with a record of 76-86, fourth in the National League East.

Manager Blake Butera pointed to Abrams’ elevated play over the final six weeks of the season as reason to keep him at shortstop in 2027.

Whether Abrams sticks at shortstop or moves to second base remains a key question for spring training.

Flaherty will begin his scouting duties immediately, covering the Northeast region for the upcoming draft cycle.

The 2027 MLB Draft is scheduled for July.

High school and college seasons in the Northeast typically run from March through June.

Flaherty will need to evaluate players across multiple states during that window.

His former coach at Belmont Hill said Flaherty’s passion for the game was evident early on.

“He was just so passionate to know,” Grant said.

Flaherty’s father is also a Belmont native, making him a third-generation town resident.

The family has deep roots in the community.

Flaherty’s path from Belmont Hill to Holy Cross to the Cape Cod Baseball League to Baseball America to the Nationals is an unusual one.

Most professional scouts come from playing backgrounds at higher competitive levels.

Flaherty’s strength has always been his analytical approach and his ability to build relationships with players and coaches.

“You have to put together the puzzle,” he said.

That puzzle now includes scouting reports, advanced metrics, and in-person evaluations across four states.

The Nationals are betting that Flaherty’s eye for talent will help restock a farm system that already features several high-ceiling prospects.

Willits and Serrano represent the next wave of talent.