Wake me up in 2014 when the Washington Nationals might finally contend.
After adding Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper the last two years, the Nationals’ youth movement continued on Monday by adding three of the top 34 picks in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. It’s time to dream that one day this group will lift a short-lived local franchise into respectability.
Not picking first for the first time in three years, the Nats took Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon sixth overall, Kentucky right-handed pitcher Alex Meyer 23rd and Miami Dade outfielder Brian Goodwin 34th. An infielder, outfielder and pitcher — a nice spreading around the diamond for a team that can always use a little of everything.
Rendon appears the gem of the trio. He was named the nation’s top amateur player last season and has the average and power to be the type of hitter the Nats hoped free agent Adam LaRoche would become.
Meyer at least looks like the next Randy Johnson — a 6-foot-9 behemoth with a 100 mph fastball that averaged more than one strikeout per inning. Wildness tainted his overall effectiveness, but maybe Crash Davis can work with him in Harrisburg.
Goodwin could be a solid left-handed bat in an outfield that persistently needs refilling. The Nats run through outfielders like politicians slice through campaign coffers.
The Nats already have young talent in Ryan Zimmerman, Danny Espinosa, Michael Morse and Ian Desmond, plus a bevy of arms like Jordan Zimmermann and Drew Storen. The problem is the minors is still pretty bare. The Nats’ top-10 prospects after Harper remain mostly unproven.
But the latest draft provides hope that this losing team is moving forward. Strasburg will return to the mound this summer after Tommy John surgery. His recovery means everything to the franchise.
Still, Strasburg will only pitch 200-plus innings when returning. Harper will one day play every inning. That the 18-year-old blew a kiss to a pitcher after hitting a home run on Monday shows why he’s a couple years away. He needs maturing on the farm because that rookie move will result in a few pitches in his ear if done in the majors.
Harper’s batting .342 with 14 homers at Hagerstown, but it’s still only Single-A ball. Next year will foretell his major league timetable.
The Nats have preached patience since arriving from Montreal in 2005. It has taken some tolerance by fans after consecutive 100-plus loss seasons and nearly 300 defeats over three years.
Now Washington seeks a little more time. Hopefully, these youngsters can finally move the Nats into contention. Otherwise, there will be more losing seasons to come.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
