The Nats were thrilled with their first three picks in the MLB First-Year Player Draft on Monday night. But after forfeiting their second-round pick for signing outfielder Jayson Werth, their second day of drafting didn’t begin until pick No. 96.
After waiting that long the team rolled the dice with its third-round pick, selecting Texas Christian left-handed pitcher Matt Purke. A 6-foot-4, 180-pounder, Purke entered the college baseball season as a legitimate candidate to go in the top 10, if not higher. But a left shoulder injury robbed him of velocity this spring. According to Baseball America, Purke left an April 16 start against San Diego State after his fastball dropped to 82 miles=per-hour in the fifth inning. He was eventually diagnosed with shoulder bursitis by Dr. James Andrews.
Purke was actually the 14th overall pick by the Texas Rangers in the 2009 draft out of high school. But he signed to an over-slot contract worth $6 million and Major League Baseball – which was in charge of the team’s finances then as owner Tom Hicks went into bankruptcy – refused to endorse the deal. So Purke had to go to college, instead. He had a brilliant freshman campaign with the Horned Frogs, leading them to the College World Series. He was 16-0 with a 3.02 ERA and Baseball American named him freshman of the year. A back injury last summer left him on the sidelines, but he wasn’t the same when he returned this spring with TCU as his velocity dipped into the low-to-mid 80s at times. Still went 5-1 with a 1.71 ERA in 11 appearances for TCU. Pitched 52 2/3 innings and opposing batters hit at just a .187 clip against Purke.
Purke was actually summer league teammates with Washington’s No. 1 draft pick, Anthony Rendon, who is also from the Houston area. The two are a year apart in age, but knew each other a little bit in high school. Rendon stayed home and went to Rice University while Purke chose TCU, which is in Fort Worth, after his deal with the Rangers fell apart.
“He’s from [Klein High in Spring, Texas], which is just in a suburb outside of Houston on the opposite side of where I’m from. We played on the Houston Heat together,” Rendon said. “He’s a great kid. I enjoyed his company. We went on a road trip together. I think we traveled to Louisiana for a summer-league tournament in high school. He’s a good pitcher. He’s a great guy. He’s a great kid. I hope everything goes well for him.”
No idea if Purke would sign now. The Nats will have to take another risk and make it worth Purke’s time. He is a draft-eligible sophomore and so could return to school and rebuild his draft value. Or – if healthy – he could go to a summer league and prove he’s okay before negotiations conclude on Aug. 15. We’ll see how high Washington is willing to go for a kid who is absolutely a top talent.
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