The Nationals drafted University of California second baseman Tony Renda with their second round draft pick on Tuesday, No. 80 overall. Renda stands just 5-foot-8, 173 pounds, but was the Pac-12 player of the year in 2011 as a sophomore and batted .342 as a junior with 16 doubles and five home runs. He was named a third-team TPX All-American.
“In our opinion, Tony has the quickest bat in the draft,” Washington scouting director Kris Kline said on the team’s official Twitter feed. “He has always hit. He brings controlled aggression and a strong, compact swing. He has tremendous makeup and is a great kid.”
Renda was joined later in the afternoon by a fellow Bay Area college product. In the third round the Nats selected Brett Mooneyham, No. 111 overall. A left-handed pitcher from Stanford, Mooneyham is a familiar name. They had previously drafted him last spring in the 38th round after he missed most of the 2011 season following surgery to repair a cut on his left middle finger. Mooneyham chose to return to collegeinstead of signing. He is 6-5, 215 pounds. His dad, Bill, played briefly for Oakland in 1986.
The stats aren’t overwhelming. Mooneyham had a 4.26 ERA as a fourth-year junior. In 14 starts, 82 1/3 innings, he struck out 90 batters and walked 37. Control is an issue. In addition to those walks he also hit 15 batters and had two wild pitches and two balks. You should see him this weekend in the NCAA Super Regional in Tallahassee, where the Cardinal faces Florida State in a best-of-three series. Stanford is 41-16 overall.
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