Washington had the sixth pick after two years at No. 1
It has been a while since the Nationals last wondered whom they would select in Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft.
With the No. 1 pick in 2009 and 2010 and two of the greatest prospects of the draft era staring him in the face, it really wasn’t hard for Washington general manager Mike Rizzo to pull the trigger on right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg or high school catcher/outfielder Bryce Harper. Both players quickly proved equal to the hype.
This time, however, the Nats must wait. With five teams in front of it during Monday’s first round, Washington doesn’t simply get to choose its favorite. But by several scouts’ accounts, there are six prospects who have separated from the pack in one of the deepest drafts in years. If the front office agrees with that assessment, then at least one will be there when it’s the Nats’ turn to pick. Rizzo and his staff have three selections among the first 34. Few teams are as well-positioned. Only Tampa Bay (Nos. 24, 31, 32) has as many picks among the first 34. Arizona owns Nos. 3 and 7.
| MLB draft notes |
| » Major League Baseball conducts the first and sandwich rounds of its annual First-Year Player Draft on Monday at 7 p.m. Rounds 2-30 are set for Tuesday, and the draft concludes with rounds 31-50 on Wednesday. |
| » The Nationals pick sixth because they finished with the sport’s sixth-worst record in 2010. The No. 23 and No.?34 selections were awarded as compensation when the Chicago White Sox signed away Washington first baseman Adam Dunn in the offseason. |
| » The Nats lost a pick of their own after signing free agent outfielder Jayson Werth in December from Philadelphia. The Phillies’ compensation was Washington’s second-round pick, No. 66 overall. |
“It’s a little bit different draft for us because we have multiple first-round picks,” Rizzo told Washington Examiner columnist Thom Loverro on his ESPN 980 radio show last month. “We pick this year, fortunately enough, in a terrifically deep draft. So we’re extremely excited about that. Our guys have been beating the bushes and the highways all year preparing for this thing.”
But who will be left on the board at No. 6? There are plenty of options. If Rizzo wants a pitcher, he can choose UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole, whose electric stuff has had scouts buzzing for three years. Dylan Bundy is a dynamic high school right-hander from Oklahoma. Built like Washington’s own Jordan Zimmermann, he could move more quickly through a farm system than most prep pitchers.
Looking for a lefty? Danny Hultzen is a local kid from St. Albans and the University of Virginia who owned the ACC — college baseball’s best conference — this season. He doesn’t have the ceiling of the other pitchers but could be in the big leagues for good by next summer. UCLA right-hander Trevor Bauer scares some teams with his unorthodox delivery and training regimen. But no one — not even teammate Cole — dominated college baseball like Bauer did this season. He is a strikeout machine.
Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon is an elite hitter but tore ankle ligaments last summer and has dealt with a nagging shoulder injury. The last of the top six is right out of central casting. The Nats need a center fielder. Kansas high school outfielder Bubba Starling is the best athlete in the draft, a 6-foot-4, 180-pounder who also has a scholarship to play quarterback at Nebraska. That gives agent Scott Boras plenty of leverage when it comes to signing a contract before the Aug. 15 deadline. But Washington successfully dealt with Boras in the Strasburg and Harper negotiations.
