‘The team’
courtesy of ‘fishhawk’
While the Nationals toiled in San Francisco (a game they would lose 5-4 in 13 innings), the front office staff and general manager Mike Rizzo were busy in the war rooms at Nationals Park working out who they would take in the MLB Entry Draft yesterday.
The Nationals have enjoyed the first pick in each of the last two drafts, putting them in the position to take Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, two of the strongest draft picks that the sport has had to offer in a generation. The Nationals added 3B Anthony Rendon with the sixth pick in the draft after three years at Rice University where he hit .371 with 46 doubles, 52 homers and just under 200 RBI in 187 games. Rendon, whose 21st birthday was yesterday, is 6′, 190lbs and was considered to be a plus defender at third, though was quick to tell reporters he’d be happy to play anywhere, so long as it meant playing.
In addition, the Nationals had a pair of compensatory picks given to the club after the departure of Adam Dunn, and for their trouble, they took fireballer Alex Meyer in the 23rd position, and outfield Brian Goodwin in the 34th position.
Meyer is enormous, standing 6′ 9″ on the mound, reminiscent of former National Jon “Lurch” Rauch. Meyer went 7-5 with a 2.94 ERA in 14 starts last season in the competitive SEC, racking up 71 Ks in 73.1 innings. According to the club, he has a nasty almost-three-digit fastball, a slider and a change up all of which are rated plus.
Goodwin hit .382 with Miami Dade College last season, and posted a .492 OBP along with 16 steals for the school.
All three are represented by super agent Scott Boras. It is not known if the Nationals will get some sort of “bulk purchasing” deal.
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
