After a busy and exciting first day, the Nationals continue the 2024 MLB Draft with Rounds 3-10 this afternoon.
The Nats made three picks over the first two rounds last night: Shortstop Seaver King out of Wake Forest at No. 10 overall, catcher Caleb Lomavita out of Cal at No. 39 overall (the pick they received from the Royals as part of the Hunter Harvey trade) and shortstop Luke Dickerson from Morris Knolls (N.J.) High School at No. 44 overall.
“We were able to meet with all three guys at the Combine,” said new assistant director and national crosschecker of amateur scouting Reed Dunn over Zoom last night. “We were able to speak with all three during the year. And we really felt that we weren’t just getting three really good players, we were getting three really good people.”
The search for more good players and people continues today. The Nats will make eight picks Tuesday, starting with No. 79 overall in the third round. After the new draft lottery rules meant they couldn’t pick in the top 10 in the first round, all subsequent rounds are back to the traditional order of worst-to-first. So the Nats will pick fifth in each round for the remainder of the Draft.
This post will be updated throughout the day with the Nationals’ selections, so be sure to check back in!
Update: With their third-round pick, the Nats selected catcher Kevin Bazzell from Texas Tech.
Bazzell is the 55th-ranked prospect in this year’s draft, per MLB Pipeline. He didn’t start catching until his senior year of high school. After he went undrafted, he went to Dallas Baptist before transferring to Texas Tech.
The 21-year-old slashed .306/.401/.473 with 13 doubles, six home runs and 32 RBIs this season with the Red Raiders. He hit .330/.431/.530 in 112 games across two seasons at Texas Tech and ranked 11th in NCAA Division I with 24 doubles in 2023.
According to MLB Pipeline’s scouting report, Bazzell “repeatedly barrels balls with a controlled right-handed stroke and a disciplined, all-fields approach. He rarely swings and misses or chases pitches out of the strike zone.”
At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Bazzell is said to be an underrated athlete who also has the ability to play in any of the infield and outfield corner spots.
Jim Callis said on the MLB.com broadcast that he thinks Bazzell could be the best hitter of all the catchers in this year’s draft.
Bazzell is the second catcher the Nationals have selected through their first four picks after Lomavita became the first catcher they ever drafted prior to the third round last night.
The Nats selected left-hander Jackson Kent out of the University of Arizona with their fourth-round pick, No. 108 overall.
Kent was a two-sport standout in high school in Illinois while also playing wide receiver, quarterback and punter on the football team.
Kent was a reliever in college, but his strong performance as a starter in the Cape Cod League increased his draft status coming into this spring, as he was the Wildcats’ Friday night starter.
Kent went 3-4 with a 4.08 ERA, 1.279 WHIP, 89 strikeouts and 27 walks in 15 starts with Arizona. He was named First-Team All-Pac 12 and ranked seventh in the conference in strikeouts.
The 6-foot-3, 219-pound lefty attacks hitters with as many as five pitches. His fastball increased to touching 95 mph this spring. His best secondary pitch is his 55-grade changeup, which generates swings-and-misses and ground balls. He has a low-80s slider and a mid-70s curveball. While the slider misses more bats, he also uses a cutter that is similar to it.
Kent’s strike-throwing improved this year while he showed he has the kind of traits that teams covet in a left-handed starting pitcher.
Update II: The Nats selected shortstop Randal Diaz out of Indiana State University with their fifth-round pick (No. 141 overall).
Diaz slashed .360/.437/.632 with a 1.069 OPS, 55 runs scored, 15 doubles, 18 homers, 55 RBIs, seven stolen bases in nine attempts, 31 walks and 35 strikeouts in 59 games this season. While he played exclusively shortstop over the past two seasons, he also spent time at first and third base during his college career.
The 21-year-old is listed as 6-foot and 205 pounds. Originally from Puerto Rico, the right-handed hitter finished this season with a 32-game hitting streak and a 38-game on-base streak.
Diaz was not ranked in MLB Pipeline’s top 250 draft prospect list.
The Nats selected right-hander Davian Garcia from Florida Gulf Coast University with their sixth-round pick, No. 170 overall.
Garcia went 5-3 with a 3.03 ERA, 1.213 WHIP, three homers, 20 walks and 71 strikeouts in 59 ⅓ innings over 16 games, eight starts, during his only season at FGCU en route to being named First-Team All-Atlantic Sun. He started his college career at Flagler in 2022.
A native of Jacksonville, N.C., Garcia is listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds. Per MLB Pipeline, his best pitch is his fastball, which gets up to 98 mph with huge carry and spin. Garcia also was not ranked in MLB Pipeline’s top 250 draft prospect list.
Through the Nats’ first seven selections in this year’s draft, they have picked three shortstop, two catchers and two pitchers, working their way up the middle of the field. Six of the seven picks have been from the college ranks.
Update III: With their seventh-round pick at No. 200 overall, the Nats selected right-hander Robert Cranz out of Oklahoma State.
A transfer from Wichita State, he is listed at 6-foot-3 and 207 pounds. The 21-year-old went 2-1 with a 1.63 ERA, two saves, five homers, 12 walks, 59 strikeouts and a 0.765 WHIP in 49 ⅔ innings over 30 relief appearances with the Cowboys.
The Nats selected outfielder Sam Peterson out of Iowa with their eighth-round pick, No. 230 overall. Peterson is MLB Pipeline's No. 205 draft prospect in this class and was projected to go in the top five rounds.
At 6-foot and 200 pounds, Peterson slashed .333/.459/.571 with a 1.031 OPS, 47 runs scored, 11 doubles, two triples, five homers, 27 RBIs, 17 stolen bases in 18 attempts, 20 walks and 29 strikeouts in 33 games with the Hawkeyes.
The 21-year-old was first-team All-Big Ten this year. He improved his ability to make hard contact and his plate discipline from the right side throughout his career at Iowa.
Peterson is a plus runner with a 60-grade run tool. His quickness and instincts make him a huge basestealing threat. He played mostly left field in college, and with an arm grade of 45, he projects to play mostly left or center.
Update IV: The Nats selected third baseman Jackson Ross out of the University of Mississippi with their ninth-round pick, No. 260 overall.
Ross, listed at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, transferred from Florida Atlantic to Ole Miss before this season. One of the older players in the draft at 24, he slashed .280/.438/.492 with a .903 OPS, 52 runs, 11 doubles, 10 home runs, 49 RBIs, a perfect 5-for-5 stolen bases and 55 walks to just 46 strikeouts.
Although Ross was announced as a third baseman, he didn't play third this year for the Rebels. He was the only player to start all 56 games for the team, starting 35 games at first base, 12 in left field, five in right field and four as designated hitter. He was exclusively a third baseman in his two seasons at FAU.
With their final pick of the day, the Nats selected local product Luke Johnson out of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County with their 10th-round pick, No. 290 overall. He appears to have been a two-way player his first three years in college before exclusively pitching this year.
In 14 starts for the Retrievers, Johnson went 5-4 with a 4.82 ERA, 1.270 WHIP, seven homers, 22 walks, 81 strikeouts and eight hit batters over 80 ⅓ innings. But in two starts during the MLB Draft League, he went 2-0 and allowed one run, 10 hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over 11 ⅓ innings for a 0.79 ERA.
Over four collegiate seasons as a hitter, he slashed .244/.307/.378 with a .685 OPS, seven doubles, one triple, three homers, 24 RBIs, eight walks and 32 strikeouts in 113 games.
Johnson is a Lewes, Del., native and went to Cape Henlopen High School. His brother, Sam, plays baseball at Washington College. His father, Drew, played baseball at Maryland and professionally in the Orioles organization. His favorite professional sports team is the Washington Capitals.
Halfway through the draft, the Nats have selected three shortstops, two catchers, an outfielder, a third baseman and four pitchers (three righties and one lefty). Dickerson is the only high school player so far.
The draft resumes with Rounds 11-20 tomorrow at 2 p.m. I'll be back with another Draft Tracker for tomorrow's 10 picks then.