Draft tracker: Nats finish 2024 MLB Draft (final update)

The Nationals conclude the 2024 MLB Draft today with 10 selections.

Through their first 11 picks, the Nats have selected three shortstops, two catchers, an outfielder, a third baseman and four pitchers (three righties and one lefty). Shortstop Luke Dickerson, the second-round pick, is the only high school player so far.

Just like yesterday, this post will be updated throughout the afternoon, so be sure to check back in to read up on the Nats’ 2024 draft class.

Update: With their 11th-round pick (No. 320 overall), the Nats selected left-hander Merritt Beeker from Ball State.

Beeker, 22, transferred from East Carolina before his junior year at Ball State. This season he went 9-3 with a 4.11 ERA, 1.222 WHIP, nine home runs, 32 walks and 128 strikeouts (4:1 K/BB ratio) over 15 starts. His 128 strikeouts over 81 innings were good enough to rank seventh in Division I baseball and for a 14.2 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate.

The 6-foot-2, 198-pound southpaw pitched a complete game with only one hit, two walks and two hit-batters allowed while striking out 12 batters.

He was named MAC Pitcher of the Year for his efforts.

Beeker also participated in the Cape Cod League this summer, going 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA, 0.882 WHIP (five hits and five walks) and 10 strikeouts in 11 ⅓ innings over three appearances (one start).

The Nats selected right-hander Alexander Meckley out of Coastal Carolina University with their 12th-round pick (No. 350 overall). 

A transfer from Potomac State Junior College in West Virginia, Meckley went 4-4 with a 7.52 ERA, 1.538 WHIP, 12 home runs, 27 walks and 57 strikeouts in 52 ⅔ innings over 21 appearances (nine starts) in his lone season at Coastal.

Listed as 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, Meckley is Baseball America’s No. 421 ranked draft prospect. Per their scouting report, he “has a big arm with a fastball that sits 93-94 (mph) and touches 97 with riding life from a high release point. Meckley has a four- and two-seam variation on his fastball and will spin a low-80s slider and upper-70s curveball with more depth.”

Update II: With the 380th pick in the 13th round, the Nats selected left-hander Bryant Olson from Mercer.

Olson, 21, went 2-2 with a 6.41 ERA, 2.250 WHIP, two home runs, 29 walks and 39 strikeouts in 26 ⅔ innings over 23 relief appearances. He led the Southern Conference with eight saves.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound hurler was also a junior college transfer from Gordon State College.

The Nats selected right-hander Yoel Tejeda Jr. from Florida State University with their 14th-round pick, No. 410 overall.

Tejeda did what I can only assume is considered a sin by some in the Sunshine State and transferred from the University of Florida to FSU after his freshman season with the Gators. Not to mention, he was born in and grew up around Miami.

With the Seminoles as a sophomore, he went 1-2 with a 5.95 ERA, 2.085 WHIP, four homers, 17 walks and 15 strikeouts in 19 ⅔ innings over 13 appearances (two starts).

Now 21 years old and listed at 6-foot-8 and 215 pounds, Tejada was a 19th-round selection by the Pirates out of high school in 2022.

The Nationals have now selected five pitchers in a row, eight overall, all from the college ranks.

Update III: The Nats select catcher Sir Jamison Jones out of St. Rita High School (Illinois) with their 15th-round pick, No. 440 overall.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, he was the No. 6 high school prospect and No. 2 catcher in Illinois, per Perfect Game.

The 18-year-old is also Baseball America's No. 372 draft prospect: "Jones is one of the most physical players in the 2024 prep class and has tons of strength currently with a 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame. He can generate huge fly balls and has exciting power upside because of his massive strength, though he’ll need to refine his approach significantly and make more contact to fully tap into that raw power. His pitch recognition is inconsistent and he was also late against fastballs a bit too often. Jones has a big arm behind the plate, but he’ll need to work to stick behind the plate and might fit best as a first baseman. He’s a well below-average runner."

He has a commitment to Oklahoma State.

Jones is only the second prep player the Nats have taken through their first 15 picks.

The Nats selected another pitcher, left-hander Nolan Hughes out of Xavier, with their 16th-round pick, No. 470 overall.

A transfer from another Jesuit university, Fordham, Hughes went 5-3 with a 4.33 ERA, 1.896 WHIP, zero home runs allowed, 52 walks and 65 strikeouts in 35 ⅓ innings over 24 appearances (four starts) this season. He posted a 17 ⅔ scoreless innings streak over 12 appearances from late March to early May.

Hughes is listed at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds.

Update IV: The Nats selected another pitcher, left-hander Gavin Bruni out of Ohio State, with their 17th-round pick, No. 500 overall.

Bruni, 21, went 3-3 with a 6.19 ERA, 1.662 WHIP, nine homers, 42 walks and 54 strikeouts in 52 ⅓ innings over 13 appearances (12 starts) with the Buckeyes.

At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, he went 8-6 with a 5.73 ERA, 1.693 WHIP, 10.6 K/9, 7.3 BB/9 and 1.29 K/BB over three seasons at Ohio State.

Bruni is Baseball America’s No. 348 draft prospect: “Bruni was an arm-strength left-hander who was already touching 96 mph in high school, but also had real control questions. Three years later and he’s still largely that sort of pitcher. A 6-foot-3, 205-pound starter, Bruni sits around 90 mph with his fastball and will run it up to 95-96 with above-average carry on the pitch but below-average command. He mixes in a slider around 80 and a curveball in the mid-70s that both have solid spin. He has a low-80s changeup that he rarely throws and isn’t likely to be a big piece of his arsenal moving forward without significant improvement. Bruni has been a full-time starter for Ohio State, but likely projects as a reliever in pro ball thanks to a career walk rate around 17 percent.”

The Nats selected outfielder Teo Banks out of Tulane with their 18th-round pick, No. 530 overall.

Banks, 21, was originally drafted by the Cubs out of Permian High School in Odessa, Texas (yes, that Permian High School, where he also lettered three years for the football team) in the 12th round in 2021. Over the next three seasons at Tulane, he slashed .287/.380/.572 with a .952 OPS, 35 doubles, five triples, 34 home runs, 118 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.

He did have some strikeout issues in college, fanning 157 times compared to just 45 walks.

Banks hit .265 with a .923 OPS, 14 homers and 51 RBIs in 62 games with the Green Wave this year.

Update V: The Nats select right-hander Ryan Minckler out of Niagara University in New York with their 19th-round pick, No. 560 overall.

A native of Thailand, Minckler came to the United States as a sophomore in high school from the International School of Bangkok. After high school in New Hampshire, he attended the University of Virginia, but did not appear in any games for the Cavaliers.

Minckler then transferred to Niagara and went 5-11 with a 5.58 ERA with a 1.603 WHIP, 10 homers, 59 walks and 98 strikeouts in 34 games (13 starts) over two seasons. He went 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA, 0.786 WHIP, one homer, four walks and 18 strikeouts in 14 innings over three starts this summer in the New England Collegiate Baseball League.

And with their final pick of the 2024 MLB Draft, the Nats selected third baseman Colby Shelton out of the University of Florida in the 20th round (No. 590 overall).

A transfer from Alabama, Shelton slashed .254/.374..551 with a .925 OPS, 14 doubles, one triple, 20 homers, 56 RBIs, six stolen bases in eight attempts, 35 walks and 82 strikeouts in 66 games with the Gators.

The 21-year-old lefty bat hit .301 with a 1.149 OPS, 25 homers and 51 RBIs while being named a consensus Freshman All-American in his only year with the Crimson Tide. Now listed as 6-foot and 195 pounds, he tied Georgia’s Charlie Condon (this year’s third-overall pick by the Rockies) for the SEC single-season freshman home run record. He entered this season on the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Watch List.

Shelton was MLB Pipeline’s 133rd-ranked draft prospect: “Shelton's carrying tool remains the power in his left-handed bat. … He doesn’t have elite-level bat speed, but there’s at least average power for him to get to, and while the pop has shown up to an extent, the strikeout rate has hovered around the 25 percent he posted at Alabama. He does draw some walks to help offset it a little, but scouts are concerned about his ability to make enough contact to reach his power consistently. … Scouts feel his pushy arm that plays average is a touch short for the premium spot (shortstop) at the next level. He’s played third previously and some feel he’s best suited for second, where he could be an offensive-minded middle infielder with some thump.”

He was also Baseball America’s 64th ranked draft prospect: “Because of Shelton’s back-to-back 20-homer seasons in the Southeastern Conference, some scouts think he will hit for enough impact to profile as a bat-first infielder. A shortstop now, Shelton profiles better at either third base or second base thanks to just OK actions and quickness. He can throw from multiple angles nicely and has enough arm strength for the left side of the infield. He is a fringe-average runner. He fits anywhere from round two to four.”

The Nats finished the 2024 MLB Draft with 11 pitchers (six right-handers and five left-handers) and 10 position players: three catchers, two third basemen, three shortstops and two outfielders. They made only two picks out of high school (Dickerson and Jones) with the other 19 coming out of college.

The deadline to sign drafted players is Aug. 1 at 5 p.m.