The Washington Nationals selected collegiate catcher Caleb Lomavita out of the University of California, Berkeley, with the No. 39 overall pick and prep shortstop Luke Dickerson from Morris Knolls (N.J.) High School with the No. 44 overall pick in the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Sunday. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Vice President, Amateur Scouting Danny Haas, Senior Director, Amateur Scouting Brad Ciolek, and Assistant Director and National Crosschecker, Amateur Scouting Reed Dunn made the announcements.
Lomavita, 21, hit .322 with 13 doubles, one triple, 15 home runs, 52 RBI, 12 walks, 12 stolen bases and 51 runs scored in 55 games in 2024. He posted a .395 on-base percentage, .586 slugging percentage and was one of eight catchers in NCAA Division I with 10 or more stolen bases and 10 or more home runs. His led his team with 133 total bases, which ranked fifth-most in the Pac-12.
The No. 18 draft prospect and top catching prospect according to Baseball America, Lomavita was a Dick Howser Trophy (top collegiate player) semifinalist, garnered First-Team All-Pac-12 and All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honors, and was named a Perfect Game Third-Team All-American following his junior season.
The five-foot-11, 200-pound right-handed hitter batted .316 with 13 doubles, 16 home runs, 43 RBI, nine stolen bases, 12 walks and 47 runs scored in 48 games as a sophomore in 2023. He recorded 17 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI performances on his way to All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention recognition.
As a freshman in 2022, Lomavita was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and was one of six true freshmen to earn a spot on the All-Pac-12 First Team after he hit .272 with 10 doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 46 RBI, 22 walks, 15 stolen bases and 37 runs scored.
A native of Honolulu, Lomavita graduated from the St. Louis School (Hawaii), where he was named Gatorade Hawaii Baseball Player of the Year in 2021. He led Saint Louis to the 2021 Interscholastic League of Hawaii title after hitting .400, with three home runs and a 1.71 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 28.2 innings pitched.
Dickerson was named the 2024 New Jersey High School Baseball Player of the Year after tying the state’s single-season home run record with 18 home runs, a record he now holds with Major Leaguer Mike Trout (Millville, N.J.) and Ashton Bardzell (Ramsey, N.J.).
An athletic six-foot, 185-pound right-handed hitter, Dickerson hit .466 with 10 doubles, 18 home runs, 45 RBI, 22 walks, 25 stolen bases and 57 runs scored in 33 games his senior season. He led Morris Knolls to back-to-back state baseball titles in 2023 and 2024 and also helped his high school ice hockey team to the 2024 NJSIAA state championship in 2024.
A native of Denville, N.J., Dickerson was named a High Honorable Mention All-American by Perfect Game. He was ranked the No. 49 draft prospect and No. 7 high school shortstop according to MLBPipeline.com and No. 56 overall prospect by Baseball America.