No. 39 pick Lomavita is latest to sign with Nats

The Nationals signed another one of their top draft picks today, coming to terms with Caleb Lomavita and giving the former Cal catcher a tour of the ballpark and a chance to take batting practice with big leaguers.

Lomavita, the 39th overall pick in this month’s draft, received a signing bonus of $2.325 million, according to a source familiar with the terms. That’s slightly below Major League Baseball’s recommended slot value of $2.4 million for that particular pick.

That the Nationals even found themselves holding the 39th pick was a last-minute surprise, with general manager Mike Rizzo acquiring it along with third base prospect Cayden Wallace from the Royals for reliever Hunter Harvey about 24 hours before the start of the July 14 draft. It was one of only a handful of draft picks eligible to be traded, officially a “Competitive Balance A” pick awarded to Kansas City because it is considered a low-revenue club.

Inside the Nats’ draft war room, scouts were ecstatic to suddenly have a third selection on the event’s opening night to go along with the previously assigned No. 10 and No. 44 overall picks.

Lomavita, 21, is considered a top offensive prospect whose catching skills developed significantly over the last few years in Berkeley. In 158 games across three seasons at Cal, the Hawaii native hit 38 homers with 141 RBIs and a .302/.369/.534 slash line while seeing his caught-stealing percentage improve from 19 percent as a sophomore to 23 percent as a junior.

He's the first catcher the Nationals have ever selected prior to the third round of the draft.

“It’s been a blast watching him since high school,” said Danny Haas, who just completed his first draft as the Nationals’ new vice president of amateur scouting. “He’s been consistent as a high-energy … somebody said warrior to me the other day. He’s gifted physically; obviously he’s very strong. But he will shock you with run times. He’s got a big arm. He shows up ready to play. … He’s pretty much everything we look for in a backstop.”

The gregarious Lomavita had a wide smile on his face throughout his afternoon at Nationals Park, touring the clubhouse, meeting players and manager Davey Martinez and then taking batting practice on the field before the team’s game against the Padres as his family watched from the warning track.

“For me and my family, it’s just taking everything in, enjoying every moment,” he said. “Because I’m not sure when I’m going to get all this fame and attention next. It’s been a great time for us.”

Lomavita will head to West Palm Beach, Fla., in the coming days to begin his professional career along with the Nationals’ other recent draft picks. They have now signed all of their top-10 picks, except for second-rounder Luke Dickerson. The high school shortstop from New Jersey is expected to agree to terms soon and also be introduced at Nationals Park.

For Lomavita, as exciting as these last 24 hours were, the prospect of returning to the field and embarking on his career is even more enticing.

“Oh, Lomo’s been itching,” he said with a laugh. “I can only stop playing baseball for so long. When I was younger, everything was year-round, especially in Hawaii. No bad weather. I think this is the longest stretch I’ve gone without playing baseball. So I’m excited to get on the field.”