The Nationals added talent and depth with picks from the fifth round through the 10th round Tuesday in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft. All of them came from the collegiate ranks.
From the fifth through seventh rounds, the Nationals went on a run for southpaws.
In the fifth round, the Nationals chose left-hander Taylor Hearn from Oklahoma Baptist University. Hearn went 9-0 with a 3.50 ERA in 15 games (13 starts) in 2015. He struck out 71 batters in 64 1/3 innings pitched. His nine wins ranked tied for third in the Sooner Athletic Conference, and he had 71 strikeouts.
In the sixth round, they went with another left-hander. The Nationals picked the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Pitcher of the Year, Matt Crownover, out of Clemson. He led the ACC with 10 wins and was second with an 1.82 ERA. He also had 108 punchouts.
The Nationals selected Nicholls (LA) State University left-handed pitcher Grant Borne with their seventh round pick. Borne led the Southland Conference with a 1.39 ERA and ranked fourth in the league in strikeouts (93). He went 6-5 in 15 starts.
The Nationals continued in the big conferences in the eighth round; they selected Big 12 Oklahoma State reliever Koda Glover. The right-hander had a 1.90 ERA in 23 appearances out of the bullpen in 2015. He struck out 28 against just seven walks.
In the ninth round, they nabbed the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year, University of Illinois first baseman David Kerian. He led the Big Ten with a .383 average, 13 homers, .661 slugging percentage and a .467 on-base percentage.
In the tenth round, the Nationals selected Taylor Guilbeau out of the University of Alabama. Guilbeau went 3-6 with a 3.69 ERA in 15 starts during his senior season for the Crimson Tide.
There is one more day of the draft. Over the first two days of the three-day draft, the Nationals have chose two right-handed pitchers, four left-handed pitchers, three outfielders and one infielder. So far, Blake Perkins is the only high school player, the rest were from four-year universities.
The Nationals' picks:
Round, Overnall pick number - Player - Position, Bats/Throws, Height, Weight, Date of Birth, School
Round 2, Pick 58 - Andrew Stevenson - OF, R/R, 6-0, 185, 6/1/94, Louisiana State University
Round 2, Pick 69 - Blake Perkins - OF, S/R, 6-1, 180, 9/10/96, Verrado (AZ) High School
Round 3, Pick 103 Rhett Wiseman - OF, L/R, 6-0, 190, 6/22/94, Vanderbilt (TN) University
Round 4, Pick 134 Mariano Rivera Jr. - RHP, R/R, 5-11, 155, 10/10/93, Iona (NY) College
Round 5, Pick 164 Taylor Hearn - LHP, L/L, 6-5, 210, 8/30/94, Oklahoma Baptist University
Round 6, Pick 194 Matt Crownover - LHP, R/L, 5-11, 205, 3/5/93, Clemson (SC) University
Round 7, Pick 224 Grant Borne - LHP, L/L, 6-5, 205, 4/6/94, Nicholls (LA) State University
Round 8, Pick 254 Koda Glover - RHP, R/R, 6-5, 225, 4/13/93, Oklahoma State University
Round 9, Pick 284 David Kerian - 1B, S/R, 6-3, 200, 2/9/93, University of Illinois
Round 10, Pick 314 Taylor Guilbeau - LHP, L/L, 6-4, 180, 5/12/93, University of Alabama
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