1-22: RHP Cade Cavalli, Oklahoma
2-55: RHP Cole Henry, Louisiana State
2C-71: SS Sammy Infante, Monsignor Pace HS (FL)
3-94: RHP Holden Powell, UCLA
4-123: C Brady Lindsly, Oklahoma
5-153: LHP Mitchell Parker, San Jacinto CC (TX)
The Nationals' draft brand is hard throwing college pitchers with upside, and they nabbed exactly that with their first two picks. They're also usually one to bite early on college relievers, and they did that in the third round with Holden Powell. In all, this draft class had a distinctly Nationals feel to it with four college arms in six picks, and I think they could get some interesting value out of it. My personal favorite pick of the draft was second rounder Cole Henry, though I could see compensation pick Sammy Infante being a real sleeper in this class.
Full index of team reviews here.
1-22: RHP Cade Cavalli, Oklahoma (my rank: 24)
This is about as on-brand as it gets between a player and a drafting team. Cade Cavalli was a well-known draft prospect at Bixby High School in the Tulsa area in 2017, but he wound up down the road at Oklahoma instead, where he's had a bit of a bumpy ride. Watch him throw a bullpen, though, and you'd be convinced you were seeing a top ten arm. Cavalli has a premium pitcher's body at 6'4", and an exceptionally clean, repeatable delivery. From there, he fires mid 90's fastballs that can climb as high as 98, and he adds two potentially plus breaking balls in a power slider and a downer curveball. He rounds his arsenal off with a solid changeup, and he throws strikes with all four pitches. So how was he available for the Nationals at pick #22? Through three years at Oklahoma, he's an unimpressive 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP, and a 114/53 strikeout to walk ratio over 101.1 innings. He's consistently been hit harder than his stuff says he should be – earlier in his college career, that was because he tended to fall behind in the count and his stuff played down in hitter's counts. As he's progressed, he's filled up the zone more, but his control (ability to throw strikes) remains ahead of his command (ability to hit spots within the zone), and that's led to some too-hittable pitches over the plate. He's trending in the right direction with his command, and that shot him up boards this spring (he struck out 37 to just five walks in 23.2 innings against a tough schedule), but questions still remain about how his stuff will play in pro ball. He doesn't get much deception in that clean delivery, and his fastball can be almost too true, with better hitters being able to square up velocity when it's that straight. The Nationals will have to work with Cavalli to help keep hitters more off balance, but the upside here is tremendous with a full arsenal of deadly weapons to use against hitters coming from a very durable frame (though he has missed time with back problems and a stress reaction in his arm). He signed for $3.03 million, full slot value for the 22nd pick. Pre-draft profile here.
2-55: RHP Cole Henry, Louisiana State (my rank: 44)
Another perfectly on-brand pick for the Nationals. Cole Henry, like Cavalli, was a well-known prospect at Florence High School in northern Alabama, earning top three rounds consideration in 2018. He ended up at LSU instead, and the numbers have been great in his short time there: 3.03 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 95/24 K/BB in 77.1 IP against a tough schedule. He throws a low to mid 90's fastball that he can run up to 97, adding in a power curveball that can look like a true plus pitch with great depth down in the zone. He rounds out his arsenal with a decent changeup, one he has made progress on since high school but which still has a bit further to go. The 6'4" right hander has smoothed out his delivery in college and has been better about repeating it, but there are still times where he loses his arm slot and the Nationals will want to keep him going the trajectory he's on. Right now, like with Cavalli, the control is ahead of the command, but he's trending in the right direction there too. Henry has true impact starter potential due to his size and having two plus pitches, though if he doesn't continue to make the progress he has been making, there is some reliever risk. He would fit well there, but the Nationals are banking on him remaining a starting pitcher, which he definitely has the talent to do. I really like the pick, even if they spent $2 million ($690,000 above slot) to keep him from heading back to Baton Rouge for his junior year. As a draft eligible sophomore who turns 21 in July, he's almost a year younger than Cavalli, who is relatively old for a college junior and turns 22 in August. Pre-draft profile here.
2C-71: SS Sammy Infante, Monsignor Pace HS, FL (my rank: 151)
This pick surprised some, and even though I ranked him 80 spots lower on my list, I'm willing to get on board with it. The Nationals develop this type of player very well – in fact, I actually think they develop young hitters better than pitchers. A product of Monsignor Edward Pace High School in Miami, Sammy Infante has been up and down throughout his prep career, but the shortened spring was definitely an "up" for him. He shows solid power from a nice, leveraged right handed swing, one that produces a lot of force while still staying under control. With added physical development onto his 6'1" frame, you can see Infante hitting for above average power down the line, and while he does show some swing and miss, he was making more consistent contact this spring. Defensively, he'll need to work to stick at shortstop, but he could be above average at third base if he moved over there. Considering that this pick was compensation for losing Anthony Rendon, that would be a nice coincidence if he took over long term there. He's a little old for a high schooler, having turned 19 a few days before I released this article, which does matter. Still, with the upside of a 20 home run bat who can produce solid on-base percentages and net-positive infield defense, the Nationals like what they're getting at the 71st overall pick, and I think he fits in well with the organization. He signed for $1 million, which was $115,800 above slot value.
3-94: RHP Holden Powell, UCLA (my rank: 134)
Judging by the draft ranking, it might appear that I prefer this Holden Powell pick to the Sammy Infante pick. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work like that, because Infante's upside requires more imagination and I can get behind it with the confidence the Nationals are showing, while Powell's upside is very clear. The UCLA closer is strictly a reliever going forward, though he has quite the track record for the Bruins; since the start of the 2019 season, he has a 1.54 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, and an 85/29 strikeout to walk ratio over 58.1 innings, saving 20 games. In 2020 alone, he struck out 20 of the 35 batters he faced and allowed just five to reach base. The 6' righty from the Central Valley town of Visalia throws a low to mid 90's fastball that tops out at 96, and it plays up because he has a little bit of funk in his delivery. The slider is his out pitch, sitting anywhere from the low to mid 80's and playing up because he can really manipulate its shape and spot it. Sometimes, it can be a softer with more depth, and others it can be sharper with more bite, but either way it's intentional. His command has progressed from decent as an underclassman to above average as a junior, at least in the small sample size. It's all a great and enticing package, but I'm very skeptical of college relievers. You're supposedly buying them for the floor, for the safe bet/right now product they provide rather than the upside, but from Tyler Jay to Zack Burdi to Durbin Feltman, that "safe bet" has proven to be a little bit of an illusion. I'd much prefer to target starters later in the draft, throw them in the bullpen, and see if they take a step forward. That said, Powell does have a very good right-now product, and even though he's young for the class and won't turn 21 until September, he could move relatively quickly. He signed for $500,000, which was $118,200 below slot and just about paid for Sammy Infante's over slot bonus.
4-123: C Brady Lindsly, Oklahoma (unranked)
This pick killed three birds with one stone, as it saved the Nationals significant bonus pool space, reunited first round pick Cade Cavalli with his college catcher, and gave the Nationals a nice prospect. The Fort Worth-area native has been a decent hitter for four years at Oklahoma, slashing .275/.360/.420 with ten home runs and a 112/60 strikeout to walk ratio over 148 games. He's an average hitter that makes pretty consistent contact, adding in a little bit of pop but nothing that will wow anybody. He does work the strike zone pretty well, as you would expect from a catcher. The calling card is his defense, where he is above average and should have no trouble staying behind the plate. He must have gotten a glowing recommendation from Cavalli, and I'd expect that the two work really well together, which should help Cavalli reach his lofty ceiling. Otherwise, Lindsly profiles pretty clearly as a backup catcher, as he'll likely never hit enough to start but his defense could carry him up to a reserve role. He signed for $20,000, saving the Nationals $444,500 in bonus pool space.
5-153: LHP Mitchell Parker, San Jacinto CC (unranked)
A well known name from a pitching staff that also included Nationals 2019 first rounder Jackson Rutledge and Cubs 2020 fourth rounder Luke Little, Parker has been an absolute force to be reckoned with on the JUCO circuit, going 11-0 with a 1.43 ERA and a 175/63 strikeout to walk ratio over 94.2 innings at San Jac. His 64 strikeouts this year not only led all JUCO pitchers, but would have been enough to lead Division I or Division III as well, and enough for second place in Division II just behind Francis Marion's Josh Bobrowski and his 65 strikeouts. The Albuquerque native is a 6'4" lefty that sits in the low 90's with his fastball and adds a big, looping curveball with great depth in addition to a solid splitter. His command is average if perhaps a tick below, but his pitches play up due to high spin rates and some interesting arm action where he pauses mid-delivery. Going forward, he'll have to be careful not to show too much of his grip during that pause. There is some projection left in his frame, so you can imagine him adding a tick or two of velocity, which will likely be the difference as to whether he sticks in the rotation or is forced to the bullpen. As with Cavalli, the Nationals actually signed his catcher, Raymond Torres Jr., out of San Jac as well, so that's interesting. It took $100,000 to sign him away from a Kentucky commitment, which was $246,800 below slot.
Undrafted: 1B Jackson Coutts, Rhode Island (unranked)
Among active major leaguers from the Eastern United States, Coutts could have the northernmost hometown of anybody if he makes it that far. Hailing from Orono, Maine, Coutts played college ball some five hours to the south at Rhode Island (imagine heading five hours south to Rhode Island), where he was having a huge breakout year as a junior with four home runs and a .451/.525/.824 slash line over 13 games. He also held his own in the elite Cape Cod League by hitting .309, but his power didn't quite show up there with just four extra base hits (no home runs) in 30 games. Coutts is a big dude at a listed 6'3" and 230 pounds, and as a first baseman only (who could perhaps handle left field if needed), he'll need to tap that power in pro ball. The Nationals like the upside here and are all in on the bat, as he does a great job of keeping his strikeouts down for a power hitter and he could be a valuable platoon guy down the line.
Undrafted: IF Gio Diaz, St. Mary's (unranked)
Diaz, a Northern California native, was off to a hot start this year for St. Mary's College, slashing .396/.442/.417 with just two strikeouts in 13 games. A bit undersized at 5'11", he's more of a slap hitter than anything else, but he struck out just 37 times in 100 career games, showing elite bat to ball skills at minimum. He profiles as a utility infielder because it's unlikely he'll ever get to even average power – he had just 16 extra base hits during his time in Moraga, all doubles.
Undrafted: 2B Brian Klein, Texas Tech (unranked)
Klein comes from the same hometown of Keller, Texas (in the Fort Worth area) as fourth rounder Brady Lindsly, and he joins the Nationals after a very successful career at Texas Tech: ten home runs, .318/.408/.465, 106/102 K/BB in 171 games. He was off to the best start of his career in 2020, slashing .391/.494/.580 in 19 games. The 5'11" infielder won't wow anybody with tools, but he's a very steady player who is a consistent performer on both sides of the ball. That's a pretty clear utility infield profile to me.
Undrafted: C Raymond Torres Jr., San Jacinto CC, TX (unranked)
Torres caught Mitchell Parker at San Jacinto this year, where he was off to a hot start by slashing .444/.528/.667 across 13 games, including two four hit performances. However, according to an article in The Charlotte Observer, Torres does come with some significant makeup questions. He was a potential top five rounds pick at the IMG Academy in Florida, but he left the school amid work ethic questions and was suspended from the Providence High School baseball team shortly after returning to his hometown of Charlotte. Committed to play at LSU, he didn't have the grades to get into the school and wound up at San Jac. Parker has spoken positively about his growth as a player, but questions certainly remain as to whether he can get out of his own way. If he does grow up a little bit, there is significant ceiling here as a big league catcher.
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