The Washington Nationals Conclude 2019 First-Year Player Draft

The Nats selected 39 players in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft: 13 right-handed pitchers, six left-handed pitchers, two outfielders, 14 infielders and four catchers. Of Washington’s 39 selections, 24 came from four-year universities, seven from junior colleges and eight from the high school ranks.

The Nationals had the no. 17 pick and took Jackson Rutledge, a pitcher out of San Jacinto College, a public communtiy college in Texas. Rutledge is big, as he is listed as being 6’8″ and 245 lb., and throws hard, as he has per MLB Pipeline’s scouting report a fastball velocity that hovers from 94-97 and can touch 99 miles per hour.

In 2019, Rutledge was phenomenal. He allowed just eight earned runs over 82 2/3 innings with 134 strikeouts over 13 starts. His 0.87 ERA led all of NJCAA Division 1, and his 14.59 K/9 ranked sixth. He tossed four complete games, including two shutouts. He allowed just one home run. He issued just 30 walks. For his efforts in 2019, Rutledge was named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, presented by USA Baseball to the top amateur baseball player in America. He is the only 2019 semifinalist from a Junior College and is just the fourth Junior College player to be named a semifinalist in the award’s history.

Rutledge entered the 2019 First-Year Player draft rated by Baseball America as the no. 14 draft prospect and by MLBPipeline.com as the no. 12 draft prospect. He was considered the no. 3 pitching prospect in the Draft by MLBPipeline.com, while Baseball America had him as the no. 4 pitcher and the second-best right-handed pitching prospect.

Rutledge began his collegiate career at the University of Arkansas, posting a 3.45 ERA (six earned runs in 15 2/3 innings) over 12 games, including three starts, for the Razorbacks in 2018. But he suffered a torn hip labrum and was left off the Razorbacks’ postseason roster. The injury required surgery, and he ultimately transferred to San Jacinto

With their 2nd pick they selected 3B Drew Mendoza with the 94th overall pick in 3rd Round out of Florida State. He’s a 6’5’’, 230 lb. left-handed hitting infielder, Mendoza put up a .320/.482/.631 line for the Seminoles, with 12 doubles, 16 home runs, 65 walks, and 67 Ks in 60 games this season. “It is power and more power, it’s definitely there,” MLB’s Jonathan Mayo said on MLB.com, “…he draws walks, which helps, but there’s a lot of swing and miss. He kind of had an up and down year this year, this is a guy that was a solid high school prospect, but he had a strong commitment to Florida State.”

The Nats 3rd pick of the 2019 MLB Draft, they selected reliever Matt Cronin, 123rd overall out of Arkansas. He’s 21-years-old and was strictly a reliever for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, saving 12 games while posting a 2.00 ERA, 14 walks, 40 Ks, and a .163 BAA in 27 innings pitched in 2019. “This is a guy who is a pure reliever,” said MLB.com’s Jim Callis, “a 92-96 MPH fastball gets tremendous carry up in the strike zone, it’s one of those fastballs that seems like it rises, and then when you’re trying to deal with that, he has an over-the-top curveball, that could be a true hammer, in the mid-to-upper 70s…”.

As for the full Nationals 2019 First-Year Player Draft Class…

RD         PICK     PLAYER                           POS      B/T        HT              WT        DOB                    SCHOOL

1            17          Jackson Rutledge            RHP      R/R        6-8            245        4/1/1999             San Jacinto College North (TX)

3            94          Drew Mendoza                 3B         L/R        6-5            225        10/10/1997         Florida State University

4            123        Matt Cronin                       LHP       L/L         6-2            195        9/20/1997           University of Arkansas

5            153        Tyler Dyson                      RHP      R/R        6-3            210        12/24/1997         University of Florida

6            183        Jackson Cluff                   SS         L/R        6-0            185        12/3/1996           Brigham Young University

7            213        Todd Peterson                 RHP      R/R        6-5            230        1/2/1998             Louisiana State University

8            243        Jeremy Ydens                  OF         R/R        6-2            200        7/3/1997             University of Calif.-Los Angeles

9            273        Hunter McMahon             RHP      R/R        6-3            185        4/9/1998             Texas State University

10          303        Andrew Pratt                    C           R/R        6-3            225        7/24/1996           Lubbock Christian University (TX)

11          333        J.T. Arruda                       SS         L/R        5-10          180        10/20/1997         Fresno State University (CA)

12          363        Orlando Ribalta                RHP      R/R        6-7            245        3/5/1998             Miami Dade CC (FL)

13          393        Jake Randa                      OF         L/L         6-1            195        12/14/1998         Northwest Florida State College

14          423        Lucas Knowles                 LHP       L/L         6-1            175        3/14/1998           Central Arizona College

15          453        Davis Moore                     RHP      R/R        6-4            220        3/4/1998             Fresno State University (CA)

16          483        Junior Martina                  SS         R/R        5-11          190        12/12/1997         Western Oklahoma State College

17          513        Amos Willingham             RHP      R/R        6-4            217        8/21/1998           Georgia Tech

18          543        Mason Doolittle                C           R/R        6-4            210        7/101998            Palm Beach CC (FL)

19          573        Tyler Yankowsky              RHP      L/R        6-6            225        5/28/1998           Millersville University (PA)

20          603        Jack Dunn                        SS         R/R        6-2            185        9/5/1996             Northwestern University (IL)

21          633        Kevin Strohschein            1B         R/R        6-1            215        9/25/1997           Tennessee Tech University

22          663        Allan Berrios                     C           R/R        5-10          168        7/9/1997             Western Oklahoma State College

23          693        Michael Cuevas               RHP      R/R        6-2            150        6/29/2001           William J. Brennan HS (TX)

24          723        Jake Alu                           2B         L/R        5-10          175        4/6/1997             Boston College

25          753        Parker Quinn                    1B         R/R        6-4            195        7/19/1996           Hofstra University (NY)

26          783        Dupree Hart                      2B         R/R        5-7            170        11/7/1996           College of Charleston (SC)

27          813        Jaylen Hubbard                3B         R/R        5-9            200        7/24/1996           Texas State University

28          843        Jordan Bocko                   RHP      R/R        5-11          195        1/10/1997           University of California-Irvine

29          873        Brandon Gonzales           SS         R/R        6-3            165        4/17/2001           James Madison HS (TX)

30          903        Troy Stainbrook                LHP       L/L         6-6            250        10/31/1996         Biola University (CA)

31          933        Brady Stover                    LHP       L/L         6-2            195        5/8/1998             South Dakota State

32          963        Dylan Beasley                  RHP      R/R        6-3            201        12/2/1997           Berry College (GA)

33          993        Cutter Clawson                LHP       L/L         6-1            200        12/29/2000         Laguna Beach (HS)

34          1023      Anthony Gomez               2B         R/R        6-1            185        10/02/1996         University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

35          1053      Bryce Osmond                 RHP      R/R        6-3            185        9/5/2000             Jenks HS (OK)

36          1083      Sam Wibbels                    RHP      R/R        6-1            200        10/28/2000         Hastings HS (NE)

37          1113      Trei Cruz                          SS         S/R        6-1            175        7/5/1998             Rice University (TX)

38          1143      Tyler LaRue                      C           R/R        6-1            220        7/12/2000           Blanco HS (TX)

39          1173      Jake Bennett                    LHP       L/L         6-5            225        12/2/2000           Bixby HS (OK)

40          1203      Jaden Brown                    SS         R/R        6-1            193        10/18/2001         St. Marcellinus SS (ON)

The Washington Nationals Conclude 2019 First-Year Player Draft  was originally published on theteam980.com