It was destiny. There were few who suggested the Nats may pass on Strasburg but they mostly were trying to add suspense to the biggest no-brainer since Lebron James went first overall to the Cleveland Cav’s in 2003.

The Nationals selected the six foot five righty out of San Diego State and in doing so may have marked a historic day, and perhaps a turning point in Washington Nationals history.

Strasburg comes to Washington after one of the most successful college career’s in history.

As a freshman Strasburg closed for San Diego State. In 25 games he recorded a 2.43 ERA with seven saves. In 37 innings he struck out 47 and walked only 15. This stellar performance from a relatively unknown, low-recruited talent peaked interest, and earned him the number one prospect rating from the New England Collegiate League.

His sophomore year he converted to a starter. In 13 starts he went 8-3 with a miniscule 1.57 ERA. In 97 innings he struck out 133 and walked an impeccable 16 batters. This performance earned him a spot both on the collegiate USA baseball team and the Olympic USA baseball team.

By the time his junior season surfaced he was far and away the top prospect in baseball, just three years after having gone undrafted out of high school. As a junior he went 11-0 with a 1.24 ERA. Strasburg struck out 164 batters in only 87 innings while surrendering only 17 walks.

But while his numbers are superior, what blows scouts away more are his abilities.

Strasburg fastball is blazing, often registering between 97-102 MPH throughout the game. What is so devastating about his fastball however isn’t that it is one of the fastest ever, but that it has movement, lots of it. Scouts always say that for every inch a baseball moves it may as well be going another five miles per hour faster because of the amount of time it takes for the batter to adjust.  This is the same reason Mariano Rivera’s 92 MPH fastball is so unhittable.

Strasburg also had the best curve in the draft. Dropping to 82 MPH his curve has huge slurve like movement that will not only keep hitters off balance but also whiffing at it’s deceptive motion.

He throws it from the same arm slot as his fastball and his low 90’s slider, which makes predicting what pitch is coming nearly impossible.

Strasburg also has in his arsenal a Major League ready change up that can be delivered in the high 70’s. It is, however, rarely seen as Strasburg’s primary pitches have been so dominant in college, he hasn’t needed to use it since the Olympics.

For the Nationals winning the most hyped prospect in history is both a blessing and a curse. Strasburg will have unprecedented demands in contract negotiations.

The Nationals can not afford to let Stasburg go unsigned however, he is the future of this team and the MLB.

Is he a guarantee? No, but scouts say baring injuries he is the closest thing to a lock prospect in the history of the game. Expect to see a lot of this guy in 2010.

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Draft day was intense, we tried to cover it the best we could. Later today will be our review of each pick taken yesterday, as well as updates on who the Nationals are taking today.

Thanks to all of you who followed the draft with The Nats Blog!

ESPN's Buster Olney gives his take on what's next for Stephen Strasburg (ESPN)

Mike Rizzo talks about the first two picks in the draft (Nationals Journal)

An in depth look at each pick in the first round (Baseball America)

A look at the best players still available on day two (Baseball America Blog)

Oh, the Nationals actually played yesterday too (Final)

UPDATED 11:30 DRAFT DAY

With pick number 81 the Nats make an odd move and select Trevor Holder, RHP, GA

Holder was a projected 10th round pick with a career ERA, and a senior ERA of over 4 runs a game. 

Updated 9:37 DRAFT DAY

With their second round pick the Nationals took Jeff Kobernus from the University of California.

Kobernus is not a prototypical second basemen as he is six foot two inches tall. This year for Cal he batted .341 with eight homers in 53 games. He stole 20 bases in 24 attempts. More in the write up tonight on this young talent.

UPDATED 7:45 DRAFT DAY

Chad Jenkins, a player the nationals were looking at heavily, gets picked by Toronto. A little later than some may have thought. Might he stay another year?

UPDATED 7:23 DRAFT DAY

Mixed reviews about Storen on the Baseball Prospectus Round Table. 

Kevin Goldstein thought it was a major overdraft, and that he can't be a closer, but that they may 'look smart' if they make him a starter.

Bryan Smith said he loves his sinker which he would rank as a 65 of the scouting scale. He also thinks he should be made a starter in 2010.

UPDATED 7:07 DRAFT DAY

Picked 9th by the Nationals in 2008, refused to sign, now drafted through 12th in 2009.

Aaron Crow, didn't get $4 million from the Nationals, wont get it from the Royals. 
 

UPDATED 6:59 DRAFT DAY

With the much anticipated 10th pick, the Nationals take Drew Storen. More to come later.
 

UPDATED 6:54 DRAFT DAY

Nationals on the clock for pick 10. Strasburg on the phone with MLB Network. Exciting 3 minutes coming up. 

The Nats pretty much have their pick of whoever they want, a lot of potential top 10 talent haven't been taken yet.

UPDATED 6:43 DRAFT DAY

Minor taken by the Braves, phew, from what I heard I wanted him nowhere near the Nationals. 

Best players on the board that the Nats might take:

Aaron Crow (yeah...right)
Tyler Matzek
Drew Storen
Grant Green
Alex White 

UPDATED 6:34 DRAFT DAY

The Baltimore Orioles take Matt Hobgood with the 5th overall pick. No mock drafts had him going in the top 10. 
 

He is a high school pitcher who did not report to demand a high signing bonus. Comparables are Brad Penny and Joba Chamberlin. 

UPDATED 6:29 DRAFT DAY

The Pirates take Tony Sanchez (Did Selig say Jorge Sanchez?) 

This was a draft day surprise but we've known about it for about an hour. It has a big impact because the two players who were projected to be taken in this slot early on were Grant Green and Aaron Crow.

Our brothers to the north, the Orioles, are on the clock. 

UPDATED 6:16 DRAFT DAY:

Stephen Strasburg is now a potential member of the Washington Nationals.
 

UPDATED 6:11 DRAFT DAY:

The guys over on the MLB Draft Round Table at Baseball Prospectus are all ripping on Mike Minor, a potential number 10 pick for the Nationals. Kevin Goldstein even went as far to say that he needed to add some velocity to be considered a low 90's pitcher. 

The Nationals are on the clock.

UPDATED 6:07 DRAFT DAY:

The reason for Aaron Crow's expected fall down the draft board is his expected demand  $4 million, the number he refused to bend on last year that caused the Nationals not to sign him. 

If he gets picked below the 10th pick its doubtful anyone will give him that kind of money.

UPDATED 5:50 PM DRAFT DAY:

Fantasy CPR just published their final mock draft. It too projects the Nationals to take Drew Storen from Stanford. 

Note: All recent mock drafts have Grant Green falling to at least the 10th pick for the Washington Nationals to consider, should the Nats take the talented shortstop? 

The MLB announced today that the deadline to sign draft picks has been moved from August 15th at midnight to August 17th at midnight.

Two more days to sign Strasburg!

Also, Aaron Crow's draft status continues to plummet on draft day. Not clear if there are any specific reasons why, but he is now also out of the Baseball America top 11. 

If the Nationals really wanted to, he would be available for them to take again. 

Baseball Prospectus Unfiltered has reported that Atlanta is looking to take Mike Minor with the 7th pick, meaning he wont be on the board for the Nats as they predicted.

Alex White however may still be available for the Nats with the 10th pick if Atlanta goes with Minor. 

Baseball Prospectus Mock Draft:

1.     Stephen Strasburg, RHP, SDSU-Nationals
2.     Dustin Ackley, OF/IB, UNC –Mariners
3.     Donavan Tate, OF, HS (GA) – Padres
4.     Grant Green, SS, USC – Pirates
5.     Tyler Matzek, LHP, HS (CA) – Orioles
6.     Zack Wheeler, RHP, HS (GA) – Giants
7.     Alex White, RHP, UNC – Braves
8.     Shelby Miller, RHP, HS (TX) – Reds
9.     Tanner Scheppers, RHP, St. Paul Saints-Tigers
10.   Mike Minor, LHP, Vanderbilt-Nationals

            To summarize (because its premium content), Baseball Prospectus thinks the rumors that the Nationals want to take a cheaper guy like Jenkins or Brad Jackson are false. They expect them to take the best pitcher on the board and in this case it’s Mike Minor. BP says they will hold out to see if Alex White falls to them, but his recent 11 K performance probably saved his top 10 status. They say the Nats motto is college and safe.

BP did an earlier article on Mike Minor saying he could fall anywhere from 3-15 in the draft. They attribute this to the fact that he doesn’t have top shelf talent, but is very likely to be a solid Major League contributor. “If you look at all of the pitchers (non-Strasburg category), and set the odds for most likely to win 100 games in the big leagues, Minor would be in the top three; if you set the odds for Cy Young awards, or All-Star games, or a more impressive total like 200 wins, he wouldn’t even be in the picture.”

Minor is a pitcher who will pound the zone with an average fastball mixed with a plus change up. His breaking balls are average but he has good command on them. He is almost a shoe in to be a solid Major League starter.

BP Ranks Mike Minor as the 27^th best prospect in terms of talent in the draft.

Baseball America Mock Draft:

1.     Nationals-Stephen Strasburg
2.     Mariners- Dustin Ackley
3.     Padres- Donovan Tate
4.     Pirates- Aaron Crow (This pick was updated in their blog to be Tony Sanchez)
5.     Orioles- Zack Wheeler
6.     Giants- Tyler Matzek
7.     Braves- Alex White
8.     Reds- Mike Minor
9.     Tigers- Rex Brothers
10. Nationals- Drew Storen

“Because this is a compensation pick unprotected going forward, Washington will make sure it has this player all but signed beforehand. In order, the Nationals are targeting Minor, Storen, Kennesaw State righthander Chad Jenkins and Pollock.”

Drew Storen is a 6-2 sophomore out of Stanford. Drafted in the 37^th round out of high school by the Yankees, Storen opted to go to college to prove himself. In 31 games as a freshman Storen worked exclusively out of the bullpen, going five and three with a 3.51 ERA. In 56.1 IP he struck out 50 and walked only 15.

This, his sophomore year, he appeared in 28 games earning a 7-1 record as a reliever. The righty had a 3.80 ERA on his way to seven saves and 66 strikeouts in 42.2 innings pitched.

Storen throws a 92-94 MPH sinker which he controls with excellent command. His lack of stamina and multiple out pitches may limit him to be no more than a very effective set up man. He does however, have time to develop as he is only 21.

Drafting a player like Storen would obviously address the Nationals bullpen issues as it would give them a young potential closer of the future. The last player the Nationals picked like this was Chad Cordero.

Storen is ranked as the 44^th best prospect according to Baseball Prospectus. 

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Draft day can be overwhelming, check out these links so you can be prepared come 6 p.m tonight. 

If you can, make it out to Nats Park for the draft party and get your T-Shirt Tuesday draft shirt.

ESPN’s previews today’s Draft. (ESPN)

Steven Henson from Yahoo Sport gives his first round mock draft: (Yahoo)

Discussing the economics of the draft. (Fire Jim Bowden)

Is Steven Strasburg the one? He’s certainly handling the pressure. (Mlb.com)

Roundtable of baseball experts discussing the draft while it happens. (Baseball Prospectus)

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The importance of team chemistry is undeniable.

No matter how much talent a team has, no matter the star players or the money a team puts in it wont succeed unless the team finds its rhythm.

Unfortunately for the Magic, they forgot the importance of chemistry.

Jameer Nelson is a great player, an all star point guard, and lets face it; he’s a guy we all want to root for.

Coming out of St. Joe’s he was overlooked as a potential impact player because of his size. Despite leading his team to an undefeated regular season his senior year, Nelson couldn’t land in the lottery.

Nelson disproved the naysayers and this season evolved into one of the top point guards in the league. In fact there were points this season before Nelson got hurt that he was considered even a better player then his counterpart Dwight Howard.

When he went down wit a shoulder injury at the start of February many were convinced that the Magic’s season would go down the drain with him. But that didn’t happen, the Magic traded for another speedy point guard, Rafer Alston, and after a small adjustment period the Magic found a new identity.

The team and the city rallied around Alston. He was no Jameer Nelson and he didn’t try to be. And so for the next four months the Magic learned to play basketball with Alston and they ended up playing it better than anyone in the Eastern Conference.

Nelson was supportive of his boys. He became the Magic’s biggest cheerleader, always on the sidelines, always being the first to congratulate Rafer as well as the rest of the team.

But when the Magic made the finals the team was forced to make a decision. Nelson was now cleared to play, and while he hadn’t played with the team in  a very long time he had been working out and was in playing condition. The Magic decided to insert their all star into the rotation, giving him as much playing time in game one as Rafer Alston.

The result we all know, the Magic come out flat and get blown out by 25 points. The club shot 29% from the field, had 8 turnovers, and Anthony Johnson, a solid contributor from the Cav’s series, saw 0 minutes.

What was Stan Van Gundy thinking? Why would you mess with what works? Why, on the brink of the most important seven game series of your life, would you adjust the way that a team has played for the last four months?

To quote George W. Bush (and good god I can’t believe I’m doing that), you don’t change horses mid stream.

Jameer Nelson is the Orlando Magic’s franchise point guard, but Rafer Alston is the 2008-2009 Orlando Magic point guard. The Magic tried to change their team’s identity, and ruined their chemistry.

Now we see Alston run around the court without confidence. We see Anthony Johnson sulk on the bench. We see J.J Redick hog the ball in the waning seconds of overtime(ok there is no explaining that one)?

Bill Belicheck had it right. In 2001 when all-star quarterback Drew Bledsoe came was cleared to play in the playoffs he stuck with Tom Brady. Brady at that point in his career wasn’t spectacular by any stretch of the imagination, but he was the horse that got them there, and he was the horse to lead them to the championship.

Now, Rafer Alston is no Tom Brady by any stretch of the imagination, but he is still the horse the Magic rode to the promised land.

Even Eddy Jordan had it right in the playoffs in 2008 when Gilbert Arenas tried to make a comeback in the first round of the playoffs. While he excelled against the Cav’s, the team played worse. The team had adjusted to run through Jamison and Butler, not Arenas. After a few games they decided to Gilbert for the rest of the playoffs, and the Wizards appeared to play better.

The truth is despite Dwight Howard’s dominance, or Rashad Lewis’s versatility, the Magic had one thing going for them; Chemistry. They threw it all out the window.

(Note: This punny title is for you, T.P.A.S.T.B.M)

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Dave Nichols from the Nationals News Network and myself teamed up to try and analyze tomorrows MLB First-Year-Player-Draft. While it is all but a lock that Steven Strasburg will go number one to our Washington Nationals, it is uncertain who the Nats will take with their 10th overall pick in the draft. 

This could be the most important day in Nationals franchise history, lets take a look at what might happen.

Dave Nichols Nationals News Network pick:

Chad Jenkins, RHP, Kennesaw State:  If Tyler Matzek (LHP, CA prep) falls to #10, I think the Nats would jump on him first.  But if not, I think Jenkins is the guy. 

 The Nats had him out at the park the other day for a workout (with others, including Stanford RHP Drew Storen).  He's big (6'4", 225) and strong.  He was Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, going 8-1 with a 2.54 ERA in 92 innings.  He struck out 98 and walked just 15, surrendering 80 hits.  Number 10 is a little above his slot, so the Nats should be able to get him signed pretty quickly. 

 He throws a low 90's fastball with sink and a good slider.  Like most college pitchers, he's got to work on his changeup, as he's relied on his hard stuff to get guys out over his career.  Keith Law (ESPN) has him as the #48 overall prospect, but has him going to the Nats at number ten in his latest mock draft, as does Jim Callis of Baseball America.  Hard to disagree with those guys; this looks exactly like what the Nats are looking for with the number ten pick:  a signable, big-bodied pitcher with good talent.

 Frankly, I'd like to see them take Grant Green (SS, USC).  Green once was considered one of the top five picks in this draft, but is falling due to concerns over keeping him at shortstop.  He's one of the top college bats in this draft, and while he doesn't project to be a big home run hitter, he has decent power, good patience and is an above-average base runner. 

At 6'3", 180, Green is big for a shortstop, and people are projecting a move to third.  But he's a good athlete and since the Nationals have a complete dearth of middle infield talent, he could be worth the effort to see if he can handle the position as a pro.  Law has Green going at 12 to Kansas City.

The Nats Blog's endorsement on who the Nationals should take:

Aside from Steven Strasburg going number one, the top 10 is a complete mystery in this draft.

Will Dustin Ackley be taken second? Or will Alex White slip in there? Where will last years first round pick Aaron Crow fall? Will people be scared of his year off and age, or will he be in the top five?

A lot of the players that have been reviewed on my site as potential number 10 picks for the Nationals fall anywhere between number three and number 15 in various mock drafts. So actually predicting the pick may be hard to do, as it will completely depend on who goes in the picks two through nine.

There is a lot of posturing involved in the draft. Mike Rizzo, a former master scout, has been holding his cards close to his vest but has said some things that just ‘happened’ to be published by the Nationals MLB writer Bill Ladson. He’s told Ladson that they will likely take a pitcher, and Ladson just happened to mention Chad Jenkins as someone they are interested in.

The Nats Blog received a tip a few weeks ago that says differently, expressing that the Nationals had significant interest in outfielder Brett Jackson. It has also been reported they were heavily looking at Notre Dame’s AJ Pollack. This clearly goes against Rizzo’s statement about not wanting to take a position player.

What about the press for Chad Jenkins? Is it real or is it manufactured. I wouldn’t put it by the Nationals front office to push that story with Ladson to try and get someone earlier in the top ten to bite on Jenkins in order to let someone fall to them.

So predicting the pick for me is a wash. I can only give an endorsement and hope he’s still available.

Alex White is a guy who early one was projected to be a top three pick but has slipped in the past few weeks. Some mock Drafts have him falling as far as the 13^th pick. If he is available, the Nationals should take him.

White was a strong prep-candidate who slipped in the draft after high school due to signability concerns. He took his talents to UNC and truly began to blossom.

After his freshman year he dominated the Cape Cod League for the Chatham Athletics, pitching 25.2 innings, striking out 31, posting a 2-1 record with a 2.10 ERA. His sophomore year was even more impressive for White in 2009. He threw 101 innings, posted a 2.83 ERA and struck out 113 batters. He led the nations in wins with 13 and was the ACC Pitcher of the Year.

White has a mid 90’s fastball, a plus slider and also mixes in a splitter. He is a power pitcher in the form of a Roger Clemens and could likely contribute in the Majors in less than two years.

Therefore my endorsement for the 2009 number 10 pick for the nationals, Alex White. 

Atlanta Braves- Top prospect Tommy Hanson made his major league debut today. In 6 IP he allowed six earned runs, struck out five, and walked one. Hanson earned no decision on the day. While he appeared to have the same strikeout ability he showed in the minors, mistakes led to him allowing two homers to Ryan Braun and on to Mike Cameron.

New York Mets- Jose Reyes, who had been on the mend with an injured calf, underwent an MRI Thursday afternoon, which revealed a new injury, a tear in his right hamstring. Reports have the speedster returning to everyday play in July.  As the Metsblog said to us in our interview however, considering the way the Mets have handled injuries, it could be far later.

Philadelphia Phillies- Brad Lidge has blown six saves this season, including two this week. Despite his return to Houston Astros form, Lidge remains Charlie Manual’s, “guy.”

“His stuff is good. There’s nothing wrong with his stuff.  I think it’s important for him to keep his confidence. I think the opposite of how some other people think. My way of thinking is if you rest him or do something else with him or put him somewhere else, I think that can hurt his confidence. I’m speaking right from my heart. That’s how I look at it because I played 20 years. I think I do know a little bit about it. His stuff is still good.”-Charlie Manual

Florida Marlins- After a slow month of April for Hanley Ramirez, the player often labled the best all around in baseball, he has been on a tear bringing his averages to .338/.408/.549. In the Month of May he hit .359/.445/.621 with six homers and 11 RBI and in June he has batted .400/.423/.520. Despite his efforts, the Marlins team record was far better in April than May. 

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The sign of an ace, is a pitcher who can come in and stop a losing streak, on demand, by single handedly taking over a game.

John Lannan did just that Saturday night, earning his first complete game. In nine innings he allowed just four hits and one un-earned run, completely baffling the Mets batters, drawing five double plays.

He finally once again looked like the John Lannan from last year that is a bulldog on the mound, thriving in pressure situations, using his great sinker action to demand ground balls.

Five double plays, when only allowing seven total base runners, shows a true ability to dictate the game. He said later that his sinker felt on from the beginning, and it showed.

The Nats gave him an early lead as well, which helped. The team combined for two, three-run innings. In the first Ryan Zimmerman singled in Nick Johnson from second base, and the next at bat Adam Dunn ended his powerless streak with a two-run homer to deep right.

In the fifth perhaps two of the most surprising people in the Nats line up to walk, John Lannan and Cristian Guzman, did. Nick Johnson, continuing his audition with the Mets, smacked a homer to drive them all in.

Elijah Dukes also hit a homer in the fourth inning.  

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The Washington Nationals officially removed Joel Hanrahan from the closer role today, and have promoted former Kansas City Royals closer Mike MacDougal to take over his spot.

This is the second time this season Hanrahan has lost the closers role, losing it once in late April, and now again in the start of June. It had seemed at the end of May that Hanrahan had found his 2008 form. He recorded five straight scoreless outings from May 21-31, including notching two saves.

June wasn’t Hanrahan’s friend however. His last three appearances saw him surrender a combined six runs and 10 hits in only three innings pitched. Losing the game last night was the last straw.

“We are going to have him relax and pitch in the middle of the game in order to get his confidence back,” Acta told reporters, “….Right now, he hasn’t been consistent enough to be pitching (in the closer spot).”

MacDougal was acquired by the Nats last month after he had been released by the Whitesox early in the season. He has had four appearances in middle relief roles. In 2.2 innings as a National he has allowed no earned runs, two hits and two strikeouts.

This is a typical Nationals knee-jerk reaction where someone makes a personnel decision on an extremely small sample size.

Was MacDougal nasty last night against the Mets? Hell yes.

Do pitchers, especially ones that have a history of streakiness, have good nights? Hell yes.

It’s true MacDougal has a 0.00 ERA in his 2.2 inning as a National, but in his last 65 IP his ERA is around 6.5. That is including the 4.1 IP that saw him surrender six earned runs on seven hits for the White Sox this year, which earned him the pink slip.

That being said, I would love for MacDougal to succeed. He has closers experience back in his Kansas City days. In 2003 he saved 27 and blew 8 with a 4.08 ERA, in 2005 he saved 21 and blew 4 with a 3.33 ERA.

2003 was marred by inconsistency however. In 2003 MacDougal had 24 saves in the first half with a 2.59 ERA, but only 3 saves in the second half, and posted a 6.85 ERA.

2005 was more consistent but saw him blow out his arm, he did not pitch in 2006.

Regardless of the past however ‘Mac the 9^th’ is the Nats closer. His high 90’s fastball compliments his slider well and his curveball can be used when he is ahead in the count. 

He does have the tools to be successful, only time will say if it was the right decision.

Meanwhile, Ron Villone and his 0.00 ERA sit and wait in the set up role. 

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