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. 

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.  

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. 

There was a great AP story by Joseph White earlier this week about the Washington Nationals first overall draft pick coming up June 9^th.

In the article White discusses the pressure of the number one pick, and how it can either rejuvenate a franchise like it has done for the Capitals with Ovechkin, or set them back like it did with the Wizards and Kwame Brown. It got me thinking however about how in the last several years Washington D.C has had a lot of first overall picks.

The Nationals have this years and will likely earn next year’s first overall pick making them only the second team in history to get the dubious distinction in consecutive years (The Rays did it in 2007 and 2008).

While we remember Kwame’s bust, and we all enjoy the fruit of the Ovechkin pick, I thought we should go back and remember the city’s number one picks.

1948 Washington Redskins: Harry Gilmer
 

Gilmer was taken by the Redskins after an outstanding career at the University of Alabama. Serving as a halfback for Alabama, Gilmer helped popularize the jump pass, which he used to great success for the Crimson Tide. His sophomore year he lead the nation in touchdown passes with 13 and he also ran for nine touchdowns. His total offense was second in the nation, and he also served as a punter and kick returner.

His junior year he helped lead the Tide to the 1946 Rose Bowl where they defeated USC 34-14. He earned the Rose Bowl MVP. During his tenure at Alabama he passed for 26 touchdowns ran for 24, passed for 2994 yards and rushed for 1673.

However despite his illustrious college career Gilmer’s pro career wasn’t quite as grand. While he made two Pro Bowls in 1950 and 1952, he threw for a career 45 interceptions with only 23 touchdowns. In 10 career starts at quarterback he went 0-10.

 After retiring Gilmer went on to be the head coach of the Lions for two years. He was later inducted into the Alabama Sports and the College Football Hall of Fame.

Draft Grade: C

1962 Washington Redskins: Ernie Davis
 

Ernie Davis, subject of the 2008 major motion picture, “The Express,” was drafted first overall by the Skins out of Syracuse University but was immediately traded to the Cleveland Browns.

Davis has an illustrious college career for Syracuse before being taken first overall by Washington. In four years he won All American honors twice. His sophomore year he lead Syracuse to the National Championship with an undefeated season, beating the University of Texas at the Cotton Bowl.

His junior year he was third in the nation in rushing with 877 yards and set a NCC record of 7.8 yards per carry. In that same year the Orangemen won the Liberty Bowl, where Davis won the MVP.

His senior year however would be his claim to fame. Following the season he became the first ever African American to  win the Heisman Trophy award. One of the first people to congratulate Davis after receiving his trophy was president John F Kennedy who had been a big fan of Davis throughout his career.

Davis however never played an NFL game as he died in 1962 of Leukemia.

Draft Grade: B+

1969 Washington Senators: Jeff Burroughs
 

Jeff Burroughs was drafted out of high school by the Senators in the 1969 draft. He was drafted as a hit first, field second player, known more fore his power and plate patience than anything else.

Unfortunately for Washington the Senators moved to Texas only two years into Burroughs career, and they never got to see him blossom.

He went on to have a solid but not spectacular MLB career. In 16 years he batted .261, slugged 240 home runs and drove in 882 RBI.

Burrgous earned all star honors twice and won the MVP in 1974, batting .301 with 25 homers and 118 RBI.

Draft Grade: C+

1974 and 1976 Capitals: Greg Joly and Rick Green

The Capitals had two first overall picks in three years.

Jolly had a nine year career between the Capitals and the Detroit Redwings, but never lived up to his first overall pick potential. He is now a sports insurance agent in upstate New York.

Draft Grade: D-

Green was a defensemen who also never fully lived up to his first pick potential. Green had a longer career than Jolly though, staying in the NHL for 19 seasons. Green stayed in Washington for six seasons, his best coming in 78-79 when he contributed 41 points.

Green won a Stanley Cup in Detroit in 1986.

Draft GradeL D+

2001 Wizard: Kwame Brown
 

In 2001 Michael Jordan made Kwame Brown the first high schooler ever drafted first overall in the NBA draft. It was easily the biggest failure of his spectacular career.

Brown came to Washington a hyper-athletic big man and never learned to play basketball. While he showed glimpses of promise, his motivation on and off the court constantly seemed lacking.

In Browns first year with Washington he only started three games and averaged four points and three rebounds. His second year he only improved to seven points and five rebounds. Finally in his third year it looked as if he may be developing into more than a career reserve, averaging 10 points and seven rebounds.

The next year Brown regressed however. Falling to seven points and five rebounds a game. The same year Brown refused to sign a contract extension saying he wanted to test free agency. The press and the fans immediately began to turn on the former number one overall pick, and he was essentially booed out of Washington.

Since leaving D.C, Brown has bounced around as a reserve forward around the league, often receiving flack wherever he went as a lazy player who is only still in the league for his size. Many consider him one of the biggest busts of all time.

On the bright side for the Wizards, they ended up with the best player in the 2001 Draft, Gilbert Arenas.

Draft Grade: F

2004 D.C United: Freddy Adu
 

Freddy Adu hit the nation by storm as national news caught light of him as a 12-year-old dominating amateur soccer. Soon he was considered a phenom and the was labled the future of United States soccer.

Adu was drafted by his hometown team, D.C United with the first pick when he was only 14 years old. In doing so, he became the youngest American athlete in over 100 years to sign a pro contract.

Adu never seemed able to live up to expectations however. Whether it was because fans expected too much too early out of a 14 year old, or because Adu was too confident to take the time to learn isn’t clear, but Adu never took off as a super star in Washington or the MLS.

Many claimed Adu was too small to be effective in professional soccer, that while his skills were honed, he couldn’t match up with grown men. Today at the age of 20, Adu is still only listed at 5’ 8”.

In 2006 D.C United decided they had enough of Adu and traded him to Real Salt Lake. In 2007 Adu gave up on the MLS and decided to move to Europe to play for S.L Benfica.

Draft Grade: C

2004 Capitals: Alexander Ovechkin 
 

Alexander Ovechkin was drafted by the capitals in the 2004 Draft but didn’t get to make his debut until the 2005-2006 NHL season due to the lockout from the year before.

As soon as Ovechkin did get to play however, he took off. In his first year he won the Calder Memorial Trophy for Rookie of the Year, beating out supposed phenom Sidney Crosby. The next year Ovechkin led the NHL in goals (65) and point (112) earning him the Rocket Richard, Art Ross, Lester B Pearson Award and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the leagues MVP. He is the first player ever to win all four trophies in the same year.

He followed with an equally impressive 2008-2009 where he scored 56 goals and registered 110 points, leading the Capitals to one of the best records in the NHL.

Today, Ovechkin is widely considered one of the top players in hockey and has rejuvenated the Capitals into a force in the East. He has signed a 13 year, $124 million dollar contract with the club ensuring he will be in Washington for years to come.

Draft Grade: A

I was always raised to never blame a loss on the officials, and while the umpires weren’t the reason the Nationals lost, they certainly didn’t help.

In the top of the second inning David Wright reached second base on a pop-up just outside the infield that Cristian Guzman didn’t bother to make a play on. Left fielder Adam Dunn lumbered in to try and make a play but was not able to charge nearly 200 feet in to catch the blooper.

The next play, right fielder Elijah Dukes fielded a fly ball near the wall in right and fired a perfect strike to third baseman Ryan Zimmerman to catch a tagging David Wright from second.

Not so fast.

Despite the throw beating the runner, and despite the tag clearly being displayed, the second base umpire Derryl Cousins called Wright safe. The next batter grounded out, scoring Wright and gave the Mets their only run until extra innings.

The Nationals tied the game in 5^th after a Josh Bard double and an Alex Gonzalez single.

The game remained tied through nine and went to extra innings until Joel Hanrahan could do what Joel Hanrahan does best, blow the game. In the top of the 10^th the closer allowed a double to Wright, scoring both Luis Castillo and Carlos Beltran. Hanrahan’s performance put an end to what was easily the best bullpen performance of the Nationals all year as they pitched four scoreless innings in a meaningful game.

The Mets won 3-1.

I was watching the game with my father, a former graduate of a professional umpire academy, and he agreed as a manager that sometimes you have to hold umpires accountable for their calls.

What Umpire will respect Manny Acta if he never defends his team when they are blatantly screwed on calls?

A manager sometimes needs to be ejected to make a point. Acta should have made it clear to the umpire it was the wrong call and he wasn’t about to stand by and stay in a game with such poor officiating. Simply put, he shouldn’t have stood for it.

But no, the umpires know they can get away with bad calls against the Nationals, because the only one who sticks up for what’s right is not our manager but Adam Dunn. It was Dunn who argued when Randy Johnson got a called strike three on him below his knees, and Dunn who argued on the homerun call that was reversed at Citi Field. Both times Acta remained mute.

How are players supposed to play for a manager who doesn’t protect them on the field?

Acta went out and politely asked about the call Friday night, but he should have raised hell.

The Nationals however had their own opportunities they failed to capitalize on. Ryan Zimmerman grounded into a double play with the bases loaded in the 5^th inning, and Duke grounded out with two runners on in the bottom of the 8^th.

The blatant truth however is, if Wright had been called out at third, the Nats would have won.

The best thing about a soggy, rain delayed, double header, is there are no ushers. The result?

THIRD ROW!

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In preparation for the Nationals upcoming series against the Mets, The Nats Blog did a cross interview with one of the top baseball blogs on the internet, MetsBlog.com. MetsBlog, founded by Matt Cerrone, truly has been a leader in the development of sports blogging, and has really elevated itself into something special. Here is what Mike Nichols from MetsBlog had to say about the state of their team. 

The Nats Blog: Jose Reyes is such a spark plug and a key to the Mets line up, what’s the latest on his injury and when do you expect him to be back in full ‘Jose Reyes’ form?

MetsBlog: As I write this it was announced Jose Reyes has a slight tear in his right hamstring and from all reports will not be back until late July. Will Reyes come back in July? I'll believe it when I see it. The Mets medical staff has done a poor job managing injuries this season.

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