2043 Washington Draft Night Review

The big news out of Washington this morning, is that late last night, San Diego GM Mav3rek and the Washington Nationals agreed to a trade that sent star third baseman Rolando Cozigon to the Nats in exchange for the Nationals first round pick and a late round draft pick. MLB insider Dolphin suggested that this trade may have been sparked by the selection of pitcher George Marks 15th overall by the Minnesota Twins. Rolando Cozigon will fit nicely into the middle of the lineup and provide an offensive spark to a team that has been struggling to this point in the season. Expect Carlo Sarlinas to see time at second base as he did in his rookie campaign.

CF Aaron Powell sent to San Fran

The other big news on the night that was young prospect Aaron Powell who was showing great strides in center for the Skychiefs was sent to San Francisco in a draft night deal in which the Nationals received all of the Giants draft picks excluding their first round selection. Powell was an all around solid player with good contact, plus power for a center fielder and also solid speed. Powell was internally blocked by the offseason addition of CF Aaron Middlemiss who the team has obviously committed themselves to as evidence by this trade. This trade will hopefully result in added confidence for the young Middlemiss through the organization showing a commitment to him.

Breaking Down the Washington Draft Selections:

OF Ricky Bebb (44th Overall Selection) 17 YO, Pawtucket RI-- Ricky spent his high school career mainly in left field but has some experience on the left side of the infield. Ricky possesses a very projectable bat and already has a major league arm in the outfield. Bebb was projected as a late 1st round pick or sandwich round selection so falling to Washington in the middle of the 2nd round was good value for them.

3B Jesse Tiller (49th Overall Selection) 17 YO, Minneapolis MN-- Another high school selection for the Nationals in the 2nd round of this years draft and another very projectable bat in the system. Tiller has a plus eye but struggles to physically handle advanced pitching at this point in time. An average glove at third base and has the size to move to first base in the future if his talent doesn't work out at third.

P Charles Ciepley (79th Overall Selection) 21 YO, Tulane University-- First college selection of the Nats in this years draft; definition of a workhorse power pitcher. He has outstanding pitching endurance as noted by his time at Tulane and projects to be among the top power pitchers in the game. The question is if he can harness his control and improve his secondary pitches to compete in the major leagues. A true project player.

RF Matt Ellis (84th Overall Selection) 21 YO, Long Beach State-- The Irishman came stateside to attend college in California to hone his game from the growing European baseball leagues. The righty does not have anything jump off the page in term of skills; struggles with contact and is considered to be a power bat. Decent in the field but only projects as a corner outfielder.

P Terry Wilton (109th Overall Selection) 19 YO, Norfolk MA-- Another New England high schooler selected by the Nationals here; Wilton and Bebb competed in many high school tournaments. Unfortunately for Wilton, Bebb got the better of these matchups as Wilton struggled against him. Wilton projects as a ground ball pitcher, possesses good control for his age and his future is reliant on how well he can develop his subpar fastball.

3B Eduardo Amezcua (139th Overall Selection) 21 YO, Stanford University-- The young man out of DR was awarded a scholarship to Stanford out of high school where he truly struggled against advanced college competition. A truly powerful player at 6' 5" and 240 yet very nimble at third base; has the potential for gobs of power and a great eye but this reliant if he can shorten his swing to hit major league quality pitching. This is a big if.

P Bob Morris (144th Overall Selection) 20 YO, Texas Tech-- A decent pitcher in high school and college where nothing quite jumps off the page; decent power and decent control. His weakness has undoubtedly been the long ball as he allowed 18 homers in his only season at Texas Tech. The Chicago native has a lot of work ahead to be considered a legitimate major league prospect.

1B Rich Angwin (164th Overall Selection) 16 YO, Denver CO-- Yes, that is right sixteen years old! This academic wiz kid skipped the 4th grade and then worked hard in high school to finish his diploma early. All this while working to hone his raw baseball skills, key word raw. He never put up flashy or even particularly good numbers as an amateur but scouts really were impressed by his tools for such a young age; including his plus plus glovework at 1st base. Certainly worth a 6th round selection as a project player.

C James Lyons (167th Overall Selection) 20 YO, Pepperdine University-- This is the James Lyons that was all over SportsCenter as the catcher that stole home in the college world series after a fantastic sophomore season. Perhaps the most unusual player in this draft with his quick feet from behind the dish; scouts have serious questions with his bat and small frame at 5' 6" and 130 pounds soaking wet. This selection is a shot in the dark that his hustle and determination will someday result in James being a major league player.

P David Lampert (169th Overall Selection) 20 YO, Southern Mississippi University-- A groundball bullpen pitcher that shows good control for his age but not much else. His fastball and sinker need a lot of work and David struggles to top 90 mph on his fastball. A wildly average pitcher in his collegiate career but hers to hoping the final selection of the Nationals in this years draft has something to him.