The Nationals made 11 picks on the first two days of the 2024 MLB Draft and will conclude their haul with 10 more on Tuesday. Get some quick capsule profiles of the selections below:
Recap: No. 10 pick | Nos. 39 & 44 picks | Day 2 - Rounds 3-10
ROUND 11, No. 320 overall: LHP Merritt Beeker, Ball State
Bunsen Honeydew will not be coming to DC, but Beeker was the 2024 MAC Pitcher of the Year after going 9-3 with a 4.11 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 81 innings over 15 starts. He transferred to Ball State from East Carolina, where he had a 2.95 ERA in 18 1/3 innings over two seasons.
ROUND 12, No. 350 overall: RHP Alexander Meckley, Coastal Carolina
Meckley was a starter for two years at Potomac State University (a West Virginia University JUCO) before transferring to Coastal, where he was 4-4 with a 7.52 ERA in 21 games/nine starts, with 57 strikeouts to 27 walks in 52 2/3 innings.
ROUND 13, No. 380 overall : LHP Bryant Olson, Mercer
Olson spent two years at JUCO Gordon State, recording 97 strikeouts in 70 2/3 mostly relief innings, before becoming Mercer’s closer last season. He had 39 strikeouts in 26 2/e innings and a Southern Conference-leading eight saves in 2024.
ROUND 14, No, 410 overall: RHP Yoel Tejeda, Florida State
A draft-eligible sophomore, Tejeda was a 19th-round pick of the Pirates out of high school in 2022 but committed to Florida, where he was 2-0 with a 5.56 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 22.2 innings as a freshman in 2023. He transferred to Tallahassee last season and was 1-2 with a 5.03 ERA in 19 2/3 innings, with 15 Ks against 14 walks.
ROUND 15, No. 440 overall : C Sir Jamison Jones, St. Rita HS (IL)
Jones was a catcher/first baseman who ranked sixth among HS prospects in Illinois and second among catchers. He is a right-handed hitter committed to Illinois State, and his Perfect Game write-up says the 6-foot-2, 215-pounder has ‘a strong and durable catcher’s build with strength throughout and that looks the part behind the plate.’
ROUND 16, No. 470 overall : LHP Nolan Hughes, Xavier
After just their second high school selection over the first 16 picks, the Nats go back to college with Hughes, who transferred to Xavier after three years at Fordham – where he missed all of 2021 and made just two appearances in 2022 after Sept. 2020 Tommy John surgery. He was 2-3 with an 8.12 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 47 2/3 IP in 17 appearances in his full year at Fordham, and in his lone year with the Musketeers, Hughes was 5-3 with a 4.33 ERA, two saves, and 65 K in 35 1/3 IP over 24 appearances.
ROUND 17, No. 500 overall: LHP Gavin Bruni, Ohio State
Bruni was mostly a reliever as a freshman in 2022 but moved into the rotation in 2023, making 27 total starts in his final two years. Over those three seasons in Columbus, he was 9-6 with a 5.57 ERA and 146 strikeouts in 124 1/3 innings over 36 games/30 starts.
ROUND 18, No. 530 overall: OF Teo Banks, Tulane
Banks was the AAC Preseason Player of the Year after being a Second Team All-Conference selection in 2023, and over three years with the Green Wave, he slashed .287/.380/.572 with 34 homers, 118 RBI, 35 doubles, and 107 runs scored in 145 games.
ROUND 19, No. 560 overall: RHP Ryan Minckler, Niagara
Minckler was originally a Virginia commit but redshirted and then transferred to Niagara, where he was a starter in 2023 – 50 1/3 innings over 14 games/13 starts – before transitioning to the bullpen in 2024. In 20 relief appearances last year, he was 5-2 with a 4.21 ERA, striking out 53 in 51 1/3 innings, food for a Second Team All-MAAC selection.
ROUND 20, No. 590 overall: 3B Colby Shelton, Florida
The Nats’ final selection makes it 18 collegians in 22 picks with Shelton, a draft-eligible sophomore who was ranked No. 133 on MLB Pipeline’s rankings but may not sign and elect to return to school, as he could be a higher pick in 2025 or 2026.
Shelton was a consensus Freshman All-American at Alabama in 2023, as he hit .300 with a Crimson Tide single-season freshman record and SEC freshman record-tying 25 homers, 59 RBI, and a .729 SLG. He transferred to Florida and slashed .254/.374/.471 with 20 dingers, 56 RBI, and 14 doubles, and was named to the Regional All-Tournament Team in the Stillwater Regional.
Most Popular
Comments / 0