The 2020 MLB Draft is in the books, and it will go down as one of the most unusual drafts in history. It was five rounds and the lack of pre-draft information led to an influx of college players taken early. The first high school player taken, Robert Hassell III, was not taken until the eighth pick, the latest ever in the MLB Draft.<\/p>\n
As for the Washington Nationals<\/a>, they had six picks. The Nationals had each of their original five picks and gained a second-round pick after losing Anthony Rendon<\/a><\/strong>. The Nationals stuck to their roots, taking a pitcher in the first round of the draft, and continued to rebuild a farm system that has been depleted in recent years.<\/p>\n With their first pick in the draft, the Nationals continued a theme of power pitching, after taking Jackson Rutledge<\/a><\/strong> and Mason Denaburg<\/strong><\/a> in recent years, by selecting Cade Cavalli<\/strong><\/a> from the University of Oklahoma. Cavalli, standing 6’4 and weighing 226 pounds, has a big fastball<\/a> that has touched 98, and has a plus power curveball alongside it. He also has had flashes of an excellent slider, with an average change-up. Delivery wise, he has very clean mechanics according to many scouts.<\/a><\/p>\n Although Cavalli offers excellent upside, there are concerns over his health and command. He had a lower back injury his senior year in high school, and a stress reaction in his arm in college. In his first three years at Oklahoma, Cavalli had 5.2 BB\/9. Despite that, the Nationals hope that Cavalli can continue to improve his command, as he did his senior year, and reach his full potential. With an aging rotation and a weak farm system, the Nationals need Cavalli to develop into a solid big-league pitcher.<\/p>\n The Nationals doubled down on pitching and selected another pitcher with high upside and high risk<\/a>. Cole Henry<\/a> <\/strong>had a 1.89 ERA in four starts in the abbreviated 2020 season. With a mid-90s fastball, Henry has good sinking action and command, which give him the potential to be a groundball pitcher, with the ability to pitch for a strikeout. In addition to his fastball, Henry has shown flashes of a plus curveball with excellent spin. Henry’s changeup has shown improvement in command and movement, but must continue to develop for him to be a consistent starter.<\/p>\n Being just 20-years old, Henry has a chance to add strength and velocity to his fastball, which could give him a mid-90s fastball, with a plus curveball. Add that to a developing changeup, and Henry could become a number three starter in the big leagues. At the very least, Henry will add solid depth to the Nationals farm system.<\/p>\n The Nationals picked their first position player, and high schooler of the 2020 MLB draft by selecting Samuel Infante from Monsignor Edward Pace HS. The 18-year old shortstop<\/a> hit .481 in the shortened 2020 season with four doubles and one home run. The Nationals VP of Scouting Ops, Kris Kline, had this to say about Infante<\/a>: \u201cTwitchy, he\u2019s got a high motor, high-energy guy. Loves to play, you can tell, he\u2019s always smiling. So much energy on the field, it was fun watching him. He has a good chance to stay at shortstop. He can throw.\u201d<\/p>\n With this selection, the Nationals added to their infield strength in their farm system as Infante joins Carter Kieboom<\/a><\/strong>, Luis Garcia<\/a><\/strong>, and Yasel Antuna<\/a><\/strong>. With their compensation pick, the Nationals hope they can develop Infante into a shortstop as Trea Turner<\/a><\/strong> becomes a free agent in 2022.<\/p>\n The Nationals went to the bullpen in the third round by taking Holden Powell<\/a> <\/strong>from UCLA. Powell has a two-pitch mix<\/a> with a mid 90s fastball, and a wipeout slider as his out pitch. This season, Powell had 9.1 scoreless innings with a whopping 20 strikeouts. Powell was excellent last year and he had 65 strikeouts in just 49 innings. Despite his plus stuff, Powell needs to continue to improve his command as he walked 27 in the 2019 season.<\/p>\n Hey @Nationals<\/a> fans, if you like pitchers who can get swings-and-misses like this, Holden Powell (@getHolden<\/a>) is going to fit right in. #GoBruins<\/a> | #MLBDraft<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/wopLwkXi1O<\/a><\/p>\n — UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) June 12, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nWashington Nationals 2020 Draft Recap<\/h2>\n
Round One, Pick 22: Cade Cavalli<\/h3>\n
Round Two, Pick 55: Cole Henry<\/h3>\n
Round 2, Pick 71: Samuel Infante<\/h3>\n
Round 3, Pick 94: Holden Powell<\/h3>\n
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