SB Nation DC - 2012 MLB Entry Draft: Nationals Sign 1st-Round Pick Lucas Giolito

Is Lucas Giolito Ready To Make His GCL Debut?

2012-08-13T15:57:59Z

As 2012 Washington Nationals' 1st Round pick Lucas Giolito's father Rick told it in a recent episode of Baseball Prospectus's Up and In Podcast, his son was throwing a 75 mph fastball by the time he was 11 or 12 years old. Lucas took a year off from Little League ball at that point and stuck to traveling teams because he threw too hard, lacked control and occasionally hit and injured other kids. A day before he turned 15 in 2010, at an All-Star Game before his sophomore year at Harvard-Westlake High School in California, Giolito threw a fastball that hit 92 mph on the radar. A scouting report from the 2010 Area Code Games by the Baseball Analysts' Rich Lederer noted that the right-hander's fastball was, "... consistently hitting 91-93 and touching 94 on at least one occasion," though the report also mentioned that Giolito, "... was wild with his entire repetoire [sic] of pitches."

As a 16-year-old in the Area Code Games in the summer of his sophomore year, Giolito hit 93-94 and dialed it up to 96, catching the attention of both college and MLB scouts as the 6'6'' right-hander recounted in an article that August.

The Harvard-Westlake right-hander was (9-1) with a 1.00 ERA, three shutouts, four complete games, 76 Ks (9.73 K/9) and 28 BBs (3.58 BB/9) in 70.1 innings as a junior setting himself up over the course of a few years as one of the top prep school arms in the country. In his senior year, a week before he suffered a strain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, a Baseball America report on Giolito said he'd hit 100 mph on the radar gun. It was during his next start that Giolito would suffer the season-ending elbow injury that resulted in him going from a potential no.1 overall pick to the biggest question mark at the top of the 2012 Draft. The right-hander fell to the Washington Nationals with the 16th overall pick and the Nats, as the pitcher's father explained in the Baseball Prospectus' podcast, impressed the father and son with their knowledge and history of working with and rehabbing elbow injuries.

When the Nationals drafted Giolito, D.C. GM Mike Rizzo told reporters that they were comfortable taking the right-hander in spite of the injury. "We weighed the risk against the reward," the Nationals' general manager explained. "We felt that to get a 6'6'', 220lb right-handed pitcher with a great body and plus velocity and good stuff, great character and great makeup, we've been on this guy from day one, and we just felt that the reward outweighed the risk and we did our homework and our due diligence on his health and his makeup and decided this is the type of player, the type of stuff and the type of ceiling that we want here in the Washington Nationals' organization."

"I saw him several times last summer," Nats' Assistant GM Roy Clark said, "Up to 98 [mph] with a plus breaking ball and real good change up... 6'6''... again, a top-of-the-rotation guy that you can get at 16? Our doctors' reports, everything was fine. It was a no-brainer for us. Hopefully we get him signed and get him out in a Nats' [uniform]."

"The elbow is good," Rizzo stated confidently on the night of the draft, "He's been throwing on flat ground. He's been long-tossing and doing a throwing program so we feel confident about [his health] and he feels confident about it and we'll see once we get our hands on him [and get him] in our uniform we'll see where he's at." The Nationals had dealt with this sort of thing before. "We're going to put our best foot forward" the GM said the day of the 2012 Draft, "and try to sell him on our place here in Washington as the place that will get him the healthiest and get him the best opportunity to do what he wants to do and that's to pitch in the big leagues."

The Nationals' approach worked. When the Washington Nationals' representatives met with Lucas and Rick Giolito, the father explained on the Baseball Prospectus podcast, the Nats, "... were prepared to talk to us about how they handle guys with elbow problems because they have a tremendous amount of experience doing that and, you know, I was convinced that if he went to the Nationals he would be well taken care of."

But the family was comfortable with Lucas going to UCLA too, where the right-hander had made a commitment, and as the Nats' 1st Round pick's father explained, he was sure, "If [Lucas] stayed healthy he would come out no.1 in three years."

"But," Rick Giolito said, "the thought was, 'What if?' What if everything's going well, he's come back, he's pitching his freshman year, pitches his sophomore year and then he goes into his senior year and this happens again? What if his second or third or fourth or fifth start or his last start of his senior year he hurts his elbow again? Well, we're back to square one and we're going to have to go through this again. And at the end of the day, and I told [UCLA baseball coach] John [Savage], I said at the end of the day, we could just not live with the three years of the fear of that possibility happening."

The negotiations went down to the last minutes before the July 15th deadline with Nats' GM Mike Rizzo admitting afterward that, "[There was] a time there that we thought that it was a possibility that it wouldn't get done." According reports from both the team and player the deal was officially agreed upon with just 30 seconds to go before the deadline. "[Giolito] was the coup of our draft," Rizzo told reporters after they'd signed a $2.925M dollar deal, "And we thought that he was a big-time prospect that fell to us at [no.] 16 and to get a guy that we had so far up the board at 16 and then to get him signed. We feel really good about it."

"He'll report to Florida and begin his minor league career," the Nats' GM said, "He'll be on a rehabilitation program and we'll hope to ramp him up to pitching competitively very soon."

When the Nationals introduced their top pick to the D.C. press corps several days after the deadline on July 17th, Rizzo explained further what the future held for the just-turned-18-year-old right-hander. Giolito said at the time that he hadn't yet started throwing off a mound. "He's leaving for Viera, Florida tomorrow," the Nats' general manager said, "To start his professional career." Giolito would go through a progression Rizzo explained, "... from flat ground and long toss to getting on the mound and hopefully [seeing] some competition if not during the regular season [then] in the instructional league."

MASNSports.com's Byron Kerr spoke to Nats' Director of Player Development Doug Harris for a July 31st article in which Mr. Harris reported that Giolito was, "... building strength in his arm. He is making progress. Hopefully, he will be mound-ready soon." The right-hander's father wrote on Twitter in the first week of August that Lucas had thrown off a mound. "35 pitches FB/CB/CU. Says he's really letting it go: 'felt really gooood'. So it's great!'" This past Friday, Rick Giolito tweeted news that probably came as a surprise to some who'd passed on the pitcher at the top of the 1st Round of the 2012 Draft:

Luc gets his first Pro start this Tuesday against the GCL Cardinals. @lgio27 #Nationals #proud
— Rick Giolito (@RickGiolito) August 10, 2012

Before the elbow injury there was talk that Giolito could be the first prep school pitcher taken no.1 overall. In a Washington Times' article by Amanda Comak quoting a scouting report by ESPN.com's Keith Law, the writer described Giolito, "... as perhaps the only pitcher in this draft who has true No. 1 starter upside." The Nationals gambled with their first round pick because they believed his upside was worth the risk. There's no official word from the team yet that he'll pitch in Tuesday's game. He's listed as active on the Gulf Coast League Nationals' roster. The Nationals and Cardinals are scheduled to play this week as per the Tweet, but they play on Wednesday not Tuesday. One day this week, we'll see when, it appears likely that the 18-year-old right-hander will start his professional career.

• Update:

Lucas' @lgio27 start tomorrow is at home in Viera vs GCL Marlins That's 161 days between starts #ShouldBeWellRested #WishICouldBThere #Nats
— Rick Giolito (@RickGiolito) August 13, 2012

2012 MLB Draft Signings: Nationals Ink Top Pick Lucas Giolito To Deal, According To Reports

2012-07-13T21:11:16Z

Although it came down to the very last second, the Washington Nationals were able to sign their top draft pick, Lucas Giolito, as reported by Jim Callis of Baseball America.

Giolito, the 16th overall pick of the 2012 MLB Draft, will receive a bonus of $2,925,000 according to Callis. The right-handed pitcher took the money and pro contract over a commitment he gave to UCLA. It was originally believed that it was going to be a tough sign, given Giolito's roots in southern California.

He was originally predicted to be one of the top arms in the 2012 draft, however he fell after concerns over his elbow arose. The Nationals, however, felt he was worth the risk.

For more Nationals coverage and conversation, visit Federal Baseball, SB Nation's Nats blog. For news, updates and projections related to the MLB Draft, stay tuned to this StoryStream here at SB Nation DC and Minor League Ball.

MLB Draft 2012: Nationals Sign Third-Round Pick, Pitcher Brett Mooneyham

2012-06-22T22:15:11Z

The Washington Nationals are inching closer to signing all of their picks from the 2012 MLB Draft, and the latest to be signed is left-handed pitcher Brett Mooneyham who was the Nationals third-round draft pick out of Stanford. The contract that that Mooneyham signed was the exact amount for his third-round slot at $428,500.

This past season at Stanford, Mooneyham went 7-5 with a 4.26 ERA in 14 starts with 90 strikeouts over 82.1 innings pitched. However, he did walk 37 batters and hit an additional 15 which was the most by any Stanford pitcher.

While Mooneyham is the 24th player that the Nationals have signed, they are still trying to work out a deal to sign first-round pick in right-handed high school pitching product Lucas Giolito. Since the Mooneyham signing was for the slotted amount it still allows the Nationals to offer Giolito a shade over $3 million.

MLB Draft 2012: Nationals Can Only Offer First-Round Pick Lucas Giolito $3 Million Bonus, According To Report

2012-06-18T21:42:14Z

The Washington Nationals spent the weekend trying to persuade Lucas Giolito, their first-round pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, to sign a deal with the team rather than head off to play college baseball at UCLA this fall. The biggest factor in determining whether or not Washington can sign the 6-foot-6, 230-pound right-handed pitcher might be how much they can offer him in the way of a signing bonus.

A Monday report in the Washington Times says that the Nationals can only offer the 16th overall pick a total of $3,029,773, reflecting money saved from their other draft pick signings.

The Nationals will not risk losing future draft picks by exceeding the money than they have allotted to them for this year's draft class, according to the same report. Penalties for going over that amount scale up from a 75 percent tax on the amount exceeding the allotment.

For more Nationals coverage and conversation, visit Federal Baseball, SB Nation's Nats blog. For news, updates and projections related to the next week's MLB Draft, stay tuned to this StoryStream here at SB Nation DC.

MLB Draft 2012: Washington Nationals Sign 23 Drafted Players

2012-06-12T20:06:22Z

The Washington Nationals have signed 23 players drafted in last week's MLB Draft. Although it does not include first round pick Lucas Giolito, second round pick Tony Renda, fourth round pick Brandon Miller and fifth round pick Spencer Kieboom were all signed by the Nationals.

This is the complete list of the 23 players signed by the Nationals. Each pick is listed by round selected, overall pick, player, position and their last team.

2 80 Tony Renda 2B University of California-Berkeley
4 144 Brandon Miller OF Samford University (AL)
5 174 Spencer Kieboom C Clemson University (SC)
6 204 Hayden Jennings CF Evangel Christian Academy (LA)
9 294 Derek Self RHP University of Louisville (KY)
10 324 Craig Manuel C Rice University (TX)
11 354 Brian Rauh RHP Chapman University (CA)
12 384 Carlos Lopez 3B Wake Forest University (NC)
13 414 Elliott Waterman LHP University of San Francisco
14 444 Jordan Poole RF Chipola Junior College (FL)
16 504 Ronald Pena RHP Palm Beach State College (FL)
17 534 Blake Schwartz RHP Oklahoma City University
18 564 David Fischer RHP University of Connecticut
19 594 Bryan Lippincott 1B Concordia University (MN)
20 624 James Brooks SS University of Utah
21 654 Austin Chubb C Florida Southern College
22 684 Will Hudgins RHP University of Notre Dame
23 714 Casey Selsor OF University of Texas-San Antonio
24 744 Kevin Dicharry RHP University of Texas
28 864 Hunter Bailey SS Oklahoma State University
29 894 Leonard Hollins RHP Chipola Junior College (FL)
31 954 Michael Boyden RHP University of Maryland
33 1014 Mike McQuillan 2B University of Iowa

The Nationals have until July 15 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time to sign their remaining draft picks, a change from previous seasons. Though the Nationals have had to stress about signing their high picks shortly before the deadline before, there should hopefully not be that problem this year.

2012 MLB Draft Results: Nationals Make 25 Picks On Day 3

2012-06-06T22:08:18Z

The Washington Nationals made 25 selections on Day 3 of the 2012 MLB Draft highlighted by right-handed pitcher Freddy Avis. Avis is just 18 years old, drafted out of Menlo School in California and stands 6'2 and 195 pounds. Based on Avis size and "stuff", he projects to be a nice draft pick, but there are concerns that he will be a tough player to sign.

Here's a rundown of Wednesday's selections:

No. 504 -- Ronald Pena -- Palm Beach State College
No. 534 -- Blake Schwartz -- Oklahoma City University
No. 564 -- David Fischer -- Connecticut
No. 594 -- Bryan Lippincott -- Concordia
No. 624 -- James Brooks -- Utah
No. 654 -- Austin Chubb -- Florida Southern
No. 684 -- Will Hudgins -- Notre Dame
No. 714 -- Casey Seisor -- University Texas San Antonio
No. 744 -- Kevin Dicharry -- Texas
No. 774 -- Freddy Avis -- Melo School, CA
No. 804 -- Skye Bolt -- Holy Innocents Episcopal HS, GA
No. 834 -- Cody Poteet -- Christian HS, CA
No. 864 -- Hunter Bailey -- Oklahoma State
No. 894 -- Leonard Hollins -- Chipola
No. 924 -- Robert Orlan -- North Carolina
No. 954 -- Michael Boyden -- Maryland
No. 984 -- MIchael Mudron -- Cal St. San Bernadino
No. 1014 -- Mike McQuillan -- Iowa
No. 1044 -- Jake Jefferies -- Foothill HS, CA
No. 1074 -- Cory Bafidis -- Texas Wesleyan
No. 1104 -- Max Ungar -- Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, MD
No. 1134 -- Tyler Watson -- Georgetown HS, TX
No. 1164 -- Jared Masser -- Malone Col, OH
No. 1194 -- Mitchell Williams -- Coosa HS, GA
No. 1224 -- Ricky Gutierrez -- American Senior HS, FL

MLB Draft 2012 Results: Nationals make 14 Picks on Day 2

2012-06-06T00:12:24Z

The Washington Nationals made 14 selections on day two of the 2012 MLB draft, highlighted by the fourth-round selection of Brandon Miller, an outfielder from Samford who belted a school-recorded 23 home runs this season. But that was just the beginning of a busy day for the Nats. Here's a rundown of Tuesday's selections:

No. 144 -- OF Brandon Miller -- Samford
No. 174 -- C Spencer Kieboom -- Clemson
No. 204 -- CF Hayden Jennings -- Evangel Christian Academy (La.)
No. 234 -- RHP Robert Benincasa -- Florida State
No. 264 -- SS Stephen Perez -- Miami (Fl.)
No. 294 -- RHP Derek Self -- Louisville
No. 324 -- C Craig Manuel -- Rice
No. 354 -- RHP Brian Rauh -- Chapman University (Calif.)
No. 384 -- 3B Carlos Lopez -- Wake Forest
No. 414 -- LHP Elliott Waterman -- San Francisco
No. 444 -- RF Jordan Poole -- Chipola College (Fla.)
No. 474 -- CF Brandon Smith -- Woodbridge High School (Calif.)

Though these are day-two picks and range from the fourth round to the 14th, some could make an impact. Per Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post:

The Nationals still believe in their later picks. Samford senior outfielder/catcher Brandon Miller led Division I with [23] home runs. Nationasl VP Roy Clark called Clemson junior Spencer Kieboom "the best defensive college catcher in the country," even if Kieboom is not ranked among Baseball American's top 500 prospects.

MLB Draft 2012: Nationals Select Samford Outfielder With Fourth-Round Pick

2012-06-05T21:42:01Z

With their fourth-round pick, No. 144 overall, in the 2012 MLB Draft, the Washington Nationals have selected Samford University outfielder Bradon Miller, the highest-ever a Samford player has been taken in the draft.

As a senior, Miller led the country in home runs this season with 23 -- a school-record. He was also 15th nationally in RBIs with 65, another program record. He is currently the school's all-time leader in home runs.

Since, the Nats have added some arms, as well as some position players in the later rounds. In the fifth round, they took Clemson catcher Spencer Kieboom, a junior, at No. 174 and in the sixth, they grabbed Hayden Jenning, a 6-foot center fielder from Evangel Christian Academy in Louisiana. Jennings is committed to play at LSU.

The team took two right-handed pitchers with its seventh and ninth round selections in Robert Benincasa (No. 234 overall) and Derek Self (No. 294), respectively. Benincasa is a junior from Florida State, while Self is a senior from Louisville. The Nats took a shortstop in Stephen Perez in the eight round.