The Washington Nationals reached into their recent draft history by reselecting Stanford pitcher Brett Mooneyham in the third round. The Stanford southpaw was drafted by the Nationals in the 38th round last season. Though there are some potential control issues with Mooneyham, the hope is that he can develop into another fast hurler for the Nationals staff. Mooneyham measures in at 6'5" and 235 pounds.
This past season at Stanford, Mooneyham went 7-5 with a 4.26 ERA in 14 starts with 90 strikeouts over 82 and a third innings pitched. However, he did walk 37 batters and hit an addition 15, most on the Stanford staff in both categories.
Baseball Prospect Nation makes a deal of his control problems as well as his command, which could be something to keep an eye on in his development.
I have reservations about long-term command projection. Mediocre arm action, lack of athleticism and general inconsistency make locating his pitches a consistent issue.
It may take some time to deal with Mooneyham's control issues, but if he can get over them, the Nationals could have another gem of a pitcher on their roster in the future.
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