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SAN FRANCISCO - The Nationals are done with the second day of the draft, having added 28 players to the three selections they made on the draft's first day. Here are a few notes on the proceedings:
* Nineteen of the 31 players the Nationals have taken so far are pitchers, and 14 of those pitchers are 6-foot-3 or taller. There's a clear emphasis on getting big, athletic pitchers in the system. Or, as Drew Storen deadpanned, more pitchers like him.
* Storen and first-rounder Alex Meyer played on the same traveling team in Indiana, though Storen was a year older than Meyer. The two players' fathers know each other, and Storen said he gave Meyer some advice about picking a college a few years back.
* The team took two players with local ties: Georgetown catcher Erick Fernandez (25th round) and George Washington left-hander Bobby Lucas (27th round). Their 16th-rounder, Deion Williams, is the grandson of three-time All-Star George Scott, and 22nd-round pick Travis Henke is the son of former Blue Jays closer Tom Henke.
* Finally - on the subject of family - the Nationals had two other newsworthy developments today. Their last pick of the day was the second time they've drafted Bryce Harper's older brother, Bryan, a left-handed pitcher from the University of South Carolina. If Bryan Harper signs quickly and goes to Single-A Hagerstown, it's conceivable both Harpers could play on the same team.
And Ivan Rodriguez's son, Ivan Dereck Rodriguez, went to the Twins in the sixth round today. The elder Rodriguez said he'd been talking to scouts for several weeks, and knew ahead of time the Twins planned to select his 19-year-old son. He didn't tell Dereck Rodriguez, so he could keep the surprise in place. "It was cool. It was nice," Ivan Rodriguez said.
Ivan Rodriguez said his son, who had committed to Santa Fe Community College, wants to sign quickly and play baseball; he was so up-front about it that infielder Alex Cora (who appointed himself Dereck Rodriguez's volunteer agent) kept interjecting that Rodriguez's son might go to school, trying to drive up the signing bonus price. "You signed as a free agent," Cora said to Rodriguez. "You don't know how this works."
But it seems likely there will be a little Pudge in the minors soon. "It's a dream come true," Ivan Rodriguez said. "Now, it's time for him to play ball."
