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SAN FRANCISCO - As most predicted, the Nationals took University of Kentucky right-hander Alex Meyer with the 23rd pick in the first round of the June Draft.
The 6-foot-9 right-hander gives the Nationals another power arm; his fastball has been clocked at 97 mph, and he also throws a hard slider in the high 80s. He probably needs a better handle on his changeup and more command of his two out pitches to be effective at the major league level, but he's got a big frame, and he's another college player who could potentially move quickly through the system. There had been talk of the Nationals taking Meyer at No. 6, so to get him at No. 23 could be a coup. Things didn't work out exactly as they might have hoped with Danny Hultzen and Bubba Starling coming off the board before their first pick, but in Anthony Rendon and Meyer, they've managed to get quite a bit of impact potential out of their first two picks.
And, Meyer is another Scott Boras client. Perhaps general manager Mike Rizzo can get a group discount on negotiations - though nothing in the Nationals' dealings with the agent would suggest any type of discount ever factors into Boras' way of thinking.
The Nationals have one more choice tonight - the 34th overall pick. Rizzo will talk with reporters again after that pick, and we'll have more when he does, in addition to coverage of tonight's game, which starts in a little less than an hour.
