The Washington Nationals today selected 17 year-old right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito (Harvard-Westlake School, California) with the 16th-overall pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Nationals Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Personnel Roy Clark and Nationals Director of Scouting Kris Kline made the joint announcement. The 6-foot-6, 230 lbs. Giolito is regarded as one of the...

With the 16th pick in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Nationals went the pitching route, selecting right-hander

The Orioles tonight selected LSU right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman with the fourth pick in round one of the First-Year Player Draft. Gausman pitched LSU to a 7-1 win Sunday over Oregon State in the NCAA regionals, going eight innings and allowing seven hits and one run, throwing 129 pitches. In 16 starts this year with the Tigers, he is 11-1 with an ERA of 2.72 along with 128 strikeouts and 27 walks in 115 2/3 innings. Opponents have batted .231 against him this season, his sophomore year for...

BOSTON - In the end, the Orioles couldn't resist the allure of a college pitcher. And they had their pick of the best ones. Despite strong interest in high school left-hander Max Fried and San Francisco right-hander Kyle Zimmer, and the unexpected availability of Stanford's Mark Appel, the Orioles chose LSU right-hander Dylan Bundy in 2011,

As of about 3:30 this afternoon, it appears that Orioles officials are still not certain who the top three selections in tonight's First-Year Player Draft will be and they are hoping to learn that before the draft starts so they can determine their best move with the fourth pick. In some past drafts, those top few picks were known among scouting directors with hours to go before the draft but not this year. No one seems certain even which player Houston will take with the draft's top pick....

In each of the last five years, the Nationals have owned a top-10 pick in the First-Year Player Draft. In 2009 and 2010, they held the top overall selection, and everyone and their mother knew that Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper would be the Nats' picks in those two respective drafts. This year, there's much less certainty when it comes to what the Nats might do with their first-round selection. Holding the No. 16 pick, general manager Mike Rizzo and the Nats will rank their top 16...

BOSTON - Bill Hall is an Oriole. Then he isn't. Then he is. Then he isn't. Where he stops, nobody knows. Well, we know that he's rejoining Triple-A Norfolk after clearing waivers today and again being outrighted. He'll meet up with the Tides in Rochester. Teams had until 1 p.m. today to put in a claim. The Orioles designated Hall for assignment on Saturday to make room on the 25- and 40-man rosters for first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce, obtained from the Yankees for cash...

BOSTON - It's cold and raining in Boston today. I'm told it will be cold and raining for the rest of the week. Today might not be the last day off for the Orioles on this trip. In case you missed the Adam Jones update from earlier today, which is attached to a previous blog entry, MRIs taken on both hands and wrists came back negative. He's got contusions - or bruises, to you and me - and is expected to play tomorrow night if the weather allows it. Jones and Nick Markakis were examined by...

One guy is a great fielder and has a strong arm. Another hits for average and has great hands. Still another is an outstanding teammate and leader, and despite not having incredible tools, somehow finds a way to get on base almost every time. So which one should the Nationals select in tonight's First-Year Player Draft? After all, the Bryce Harpers of the world don't grow on trees. "It is makeup," Nationals assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel Roy Clark told me...

For years now the fans of D.C. have been whispering, "Build it and we will come," in response to questions about attendance. In 2005, when the Nationals were the newest thing on the block, they drew 2.7 million. When Nationals Park opened in 2008 and there was another new toy, attendance went back up to 2.3 million despite a woeful team. As the team has fallen, attendance has as well. Which has left the guys in the press box questioning why there are no local fans. But they got their answer...