Nationals select five players on second day of MLB's 2020 First-Year Player Draft

The Washington Nationals selected five players on the second day of Major League Baseball's 2020 First-Year Player Draft. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Assistant General Manager & Vice President of Scouting Operations Kris Kline and Director of Scouting Operations Eddie Longosz made the joint announcement.

The Nationals kicked off Thursday's action by selecting right-handed pitcher Cole Henry out of Louisiana State University in the second round. Henry went 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA (4 ER/19.0 IP) and 23 strikeouts in four starts for the Tigers. Henry was named to the 2020 Golden Spikes Award (top amateur player) preseason watch list and preseason Third-Team All-American by D1Baseball.com. As a freshman in 2019, Henry made 14 appearances (11 starts), going 4-2 with a 3.39 ERA in 58.1 innings with 72 strikeouts against 18 walks. Henry entered the 2020 First-Year Player Draft rated by Baseball America as the No. 51 draft prospect and by MLBPipeline.com as the No. 45 draft prospect.

With their compensation second round pick, the Nationals selected shortstop Samuel Infante from Monsignor Edward Pace (FL) High School. Infante hit .481 (13-for-27) with four doubles, one homer, six walks and just three strikeouts, prior to the cancellation of the 2020 season.

The Nationals selected right-handed pitcher Holden Powell out of the University of California, Los Angeles in the third round. Powell made eight appearances out of the bullpen in 2020, recording three saves with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER/9.1 IP) and 20 strikeouts en route to being named a Second-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. He recorded 65 strikeouts, 17 saves and a .121 opponents' batting average during his sophomore season in 2019. The 17 saves were second-most in the nation in 2019 and ranked second all-time in UCLA single-season history. In his three collegiate seasons with the Bruins, Powell recorded 26 saves, a 2.26 ERA (23 ER/91.2 IP) and 107 strikeouts in 77 games.

In the fourth round, the Nationals selected catcher Brady Lindsly out of the University of Oklahoma. Lindsly hit .271 (16-for-59) with two doubles, one triple, three homers, 13 RBI, six walks and 10 runs scored in 14 games during his senior season. Prior to the 2020 season, Lindsly was named to the preseason All-Big 12 team.

Washington selected left-handed pitcher Mitchell Parker, a sophomore from San Jacinto (TX) College, in the fifth and final round. Parker went 5-0 with a 1.19 ERA (4 ER/30.1 IP) with 64 strikeouts and 18 walks in six starts in 2020.

Over the two days of the First-Year Player Draft, the Nationals selected six players: three right-handed pitchers, one left-handed pitcher, one infielder and one catcher. Of Washington's six selections, four came from four-year universities, one from a junior college and one from the high school ranks.

RD PICK PLAYER POS B/T HT WT DOB SCHOOL

1 22 Cade Cavalli RHP R/R 6-4 226 8/14/98 University of Oklahoma

2 55 Cole Henry RHP R/R 6-4 211 7/15/99 Louisiana State University

2C 71 Samuel Infante SS R/R 6-1 185 6/22/01 Monsignor Edward Pace HS (FL)

3 94 Holden Powell RHP R/R 6-0 190 9/9/99 University of Calif.-Los Angeles

4 123 Brady Lindsly C L/R 6-1 221 3/3/98 University of Oklahoma

5 153 Mitchell Parker LHP L/L 6-4 195 9/27/99 San Jacinto College (TX)