Washington Nationals 2016 First-Year Player Draft. Selection Notes

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Washington Nationals 2016 First-Year Player Draft

Selection Notes

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RD (PICK) PLAYER POS B/T HT/WT DOB SCHOOL

1 (28) Carter Kieboom SS R/R 6-2/190 9/03/97 Walton (GA) High School

Notes: Kieboom, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound infielder is considered one of the best prep hitters in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft

after hitting .366 (37-for-101) with nine doubles, two triples, five home runs, 37 RBI, 24 walks, seven stolen bases and 39 runs scored for Walton High School in Marietta, Ga…He posted a .504 on-base percentage and a .644 slugging percentage during his senior season…The younger brother of Nationals catcher Spencer Kieboom, Carter has collected numerous prep All-America honors, including being named a 2016 Rawlings/Perfect Game preseason team All-American, 2016 Louisville Slugger first-team preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball and the 2015 Under Armour All-American Game MVP. He is rated by Perfect Game as the fifth-best high school prospect coming out of the talent-rich state of Georgia for the 2016 First-Year Player Draft…A shortstop in high school, Kieboom also saw time on the mound for Walton as an ambidextrous pitcher…Kieboom led Walton High School to its first state title in 2016, as the school claimed the Georgia Class 6A championship…He signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Clemson (SC) University.

1 (29) Dane Dunning RHP R/R 6-4/200 12/20/94 University of Florida

Notes: Dunning is 5-3 with two saves and a 2.50 ERA (19 ER/68.1 IP) in 29 games (five starts) for the University of Florida.

Dunning has struck out 78 batters and walked just 11 batters to this point in the 2016 season. Dunning will continue to pitch for the top-seeded Florida Gators as they advanced to the 2016 NCAA College World Series Tournament…A native of Fleming Island, Fla., Dunning attended Clay High School in Green Cove Springs, Fla…He was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 34th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, but chose to attend the University of Florida…He was named to the Rawlings/Perfect Game preseason second-team Florida All-Region prior to his senior year…As a senior at Clay, he earned all-state honors in Class 5A and was the school’s Athlete of the Year after going 5-2 with a 1.27 ERA.

2 (58) Sheldon Neuse 3B R/R 6-0/195 12/10/94 University of Oklahoma

Notes: Neuse hit .369 (73-for-198) with 15 doubles, five triples, 10 home runs, 48 RBI, 39 walks, 12 stolen bases and 42 runs

scored in 55 games for the University of Oklahoma…He led the Big 12 Conference in slugging percentage (.646), tied for the conference lead in triples (5) and ranked among league leaders in total bases (T2nd, 128), on-base percentage (4th, .465), home runs (T4th, 10), walks (T4th, 39), batting average (5th, .369), RBI (7th, 48) and stolen bases (T8th, 12)…For his efforts, Neuse was named first-team All-Big 12, a Louisville Slugger second team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and is a semifinalist for the National College Baseball Writers Association Dick Howser Trophy and USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award, awarded annually to the top collegiate player and top amateur player, respectively…He is also a semifinalist for the John Olerud Award, awarded to the top two-way player in college baseball, and the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the top shortstop in college baseball…The 2014 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Neuse was one of the top offensive players in the Big 12 the last three seasons, earning three consecutive unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selections while becoming the 40th player in Oklahoma’s program history to score at least 100 runs and record at least 100 RBI in his career…He is one of just 10 players in Big 12 history to be named first-team All-Big 12 three times and just the second player to be unanimously selected three times…In three collegiate seasons, Neuse hit .313 with 42 doubles, 15 triples, 23 home runs, 138 RBI, 90 walks, 29 stolen bases and 11 runs scored in 174 games (all starts). He posted a .525 slugging percentage and a .390 on-base percentage…On the mound, he went 6-2 with seven saves and a 1.60 ERA (7 ER/39.1 IP) and 36 strikeouts in 29 appearances out of the bullpen.

3 (94) Jesus Luzardo LHP L/L 6-1/205 9/30/97 Stoneman Douglas (FL) High School

Notes: Luzardo is rated as the No. 45 prospect in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft, per Baseball America and the No. 77

prospect according to MLB.com. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound lefty went 4-0 with a 0.66 ERA (2 ER/21.0 IP) in four starts in 2016. He underwent “Tommy John” ligament replacement surgery (Dr. James Andrews) on March 22, 2016. Prior to the 2016 season, Luzardo was named a Rawlings/Perfect game preseason first-team American and Louisville Slugger preseason first-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball.

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4 (124) Nick Banks OF L/L 6-1/215 11/18/94 Texas A&M University

Notes: Banks hit .289 (66-for-288) with 13 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 49 RBI, 22 walks, seven stolen bases and 47

runs scored…The 6-foot-1, 215-pound junior was named MVP of the 2016 SEC Tournament and helped the Aggies as they advanced to the Super Regionals of the NCAA Tournament…As a sophomore in 2015, Banks earned American Baseball Coaches Association third-team All-America honors and was named second-team All-SEC…He ranked fourth in the SEC in batting average (.364), fifth in on-base percentage (.450) and sixth in hits (87).

5 (154) Daniel Johnson OF L/L 5-10/185 7/11/95 New Mexico State University

Notes: Johnson was the 2016 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year and was selected in the fifth round…The

5-foot-10, 185 pound lefty led the league in batting average (.416), slugging percentage (.720), home runs (8), hits (52), total bases (90), runs (36) and stolen bases (15) during conference play…On the season, he hit .382 (94-for-246) with 11 doubles, seven triples, 12 homers, 50 RBI, 18 walks, 29 stolen bases and 67 runs scored in 57 total games…Johnson began his career at Northeast Oklahoma A&M Junior College before transferring to New Mexico State.

6 (184) Tres Barrera C R/R 6-0/215 9/15/94 University of Texas-Austin

Notes: Barrera hit .289 (61-for-211) with 17 doubles, six homers, 37 RBI, 28 walks and 35 runs scored in 57 games as Texas’

primary backstop in 2016…He was named honorable mention All-Big 12 following the season.

7 (214) Jacob Noll 2B R/R 6-1/200 3/08/94 Florida Gulf Coast University

Notes: Noll was the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year after leading the conference in nearly every offensive category, hitting .367

(87-for-237) with 20 doubles, two triples, 12 homers, 61 RBI, 20 walks, nine stolen bases and 58 runs scored…In addition to player of the year honors, Noll was also named a second-team All-American by Baseball America and a Louisville Slugger second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball…Noll was second-team Atlantic Sun in 2015 and in 2014, he was named the Louisville Slugger National Freshman Player of the Year, Louisville Slugger third-team All-American, NCBWA 2014 Freshman All-American, Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year and first-team Atlantic Sun.

8 (244) A.J. Bogucki RHP R/R 6-3/200 5/02/95 University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Notes: Bogucki went 5-5 with a 2.86 ERA (16 ER/50.1 IP) in 28 appearances for the Tar Heels in 2016…He struck out 53,

walked 25 and surrendered 39 hits.

9 (274) Joseph Harris C L/R 6-0/200 2/13/94 Gonzaga (WA) University

Notes: Harris, a senior, hit .274 (38-for-154) with 10 doubles, two homers, 22 RBI, 22 walks and 38 runs scored in 47 games for

the Bulldogs…As a junior in 2015, Harris was West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year after finishing the regular season second in the nation with 28 runners caught stealing and a .509 caught stealing percentage.

10 304) Paul Panaccione SS R/R 5-10/190 12/6/93 Grand Canyon (AZ) University

Notes: He hit .363 (53-for-146) with nine doubles, one triple, four homers, 26 RBI, 25 walks and 36 runs scored in 41 games

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11 (334) Armond Upshaw CF S/L 6-0/190 6/20/96 Pensacola State (FL) College

Notes: Upshaw started in every game except one during his two-year career at Pensacola State College…In his sophomore

campaign, Upshaw hit .337 with five doubles, one triple, five home runs and 26 RBI…In 49 games, Upshaw had a team-high 33 stolen bases…He signed a National Letter of Intent to play at the University of Missouri.

12 (364) Hayden Howard LHP R/L 6-5/193 3/26/94 Texas Tech University

Notes: In his first season at Texas Tech, Howard had a 9-3 record and eight saves with a 2.39 ERA in 33 appearances (one

start)…Played junior college ball at Seward (KS) Community College in 2013 and 2015, while redshirting at Texas A&M in 2014…In his freshman year at Seward Community College, Howard posted a 8-3 record with a 1.69 ERA…His 1.69 ERA is the second lowest ERA in Seward history…In 2015, as a redshirt sophomore, Howard led the team with 80 strikeouts in 13 starts…Howard was originally selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 39th_{round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.}

13 (394) Conner Simonetti 1B L/L 6-0/207 2/10/95 Kent State (OH) University

Notes: Simonetti started 56 of 57 games in his junior year, hitting .311 with 11 doubles, one triple and 17 home runs, with 50 RBI

and a .599 slugging percentage…His 17 home runs were a team high, and his .599 slugging percentage was one point off from the team lead… In his sophomore season, Simonetti hit 11 home runs, had 41 RBI and a .578 slugging percentage, all of which were team highs…Simonetti was originally selected in the 35th_{round by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.}

14 (424) Kyle Simonds RHP R/R 6-4/205 5/17/93 Texas A&M University

Notes: Simonds went 11-3 in 17 starts as a senior for the Aggies, finishing the season with a 2.61 ERA and 80 strikeouts, good

for second on the team…Simonds recorded a no-hitter against Vanderbilt on May 7…He pitched 100.0 innings, which led all Texas A&M pitchers…Simonds batted .218 with eight home runs, the most of any Aggie pitcher…His junior year, Simonds earned a 3-2 record with a 2.39 ERA…He went 2-0 as a reliever his junior year with a 1.09 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 33.0 innings of work…Transferred to Texas A&M from Hutchinson (KS) Community College, where he set a school record with 13 wins in his sophomore year.

15 (454) Ryan Williamson LHP L/L 6-3/195 4/28/95 North Carolina State University

Notes: Williamson went 7-2 with a 2.69 ERA in his junior year at NC State…He struck out 77 batters…During the season, Williamson started seven games without a loss, going 6-0 with 1.77 ERA with 48 strikeouts and just 24 walks…Williamson was originally selected by the Texas Rangers in the 28th_{round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.}

16 (484) Phillip Morse RHP R/R 6-2/195 5/23/94 Shenandoah (VA) University

Notes: Morse served as Shenandoah’s closer for the 2016 season, going 5-0 with eight saves…In 30.2 innings of work, Morse

struck out 26 batters and had just an 0.88 ERA…Morse hasn’t recorded a loss since his sophomore season, when he went 3-5 for the Hornets…During his junior year, Morse was converted to a reliever, and went 1-0 with a 0.50 ERA his junior year…Morse is the first player to be drafted from Shenandoah University since the school reinstated its baseball program in 1988.

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17 (514) Tyler Beckwith SS R/R 6-2/196 7/18/94 University of Richmond (VA)

Notes: Beckwith was the only Spider to play in all 52 games his senior season, where he batted .319, finished first in triples

(four), second on the team in hits (69), home runs (six), RBI (38) and stolen bases (10)…Beckwith finished eighth in school history with nine career triples…Started all 53 games his junior season as well, where he led the team in stolen bases (10) and hit .258 with 15 doubles, seven home runs and 28 RBI…In his four-year career at Richmond, Beckwith had at least 17 RBI each season while playing in at least 40 games.

18 (544) Ben Braymer LHP L/L 6-2/220 4/28/94 Auburn (AL) University

Notes: In his first season at Auburn, Braymer went 4-4 with a 3.56 ERA…In 26 appearances for the Tigers, Braymer had 47

strikeouts in 48.0 innings of work throughout the season…He transferred to Auburn from Louisiana State – Eunice, where he posted a 9-1 record…During his sophomore year, Braymer set a LSU-Eunice school record for strikeouts when he recorded 138 in 94.2 innings.

19 (547) Jarrett Gonzales C R/R 5-10/190 3/27/98 James Madison (TX) High School

Notes: Gonzales signed a National Letter of Intent to play at Grayson (TX) Junior College…His cousin, Jarrett, was also drafted

by the Nationals in the 32nd_round.

20 (604) Jake Barnett LHP L/L 6-2/190 7/30/94 Lewis and Clark (ID) State College

Notes: Barnett went 6-1 with a 3.40 ERA in 47.2 innings his junior year at Lewis and Clark State, striking out 51 batters while

only walking 16…He transferred from Palomar (CA) College, where in two seasons, Barnett posted a 17-5 record with a 2.59 ERA in 180.2 innings…Started 28 of 29 games at Palomar, where he recorded 155 strikeouts and just 40 walks.

21 (634) Jacob Howell RHP R/R 6-3/190 8/09/95 Delta State (MS) University

Notes: In his first season at Delta State, Howell went 1-3 in 18 appearances as a reliever…Howell struck out 45 and walked 15

in 34.1 innings during the season…Howell struck out at least two batters in 10 of his last 11 relief appearances of the season…Transferred to Delta State from Angelina (TX) Junior College, where he had a 5-3 record as a starter…In his 14 starts his sophomore season, Howell threw two complete games and struck out 71 batters in 86 innings, while only walking 23.

22 (664) Sterling Sharp RHP R/R 6-4/180 5/30/95 Drury (MO) University

Notes: Sharp led Drury with 18 appearances as a reliever, going 2-5 with a 5.90 ERA his junior year…He had 43 strikeouts in

50.1 innings of work during the course of the season…Sharp’s 43 strikeouts was third-best on the team…Sharp also played college ball at Eastern Michigan and Darton State (GA) College…Sharp was originally selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 30th

round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.

23 (694) Michael Rishwain RHP R/R 6-3/220 6/06/94 Westmont (CA) College

Notes: In his senior season, Rishwain made 24 appearances, posting a 4-1 record with a 1.51 ERA in 35.2 innings…Rishwain

struck out 31 batters while only allowing 28 hits and seven walks…In his four years at Westmont, Rishwain had a 7-5 record and a 3.54 career ERA, while never allowing more than 10 walks in a season.

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24 (724) Joseph Baltrip RHP R/R 6-1/220 2/15/95 Wharton Country (TX) Junior College

Notes: In his sophomore season at Wharton Country Junior College, Baltrip posted a 1-3 record with a 4.04 ERA and six

saves…Baltrip struck out 39 batters in 35.2 innings as a reliever…In conference play, Baltrip’s ERA dropped to 1.88, where he struck out 27 batters in 24.0 innings, while he only allowed 14 hits…Baltrip did not allow a run in his final four appearances of the season.

25 (754) Branden Boggetto SS R/R 6-0/190 11/10/93 Southeast Missouri State University

Notes: His senior year, Boggetto was one of four Redhawks to play in every game…In 59 games, Boggetto batted .339 with 18

doubles, four triples, five homers and 61 RBI…His 61 RBI were tied for best on the team and his 82 hits were second-best…Boggetto was also second in assists with 149…Boggetto was named First Team All-OVC as a senior and Second Team All-OVC as a junior…In Boggetto’s junior year, he led the OVC with 191 assists while leading Southeast Missouri State in home runs (13) and runs (61), and had the second highest double total (23) in school history…Boggetto started all four years at Southeast Missouri State.

26 (784) Jack Sundberg CF L/R 5-11/195 7/21/93 University of Connecticut

Notes: Sundberg batted .258 with five home runs and 28 RBI…Sundberg was tied for the team high in runs (53) and was first in

walks (45) and second in triples (three)…Sundberg was voted second team All-AAC for the second consecutive season.

27 (814) Jeremy McDonald LHP L/L 5-9/185 9/22/93 California Baptist University

Notes: McDonald went undefeated during his senior season at California Baptist, posting a 8-0 record with a 2.14

ERA…McDonald struck out 88 batters in 84.0 innings, recording two shutouts along the way…McDonald had a 13-3 career record at California Baptist, with a 2.46 ERA…His 2.46 ERA is the third best in school history and ranks the best for any Lancer with 110 or more innings pitched…McDonald was named to the All-Pac West Team in both seasons he was with California Baptist…He transferred from California State – Stanislaus.

28 (844) Jonathan Reid LHP L/L 6-0/175 6/28/95 Azusa Pacific (CA) University

Notes: A Pepperdine (CA) University transfer, Reid appeared in 20 games for Azusa Pacific this season (with two starts and 18

appearances out of the bullpen)…He did not allow a run through his first 16 appearances, and he tossed 29.2 with 38 strikeouts and 19 walks on the season, posting a 3-0 record...His 2.43 ERA was second-best on the Azusa Pacific pitching staff with over 10 innings pitched, and his opponent’s batting average (.250) ranked as the second-lowest on the team.

29 (874) Samuel Held RHP R/R 6-4/190 8/24/94 University of Nevada-Reno

Notes: Held made 19 appearances with four starts in his senior season, posting a 5.17 ERA with a 2-0 record in 38.1 innings

pitched…He pitched a complete game while allowing two runs in a victory against San Jose State University, setting a season-high in innings pitched…Against top-seeded Fresno State, he started and logged 4.2 innings in Nevada’s victory in the Mountain West tournament…Held also accrued a 3.60 ERA in conference play with eight appearances and two starts, only walking nine batters in 38.1 innings pitched…His arm helped lead Nevada to a second place finish in the Mountain West and to its first MW tournament finals appearance in program history.

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31 (934) C.J. Picerni C R/R 5-10/165 12/15/92 New York University

Notes: A transfer from California Lutheran University, Picerni started 34 games in the 2016 season…He hit .258 (32-for-124)

with nine doubles, 15 RBI and 12 runs scored as team captain…He was named to the University Athletic Association (UAA) Second Team in 2015 and served as a captain for the past two years and helped lead NYU to a pair of 20-win seasons.

32 (964) Garret Gonzales 3B L/R 6-0/175 7/13/98 James Madison (TX) High School

Notes: Signed a National Letter of Intent to play at the University of the Incarnate Word in Texas…He was selected with his

cousin, Jarrett, who was drafted by Nationals in the 19th_round.

33 (994) Ryan Wetzel SS L/R 6-3/170 4/2/98 Heritage Christian (KS) Academy

Notes: In 19 games played in the 2015-16 baseball season, Wetzel hit .638 (37-for-58) with a .687 on-base percentage…He

collected 37 hits, 11 doubles and two home runs…Wetzel had 17 runs-batted-in and scored 26 times in those 19 games.

34 (1024) Morgan Cooper RHP R/R 6-5/210 9/12/94 University of Texas-Austin

Notes: The redshirt sophomore finished 2016 with a 3-5 record and a 4.03 ERA, earning his first career complete game in his

final outing of the season—a 15-3 win over Baylor in the Big 12 Baseball Championship tournament where he tossed seven innings, allowed 10 hits and three earned runs, while walking none and striking out three…Cooper won his first game of the season against Sam Houston State (March 8) while setting a career-high in strikeouts (8)…He made his first appearance since the 2014 College World Series (June 21, 2014) on February 21 vs. UNLV and allowed just one baserunner (a walk) in two innings of work during that game against the Rebels.

35 (1054) Tristan Bayless LHP L/L 6-1/190 6/23/97 Hutto (TX) High School

36 (1084) Jordan McFarland OF R/R 6-4/225 8/24/97 Waterloo (IL) High School

Notes: McFarland was honored as the National 17-under Player of the Year and an All-American by Perfect Game USA…He

competed in the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif., which includes some of the nation’s top players…PrepBaseballReport.com has McFarland listed as the 66th best player nationally and No. 7 outfielder…During three Perfect Game showcase tournaments in Atlanta, Phoenix and Jupiter, Fla., he hit .571 (24-for-51) with four doubles, two triples, two home runs and 13 RBIs…He had a .627 on-base percentage and .905 slugging percentage…For the 2016 season at Waterloo High School, McFarland hit .500 with 10 doubles, six home runs, 31 RBI’s, 37 stolen bases and 49 runs scored.  

37 (1114) Cory Voss C R/R 5-10/190 10/27/95 McLennan (TX) Community College

Notes: While appearing in 55 games at the University of New Mexico, Voss recorded a .384 batting average with 68 hits, 19

doubles, two triples and 11 home runs…He had 53 RBI and 69 runs scored…Voss was an All-Mountain West Academic Team selection, the Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year and he was a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and NCWBA Freshman All-American selection during the course of his career at UNM.

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39 (1174) Matthew Mervis 1B L/R 6-4/230 4/16/98 Georgetown Preparatory (MD) School

Notes: Mervis has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Duke (NC) University…He was a 2016 Rawlings-Perfect

Game Honorable Mention All-American.

40 (1204) Sean Cook RHP R/R 5-10/165 6/13/98 Walt Whitman (MD) High School

Notes: As a senior at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Md., Cook recorded four wins and a 1.50 ERA…He pitched a total