Rendon goes 6th
Gerrit Cole has gone 1st overall the the Pittsburgh Pirates but it is the Nationals who, with the 6th pick had Anthony Rendon fall right into their lap. Rendon, a 3rd basemen out of baseball powerhouse, Rice University was projected to go 2nd but fell, not far, to DC’s ball club.
First question in your mind is most likely, “Why did the Nats select a 3rd basemen?”
Well, this guy can play a plethora of positions. As Ryan Zimmerman is and will continue to be a staple at the hot corner, Rendon has such tremendous upside that he can flourish anywhere. A natural 2nd basemen, the Nationals has plenty of flexibility with this pick at multiple positions.
As 2nd base looks likely, Rendon could also be fitted for the outfield depending on how Jim Riggleman wants to utilize Werth and Harper for the next few years. With no solid foundation in left field and center field, Rendon’s position might very well rest on the outcome of Bryce Harper and Danny Espinosa.
If Washington believes that Harper can cover ground and hold down the fort in center, then the former Rice standout should be a solid choice to man left field. However, some circumstances in the middle infield could bode well for the 2011 6th overall pick. If Mike Rizzo plays his cards right, he could very well swing Ian Desmond or Danny Espinosa depending on who he is willing to part with. The idea for a potential trade would be for pitching as they could very well package one of the middle infielders with the likes of Michael Burgess, Chris Marrero, or Tyler Moore to solidify that need.
It has yet to be seen how Rendon will recover from previous injuries suffered as he’s already has two ankle surgeries and a shoulder injury last season that left him seeing majority of his time as DH.
Regardless of the injuries, Rendon’s accolades stand in a class of itself. His freshman year, he hit .388/.702/.496 with 20 HR’s and 72 RBI’s while playing in all of the Rice Owls games. Sophomore year went extremely well as he hit .394 with 26 mashers 85 ribbies. Despite being hobbled by a shoulder injury that left him at DH for his junior year, Rendon still managed to hit .327/.523/.520.
Further accolades include:
2009 Baseball America’s Freshman of the Year, Conference USA Player of the Year, and Conference USA Freshman of the Year.
2010 National Player of the Year (Howser Trophy Winner) and Rawling National Player of the Year
2011 National Semifinalist for National Player of the Year and the Golden Spikes Award, and 2nd Team All-America.
As I had hoped the Nats would select Trevor Bauer, I believe the Nationals went with the best ballplayer on the board in Rendon.
The future keeps getting brighter and brighter.