2015 MLB Draft: Washington Nationals Day 3 Summary

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(Photo Credit: Mick VanVossen, Rey Del Rio,

http://www.msuspartans.com)

The Major League Amateur Draft finished up yesterday with the teams completing the forty scheduled rounds of selections.

The Washington Nationals, as expected, in the later rounds utilized the same strategy as they did last year with their late round picks. Most of the selections were players that are still in college or high school seniors who are probably already committed to colleges. There will be little incentive for most of the selected players to sign with the Nats and start their professional careers.

College juniors taken in the very late rounds of the draft have every incentive to play their senior year and continue to try to improve their skills and move up the draft board next year. The high school seniors have the same incentive, plus a college education, that they would give up to sign as a late round draft pick. They too are probably hoping to go to college, where they could continue to mature and work on their skills, which could allow them to move up in the draft in future years.

Since the entire draft pool money available to sign picks is capped under the MLB rules, teams are hoping most of the late round picks aren’t interested in signing. This leaves more money available for the Nats, and other teams, to pay the signing bonuses to the players they actually want to sign this year.