WASH: Nationals could have drafted Josh Bell in 2011

Rumor has it Mike Rizzo has long coveted first baseman Josh Bell. Well, the Nationals had ample opportunity to draft him in 2011.

Now that the Washington Nationals have their first baseman for 2021, in Josh Bell, we can look back at the draft where the Nats could have selected this 6-4, 250 pound beast, in the first place.

Bell was coming out of Dallas Jesuit College Prep, and fell to the first pick of the second round. Prior to the Pittsburgh Pirates snapping him up, the Nationals had plenty of chances to grab him. Along with their own first round pick, the Nats picked up two other first round picks (one a supplemental selection) when the Chicago White Sox signed free agent Adam Dunn.

Hindsight is 20/20, meaning sure is easy to sit back now and choose whether or not the Nationals should have gone with who they did. Who knows how these kids are going to perform, whether they are coming out of college, or high school, like Bell did. They could have a direct line to the major leagues and star at that level, or they could flameout in the minor leagues, having never made it.

There were definitely some good names selected in the first round of the 2011 draft (Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer, George Springer, Trevor Story, and Javier Baez to name a few), though the Nationals selected the guy who has the best WAR coming out of that class thus far. A look at the three guys the Nationals selected instead of Josh Bell in the 2011 draft.

Anthony Rendon

The Nationals had the sixth pick of the 2011 draft as they were coming off a 69-93 season where they finished dead last in the National League East, in 2010.

Anthony Rendon was viewed by many as potentially the top pick in the draft, though a history of injuries scared off a few teams. A fractured ankle in 2010 and a muscle strain in his back, which forced the third baseman to move to designated hitter most of his last collegiate year, were red flags for some. The fact Rendon walked twice as often as he struck out (80/33) and had an OPS of 1.043, made him ver attractive to the Nationals.

Rendon was drafted in 2011, debuted in 2013, and led the league in runs in 2014.

Who remembers Anthony Rendon as a second baseman? He made 165 starts there before Ryan Zimmerman moved across the diamond, freeing up Rendon to play third base.

During his seven year career with the Nationals, Rendon was a constant source of power while getting on base at an impressive clip.

In 2019, Rendon hit .319 with 34 long balls and a league best 126 runs driven in. After the Nats won the World Series he signed a 7 YR/$245M deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

Tony Two Bags was the right pick at number six.

Alex Meyer

The Nationals had the 23rd pick in the first round as compensation for the White Sox signing slugger Adam Dunn. During his two years in town Dunn hit 76 home runs and delivered zero postseason wins.

With the pick, the Nationals selected a 6 foot, 9 inch right-hander, out of the University of Kentucky, by the name of Alex Meyer.

Meyer was 10-6 with a 2.86 ERA, with more strikeouts than innings pitched in Single-A, in what would be his only season in the Nationals organization.

In need of a leadoff hitter and center fielder the Nats sent Meyer to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Denard Span.

Span did well in his time with the Nationals, hitting .292 with 62 stolen bases in his three years in DC. His OPS of .255 during the playoff loss to San Francisco was very forgettable.

Appearing in just four games with the Twins, Meyer had a 14.21 ERA before being flipped to the Los Angeles Angels. In 2017 Meyer made 13 starts with an ERA less than 4.00. Tommy John surgery and other shoulder issues hampered Meyer, and that was the last we’ve heard of him.

Josh Bell could have been a fit at this selection, though the Nats were looking for an arm at the time.