With Elijah Green and Jake Bennett highlighting their first night of the 2022 MLB Draft, the Washington Nationals had an underrated second day. They took Trey Lipscomb in the third round and then spent the rest of the day targeting players with high upside tools. They rounded out their third day by targeting players from big name schools and hopefully were able to land some hidden gems.
Follow along with us all day as we keep you updated on all of the Washington Nationals Day three 2022 MLB Draft picks.
Round 11 (321st overall): Luke Young, RHP, Midland College (TX)
With their first pick of the day, the Nats select RHP Luke Young out of Midland College (TX) with the 321st overall pick in the 11th round.
— Bobby Blanco (@Bobby_Blanco) July 19, 2022
Luke Young RHP of Midland College throws a FB by a New Mexico Hitter to record a strikeout. Young FB 90-93 with late life and has a nasty downer curve 77-78. Young has pitched 3 hitless innings so far. @PBR_JUCO @PBR_Texas @MCChapBaseball #DOMINANT pic.twitter.com/VgIH2q8YsW
— Tad Slowik (@TadSlowik_PBR) March 12, 2022
Round 12 (351st overall): Nick Peoples, OF, Northview HS (CA)
Nats select OF Nick Peoples out of Northview High School (CA) with the 351st overall pick in the 12 round.
— Bobby Blanco (@Bobby_Blanco) July 19, 2022
Round 13 (381st overall): Marquis Grissom Jr., RHP, Georgia Tech
For those that think this name is familiar, Marquis Grissom Jr. is the son of 17 year MLB OF Marquis Grissom. A college sophomore, Grissom Jr. went 4-5, with a 5.75 ERA, with 57 strikeouts in 61 innings. Due to the low slot money, he can always return to school with an eye on raising his draft stock.
Round 14 (411th overall): Courtland Lawson, SS, Tennessee
For the second straight day, the Nationals targeted the left side of Tennessee’s infield, this time taking shortstop Courtland Lawson. A Reston VA native, Lawson slashed .269/.402/.512, with 12 homers, 45 RBIs, and an OPS of .914.
Round 15 (441st overall): Kyle Luckham, RHP, Arizona State
Kyle Luckham spent the first three years of his collegiate career at Cal State Fullerton before transferring to Arizona State. This past season he went 7-3, with a 4.36 ERA, and 72 strikeouts while only walking 23. Most impressively, he keeps the ball in the yard allowing only nine homers this year.
Lucky to The Capital 🇺🇸@kyle__luck | #MLBU pic.twitter.com/URpEmYQkZV
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) July 19, 2022
Round 16 (471st overall): Everett Cooper, SS, Pro5 Baseball Academy (NC)
16 (471): Everett Cooper, SS, Pro5 Baseball Academy
— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) July 19, 2022
Round 17 (501st overall): Blake Klassen, 1B, UC Santa Barbara (CA)
After spending time at the University of Arizona, Blake Klassen played at UC Santa Barbara this past season, putting up solid numbers. He slashed .352/.413/.648, with 10 homers, 27 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.061 in 37 games.
Nats select 1B Blake Klassen out of UC Santa Barbara with the 501st overall pick in the 17th round.
— Bobby Blanco (@Bobby_Blanco) July 19, 2022
Round 18 (531st overall): Brad Lord, RHP, South Florida
Brad Lord was mostly a starter but also made a few relief appearances for South Florida going 3-7, with a 5.25 ERA, and 60 strikeouts while only walking 22 in 61 2/3 innings this season.
Nats select RHP Brad Lord out of South Florida with the 531st overall pick in the 18th round.
— Bobby Blanco (@Bobby_Blanco) July 19, 2022
Round 19 (561st overall): Johnathon Thomas, OF, Texas Southern
Johnathon Thomas had an excellent 2022 season with Texas Southern slashing .345/.442/.610, with nine homers, 42 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.052.
Thomas is a 5-foot-7, 175-pound speedy outfielder who led Division I with 62 (‼️) stolen bases in 53 games.
— Bobby Blanco (@Bobby_Blanco) July 19, 2022
The next highest was 46. 😳
Round 20 (591st overall): JeanPierre Ortiz, SS, IMG Academy (FL)
Rounding out the Washington Nationals 2022 draft is JeanPierre Ortiz — who was high school teammates with the Nats first-round pick Elijah Green.
And with their final pick of the 2022 MLB Draft, the Nats select SS JeanPierre Ortiz out of IMG Academy at No. 591 overall in the 20th round.
— Bobby Blanco (@Bobby_Blanco) July 19, 2022
Now we wait and see how high they will select in next year's draft. Even with the addition of the lottery, No. 1 overall is possible.