The Nationals had two picks late on Day 1 of the MLB Draft thanks to this weekend’s trade with the Royals, and they ended up selecting Cal catcher Caleb Lomavita at No. 39 overall (the Competitve Balance Round A pick they got from KC) and SS Luke Dickerson from Morris Knolls HS in Rockaway, N.J., with their second-round selection at No. 44 overall.
Lomavita was the third college catcher selected in the Top 39 and was a name to watch from our Grant Paulsen, as MLB.com says he is “an aggressive hitter who has the chance to hit for average and power, especially if he can refine his approach a bit, while sticking behind the plate.”
The No. 33 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Lomavita was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Hawaii in 2021 and spent three years at Cal, slashing .322/.395/.586 with 15 homers in 55 games last year. He also slashed .329/.374/.494 in the Cape Cod League last summer, so he was battle tested against both the Pac-12 and the best of the best.
Lomavita is a 50 out of 80 overall on the 20-80 five-tool scale and is considered to have plus arm strength, so he is a strong bet to stick behind the plate, and his slot comes with a $2,395,000 slot bonus.
Diuckerson was a two-sport star at Morris Knolls, winning a state title in hockey before hitting .467 with a 1.086 SLG and 18 home runs as a senior – tied for the state single-season record with two others, including one guy named Trout – to earn State Player of the Year honors.
He is, according to MLB Pipeline, ‘a plus runner with a chance to stay up the middle’ on defense, and, on offense, ‘some have seen a very good feel for the barrel and an all-fields approach that focuses on the center of the diamond, while others feel his swing is more strength-based than bat speed, but he has a short and simple swing that he repeats easily and has shown the ability to adjust to make plenty of contact. Anyone who has seen him feels there’s plenty of power for him to tap into, some of which was showing up more this spring.’
Dickerson is committed to Virginia, and his slot value is $2,122,200.