We’re hearing that the Nationals will take Reds righthander Terrell Young with the first pick in the Rule 5 draft. Young, 24, went 2-5, 2.88 in 59 innings between low Class A Dayton and high Class A Sarasota last year. A 10th-round pick out of Grenada (Miss.) High in 2004, Young signed for $40,000. He dropped in the draft that year because of concerns about his makeup. He has always had an outstanding loose arm, but he also has struggled to show consistency and an ability to take coaching.

Partly because of that, Young didn’t make it to full season ball for good until 2007 in his fourth pro season. Command has always been an issue, as he walked 59 batters in his first 83 innings, but he did show some improvement this year, as he walked 28 batters while striking out 47 this year.

Young’s fastball is a potentially plus pitch. When he’s on, Young’s 93-95 mph fastball will touch 98 mph on good days. His breaking ball however is fringy and he struggles to locate it. Without solid secondary stuff, Young will have to show he can locate his fastball consistently to stick with the Nationals.

We’re also getting rumblings that Brewers catcher Lou Palmisano will likely be popped in the top five picks.