Draft Dope: Nationals

June 6, 2007

Draft History (Click the year to view the picks)
Year	Top Pick
1992	B.J. Wallace
1993	Chris Schwab
1994	Hiram Bocachica
1995	Michael Barrett
1996	*John Patterson
1997	Donnie Bridges
1998	Josh McKinley
1999	Josh Girdley
2000	Justin Wayne
2001	Josh Karp
2002	Clint Everts
2003	Chad Cordero
2004	Bill Bray
2005	Ryan Zimmerman
2006	Chris Marrero
* did not sign

Scouting Director: Dana Brown (first year: 2002)
Order in 2007 Rotation: 6th
Extra Picks: Supplemental first round (31st, for loss of Type A free agent Alfonso Soriano to Cubs; 49th, for loss of Type B free agent Jose Guillen to Mariners), second round (67th, for Soriano)
Lost Picks: None
Trend: After years of shrunken scouting departments and budgets due to Major League Baseball ownership, the Nationals were aggressive last year, taking high school athletes and power arms, and pushing their college picks aggressively. Brown proved himself as a great talent evaluator on a shoestring budget, so it will be interesting to see how things go with money.
This Year's Outlook: Who's running the show? While former Diamondbacks scouting director Mike Rizzo is now with the organization as an assistant general manager, his focus has not been the draft. When left alone, Brown has produced good drafts (such as Chad Cordero in 2003 and Ryan Zimmerman in 2005), but GM Jim Bowden and his crew likely will be involved at the top.