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The Washington Nationals selected 6'5'', 215 lb, Atwater, California-born LHP Brett Mooneyham out of Stanford with the 111th pick of the 3rd Round of the 2012 Draft a year after they'd drafted the left-hander with the 1,147th pick in the 38th Round of the 2011 Draft. Last summer the Nationals failed to sign Mooneyham. The pitcher, who had a "flexor tendon" issue in his finger cost him the 2011 season, was (7-5) with a 4.26 ERA, 37 walks and 90 K's in 14 games and 82.1 IP for the Cardinal baseball team in the 2012 season and was picked again by D.C. GM Mike Rizzo and his scouts with their third pick of the draft this year after RHP Lucas Giolito (16th overall) and infielder Tony Renda (80th). This afternoon the Nats announced that they'd soon Mooneyham this time around, though no details of the signing have been released yet*:
The #Nationals have signed their 3rd round pick from the 2012 First-Year Player Draft: Brett Mooneyham - LHP, Stanford University.
— Nationals PR (@NationalsPR) June 22, 2012
The signing gives the Nationals deals with eight of their top 10 picks with 1st Round pick (16th overall) Lucas Giolito and 7th Round pick Robert Benincasa still unsigned. The Nationals have until July 13th to agree on deals with their 2012 selections.
(ed. note - "In further updates on the signing, Washington Post reporter Adam Kilgore and others are noting that Mooneyham signed for exactly the amount of his recommended slot bonus."):
The slot money Mooneyham signed for is $428,500.
— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) June 22, 2012
• In one other of Stanford Cardinal-pitcher-related news...
Washington Times' writer Amanda Comak (@acomak) Tweeted this afternoon the former Cardinal closer and rehabbing Nats' reliever Drew Storen faced live competition for the first time this afternoon:
Drew Storen threw live BP this afternoon, first time facing hitters since April surgery. Threw all fastballs, had good sink. Went well.
— Amanda Comak (@acomak) June 22, 2012
Storen's expected to rejoin the Nationals' bullpen after the All-Star break. The 24-year-old '09 1st Rounder had surgery to remove a bone chip from his right elbow and had recently begun throwing off a mound again as he works his way back to the majors.