Washington Nationals Select Cal-Berkeley 2B Tony Renda With The 80th Pick In the Second Round Of The 2012 Draft.

After selecting 17-year-old high school right-hander Lucas Giolito last night, the Washington Nationals used their second round selection this afternoon to draft Cal-Berkeley second baseman Tony Renda, an infielder MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo described in his 2012 Draft preview as a, "... hard-nosed player," while noting that he, "... draws the inevitable Dustin Pedroia comparisons, " and has, "... plus bat speed allows him to spray line drives to both gaps." After the Nationals made their second round selection, the team quoted Director of Scouting Kris Kline offering the following thoughts on the infielder:

From Kris Kline, Director of Scouting for the #Nationals: "In our opinion, Tony has the quickest bat in the draft. He has always hit. (more)

— Nationals PR (@NationalsPR) June 5, 2012

"He brings controlled aggression and a strong, compact swing. He has tremendous makeup and is a great kid." #MLBdraft

— Nationals PR (@NationalsPR) June 5, 2012

Renda finished his junior year in college with a .342/.436/.484 line, 16 doubles, 5 HR's, 29 BB, 18 K's in 54 games and 219 at bats after posting a combined .351/.394/.485 line in his first two years at Cal. As the Nationals noted on Twitter, the infielder was recognized as the Pac 10 Player of the Year after his sophomore year in 2011:

As a sophomore in 2011, Renda was named 2011 Pac-10 Player of the Year. He was just the fourth player in Cal history to earn the honor.

— Nationals PR (@NationalsPR) June 5, 2012

The Nationals next pick is the 111th overall selection...