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Arizona Fall League Fall Stars GameThread: Nationals' prospect Tony Renda in action

Washington Nationals' prospect Tony Renda is the only Nats' representative in tonight's Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game which takes place at 8:00 PM EDT from Scottsdale, Arizona's Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Who's watching Renda?

By Patrick Reddington
Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

Washington Nationals' national crosschecker Fred Costello was an area scout with the Los Angeles Dodgers when L.A. drafted Tony Renda out of Serra High School in San Mateo, California in the 42nd Round of the 2009 Draft.

Renda didn't sign, of course, opting to attend college.

As noted in an article by San Jose Mercury News writer Vytas Mazeika in 2012, Costello, who joined the Nats as an area scout in the Northwest US in 2010 and was promoted to his current role in November of 2013, was also working for Washington when the Nationals selected Renda out of Cal State Berkeley in the second-round of the 2012 Draft.

"Tony has the quickest bat in the draft. He has always hit. He brings controlled aggression and a strong, compact swing." -Kris Kline on Tony Renda after the 2012 Draft

"'Right as the pick was coming on, I got a call from the area scout Fred Costello,'" the then-21-year-old infielder told the Mercury News' reporter. "He gave me the news and I heard my name announced and it was really cool.'"

Renda, now 23, said then that he was determined to sign quickly and get his professional career started and he signed on June 7th, a day after the draft ended that year.

MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo described Renda in his 2012 Draft preview as a, "... hard-nosed player," who, "... draws the inevitable Dustin Pedroia comparisons, " and has, "... plus bat speed allows him to spray line drives to both gaps."

In a recent video report on the Nationals' prospects competing in the Arizona Fall League, Mayo described Renda, who put up a .307/.381/.377 line with 21 doubles, four triples, 19 SB, 43 walks and 59 Ks in 107 games and 472 PAs for the High-A Potomac Nationals this season, as a diminutive infielder who has shown that he can hit.

"He's hit for a high average," Mayo said.

"He hit .307 in the Carolina League. He draws walks. He gets on base. He knows that's a part of his game. He has virtually no power to speak of, so he's going to have to hit his way up the ladder. He's the kind of guy that each level he's going to have to prove himself that he can handle that kind of pitching.

"He's a second baseman only, he's not the kind of guy that is going to be able to move around to other positions, so he'll be an offensive-minded second baseman, handles himself well defensively, a real gamer and a leader on the field. The Fall League will help him make that big jump to Double-A in 2015."

Through 15 games in the so-called "finishing school" for the game's top prospects, Renda, who was selected for the AFL's Fall Stars Game, has put up a .246/.267/.333 line with three doubles, a triple, two walks and 10 Ks.

Renda is the Nationals' lone representative in the Fall League showcase, and he's starting at second base for the East Fall Stars tonight, in the game which is being broadcast on the MLB Network at 8:00 PM:

Here are the lineups for tonight's game, which is being played at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, AZ:

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