Wire Taps: Washington Nationals select Cade Cavalli with 1st Round pick; Max Scherzer has things to say + more...

MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo both had Cade Cavalli going 12th to Cincinnati’s Reds in the last night’s first round of the MLB Draft, but he was still on the board when the Washington Nationals went on the clock, and they selected the hard-throwing righty out of Oklahoma.

“It was awesome,” Cavalli said after he was drafted by the defending World Series champs.

“I was grateful to even have my name called. You’ve got to keep a really good perspective.

“There’s mock drafts where they put you in — wherever, they said I slid, or whatever, but I know I ended up in the right place, the right organization, and I know it’s in God’s hands, I’m going to be around great people, great organization, I can’t be happier.”

Get to know the Nationals’ newest prospect. Go read your links...

NATS BEAT:

2020 MLB DRAFT:

Nationals select right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli in first round of MLB Draft - (The Washington Post)
"As a junior this spring, in a season shortened because of the novel coronavirus, he struck out 37 batters in 23⅔ innings over four starts."

Nats draft Oklahoma RHP Cavalli at No. 22 - (MLB.com)
“'The emotions were unreal,' Cavalli said on a Zoom conference call. 'I just burst out into tears. I really didn’t think I was going to cry.'"

Nationals select pitcher Cade Cavalli in first round of MLB draft - (Washington Times)
"It marked the fifth straight season the Nationals selected a pitcher in the first round of the draft, following Jackson Rutledge (2019), Mason Denaburg (2018) Seth Romero (2017) and Dane Dunning (2016)."

Nationals select Cade Cavalli with 22nd overall pick (updated) - (MASN)
"MLBPipeline.com senior writer Jim Callis told me last week that a Nats source said they were hoping Cavalli would fall to them in this draft."

Nats need to find more success with late first-round picks - (MASN)
"The Nationals built a contender - and ultimately, a World Series champion - on the strength of an impressive run of first-round draft picks who developed into superstars."

In strange draft year, Nats confident early scouting will pay off - (MASN)
"Nobody had been able to scout anybody in person in three months, which under normal circumstances would be a ludicrous way to try to create a draft board."

NON-DRAFT STORIES:

Max Scherzer takes another Twitter jab at baseball team owners - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Max Scherzer took umbrage late Wednesday night with recent claims by a few owners that their teams, and baseball as a whole, are not net profitable."

Nationals Adam Eaton World Series - (wusa9.com)
"Nationals Adam Eaton gives WUSA9 an inside look at his sports memorabilia from Washington's World Series run."

What if Matt Williams let Jordan Zimmermann finish Game 2 against the Giants in 2014 NLDS? - (NBC Sports Washington)
“'Any time you make a decision on something and it doesn’t work, you kick yourself,' Williams said the next day. 'I kicked myself all night. That’s human nature.'"

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

10 facts to know about Nats' top pick Cavalli - (MLB.com)
"Cavalli's father, Brian, also played baseball at Oklahoma in 1990. Brian Cavalli was selected in the 50th round of the 1989 MLB Draft by the Cardinals..."

MLB Draft: OU pitcher Cade Cavalli selected in first round by Washington Nationals - (The Oklahoman)
“'This has been a goal since he came to OU,' Sooners coach Skip Johnson said. 'We’ve done things to help him get drafted in the first round.'"

2020 MLB draft tracker -- Analysis and highlights of every first-round pick - (ESPN)
"Cavalli is a projection pick, based on his easy mid-90s velocity and grade 65 curveball, to go along with an ideal 6-foot-4, 226-pound build..."

NL EAST UPDATES:

2020 MLB draft: Phillies select 'tantalizing' Oregon high school pitcher Mick Abel in first round - (NBC Sports Philadelphia)
"The Phillies landed one of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s draft when they selected right-handed pitcher Mick Abel with the 15th pick on Wednesday night."

Mets Covet Pete Crow-Armstrong For His Tools, Mental Toughness - (Baseball America)
"But what set the 18-year-old lefthanded hitter and thrower apart for the Mets when they drafted him 19th overall were his mental skills."

Marlins Draft, Agree to Sign Max Meyer in First Round of 2020 MLB Draft - (Fish Stripes)
"The Miami Marlins selected Minnesota pitcher Max Meyer with the 3rd overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft."

Braves draft Wake Forest lefty Shuster at No. 25 - (MLB.com)
"The Braves certainly feel good about Jared Shuster’s upside, but the club also targeted the Wake Forest left-handed pitcher with an eye to the later rounds of this year’s shortened MLB Draft."