Florida won the University of Miami last night. I don’t usually write about this, but Nationals GM My Crizzo and Scouting Director Danny Haas Inside the building. They were there to see one player, Florida State Ace Jamie Arnold.
Arnold chose a bad time to get off to the worst start of his career, permission Six runs in four innings. Maybe Mike Rizzo is sitting Just behind the home plateabandoned him with Arnold’s eyeliner. Whatever that was, Jamie Arnold was not his usual dominant self.
Despite the rough outings, Arnold remains a serious candidate to be the number one pick. Before this explosion began, he had a 0.87 ERA for the season, wasted on college baseball. He had a bad night last night.
His usually excellent commands were not there, and the youngsters were unable to make the necessary adjustments. In a year when many of the college’s top draft-qualified players were overwhelmed, Arnold separated himself as the top candidate to go first overall. He may still be his favorite, but the lace is wide open. This is not the best year to have a number one pick, and the strength of the draft is its depth, not high-end talent.
Nonetheless, Mike Rizzo has to nail this pick. It must be the final component of a rebuild. If everything goes according to the plan, they won’t immediately choose number one. This bad live view of Arnold scares Rizzo, but no, it will leave an impression.
If Rizzo gets good live viewing from guys like Aiva Arquette or Ethan Holliday, it’s only natural that he has bias against that player. But this is merely a blip for Arnold, and he should return to control soon. This certainly isn’t the last time he’s got the opportunity to be impressed by the National Scouts of the Building.
