Caleb Lomavita, Luke Dickerson drafted by Nationals

WASHINGTON -- After selecting shortstop Seaver King at No. 10 in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft on Sunday, the Nationals also added college catcher Caleb Lomavita at No. 39 and high school shortstop Luke Dickerson at No. 44 to close out Day 1.

The Nats acquired the 39th pick -- a compensation-round selection -- from the Royals on Saturday as part of the return package in a deal that sent reliever Hunter Harvey to Kansas City.

C Caleb Lomavita, R/R
Age: 21
High School: St. Louis School (Honolulu, Hawaii)
College: University of California
MLB Pipeline Draft ranking: No. 33
MLB Pipeline scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Running: 50 | Arm: 55 | Fielding: 50 | Overall: 50

Lomavita, the 2021 Gatorade Hawaii Baseball Player of the Year, was considered one of the top hitting catchers in this year’s Draft. After slashing .329/.374/.494 with a .868 OPS in the Cape Cod League in 2023, Lomavita went .322/.395/.586 with a .981 OPS and 15 home runs in 55 games in his junior year of college.

MLB Pipeline wrote of his hitting mechanics: “He utilizes an unusual approach and swing mechanics from the right side, with the drop of his back leg to create a launch-oriented swing, but he routinely finds the barrel.”

“It’s actually kind of funny -- we were talking all year long about which guy was more athletic at their position: Loma or Seaver,” vice president of amateur scouting Danny Haas said. “They could probably have a good arm wrestling match. They’re both very athletic, fast twitch, loose, strong guys.”

As a catcher, Lomavita is noted for having plus arm strength. He's also working on shortening his arm stroke and quickening his release. Lomavita actually did not become primarily a catcher until last season. This year, he took the role to another level and estimates he called 60 to 70 percent of his pitches.

“I always wanted to go out on the field since I was a young kid, just to help my team win,” Lomavita said Monday on Zoom. “My competitive nature always took over in that part. I feel like wherever the coach needed me to be, I was always willing to do it. It wasn’t until last year they were like, 'You need to be a catcher.' I think I was really into that catcher position.”

First a state champion in hockey, now a Major League Draft pick.

Dickerson batted .467 with a 1.086 slugging percentage and 18 home runs in 105 at-bats during his senior year of high school. The multi-sport standout committed to Virginia before being selected by the Nationals.

“Definitely [my] biggest strength is being athletic in the field, being able to play up the middle,” Dickerson said Monday on Zoom. “... Working on getting more reps in the outfield just to become stronger and more efficient there.”

Dickerson earned 2024 New Jersey High School Baseball Player of the Year honors. He tied the state’s single-season home run record (18) with Major League slugger Mike Trout (Millville, N.J.) and Ashton Bardzell (Ramsey, N.J.).

“I feel like it’s a short and compact swing,” said Dickerson. “I don’t really try to do too much. I feel a lot of it is just in the weight room, getting stronger, bigger to be able to hit balls harder, farther.”

Per MLB Pipeline: “Some have seen a very good feel for the barrel and an all-fields approach that focuses on the center of the diamond. Others feel his swing is more strength-based than bat speed, but he has a short and simple swing that he repeats easily and has shown the ability to adjust to make plenty of contact. Anyone who has seen him feels there’s plenty of power for him to tap into, some of which was showing up more this spring.”

“I think that we’re really encouraged, obviously, with the strides on his own while playing another sport,” said Nationals senior director of amateur scouting Brad Ciolek. “And we’re really excited about what his future looks like when he chooses to specialize specifically in baseball in the next few weeks.”

Nats add C Lomavita, SS Dickerson to cap Day 1 of Draft