Here is KLaw’s logic. I don’t see how we can interpret an interim GM’s motivation except they won’t want to draw any additional scrutiny to their bosses.
As far as I can tell, the Nats are still working with a list of six-to-seven candidates for this pick, although I get the sense it’s more likely to be one of Anderson, Aiva Arquette, or Ethan Holliday than one of the others (Liam Doyle, Jamie Arnold, Eli Willits, maybe Seth Hernandez). Given the ill-timed firing — or scapegoating — of GM Mike Rizzo on Sunday, I think it’s less likely they take Holliday or Hernandez than it was previously. The change in leadership might just make them more likely to take a college player who’s more likely to yield a quicker return, and fortunately this year there are several such college guys who’d be strong picks here, including Anderson, who didn’t so much help himself with his College World Series performance as underline what he’d already shown.
