Nats bolster bright future with signing of Draft pick Lomavita

WASHINGTON -- Catcher Caleb Lomavita has been eager to get back on the field. He flew from Hawaii to Washington, D.C., to do so -- during batting practice after officially signing with the Nationals before the club's 12-3 loss to the Padres on Wednesday night.

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

¡°I can only stop playing baseball for so long,¡± Lomavita, 21, said. ¡°When I was younger, everything was year-round, especially in Hawaii -- no bad weather. ¡­ I think this is the longest stretch I've gone without playing baseball.¡±

The wait is over for Lomavita, who was selected out of the University of California by the Nats in the competitive balance round of the 2024 MLB Draft. The Nationals acquired the 39th overall pick from the Royals in a deal involving setup reliever Hunter Harvey one day earlier.

Last season as a junior at California, Lomavita slashed .322/.395/.586. He recorded 13 doubles, one triple, 15 homers, 51 runs, 52 RBIs, 12 walks and 12 stolen bases in 55 games. Lomavita was one of only eight Division I catchers to steal 10 or more bases and hit 10 or more home runs.

¡°It's been a blast watching him since high school,¡± said Nationals vice president of amateur scouting Danny Haas. ¡°He's been consistent as a high-energy [guy] -- someone said ¡®warrior¡¯ to me the other day and 'congrats' when we picked him. He¡¯s gifted physically -- obviously, he¡¯s very strong, and he will shock you with run times. It¡¯s a big arm, but he shows up ready to play. He¡¯s fought through [18] hit-by-pitches this year. He¡¯s pretty much almost everything we look for as a backstop.¡±

Growing up in Honolulu, Lomavita looked up to and drew comparisons to catcher Kurt Suzuki. Coincidentally, Lomavita was drafted into the same organization with which Suzuki won the 2019 World Series.

¡°He¡¯s a big fish in a big pond,¡± Lomavita said. ¡°And I¡¯m just swimming my way up to where he was.¡±

The next step for Lomavita will be at the Nationals¡¯ training complex in West Palm Beach, Fla.

¡°The process begins now,¡± said general manager Mike Rizzo. ¡°His ascension to the big leagues starts tomorrow. He'll hit the ground running, we¡¯ll send him to West Palm, he¡¯ll get his feet on the ground, we¡¯ll build this foundation the right way and teach him the Nationals way how to play the game, and hopefully, he¡¯ll be a world champ like [Suzuki].¡±

Lomavita exuded a gregarious personality on his introductory Zoom call with the local media last week, and he brought that same enthusiasm to the podium at Nationals Park on Wednesday. He intends to share that zeal with his teammates as a catcher.

¡°It means he can build those relationships with pitchers because he¡¯s got to deal with a lot of different personalities as well,¡± Martinez said. ¡°I loved his energy. We talked for a little bit, and he seems like a great kid. ¡­ Really glad to have him.¡±

The Nationals also hosted their first overall pick Seaver King (No. 10) and third-round pick Kevin Bazzell last Friday. During the visits, the Draft picks are assigned their own lockers inside the clubhouse, take BP with the team, join the broadcasts and watch the game in prime seats.

¡°For me and my family, it¡¯s just take everything in and enjoy every moment because I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯m going to get all this fame and attention next,¡± Lomavita said with a smile.

This month alone, the Nationals have called up MLB¡¯s No. 2 prospect James Wood to make his Major League debut, celebrated 23-year-old shortstop CJ Abrams earning his first All-Star honors and selected 21 players in the 2024 MLB Draft.

¡°When you see these guys and you think to yourself, ¡®Man, in two or three years, we¡¯ve got a lot of talent,¡¯¡± Martinez said. ¡°We¡¯re going to be really good, not just for a year or two but for many, many years, so that¡¯s definitely exciting. It starts with the group that we have now. It started for the last couple years, building these guys up.¡±