Round 19: Hawtin Buchanan, RHP, Biloxi HS (Mississippi)

(from Sully Draft)

Baseball-Reference

One sentence analysis: The huge (6'8") righty from Mississippi will almost certainly fulfill his commitment to Ole Miss, but the Nats made a nice risk/reward pick here in the 19th round.

More analysis and notes:

From what I've read, Buchanan has already started classes at Ole Miss and is no longer a major target for Rizzo and the Nats. Stranger things have certainly happened, though, as the Nats have been very aggressive with drafting and signing HS pitchers with signability issues in the past (Robbie Ray, Jack McGeary, Brandon King, etc.). I wonder if the Nationals drafted Buchanan and Laxer back-to-back to try and convince the two of them to go pro together. Pure speculation, of course, but adding a second gigantic righty in this draft would be huge for the Nationals (literally).

Nats.com roundup: "The 6-foot-8 Buchanan dropped this low over fears that he will follow through on his commitment to Ole Miss. His fastball is in the low 90s."
From John Sickels, Minor League Ball, 6/14/2011: "Buchanan is strongly committed to Ole Miss but would have gone 15 rounds higher if considered more signable."
From Baseball America, 6/7/2011: "Scouts flocked to Mississippi for a deep pool of high school talent this year, and the towering Buchanan seemed to be at his best when the heat was on. At 6-foot-8, he's athletic enough to have played quarterback in the fall, and he has room to fill out even though he's a listed 230 pounds. He repeats his delivery well for a prep pitcher of his size, and one evaluator called him the "definition of a big-body power arm." He elicits comparisons to former Ole Miss righthander Cody Satterwhite, who was similarly physical, but Buchanan may throw harder more consistently. After sitting 86-91 mph early in the spring, he was hitting more 93s as the season went along. His changeup is his best secondary pitch, and he hasn't shown much of a feel for his loopy, slow curveball. Some scouts are concerned about Buchanan's arm action in the back, as his elbow tends to get inverted, much as Stephen Strasburg's more celebrated arm does. Buchanan was at his best against the likes of Senquez Golson and Mason Robbins, two of Mississippi's top prep hitters. He's an Ole Miss legacy who is considered a tough sign."
From Matt Garrioch, MLB Bonus Baby, 11/22/2010: "Hawtin is all projection. He's 6'8" and throws low 90's. He's athletic for his size and is definitely a project worth taking a shot on." Garrioch ranked Buchanan #42 on his top 150 here.
From Andy Seiler, MLB Bonus Baby, 7/18/2010: "Extremely tall, and he still manages to have projection despite already packing on some 230-240 pounds on his 6’8’’ frame. He has a very deceptive above-average fastball when he’s on, and his release point is so close to the plate that his 88-90 mph fastball looks more like 91-93. His curveball is a potential plus pitch, too, and I’ve heard of a few average changeups thrown in when he was here at East Cobb a couple weeks ago. If he had 3-4 more miles an hour on his fastball, we’d be talking about him as a top ten pick."
From Team One Baseball, 6/28/2010: "Hawtin has a mature frame and a pro pitcher body, standing 6’8’’ and weighing 240 lbs. He utilizes his great body to throw his fast ball on a downhill plane that ranges from 86-90 MPH. Hawtin has a quick, fluid delivery, good glove side lead, and a smooth arm action. Buchanan has excellent mound presence, and a sharp 11-5 breaking ball with good potential. Hawtin's stock on the mound can rise even higher if he can improve his change-up."

Follow @Hawtin_Buchanan on Twitter

Buchanan has not signed with the Nats.