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Heist: With first-round pick, Nats take a chance

By WTOP Staff

Craig Heist, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – The Washington Nationals decided pitching was the way to go with the 16th pick in the first round of Monday’s 2012 First-Year Player Draft by selecting right-hander Studio City, Calif.’s Lucas Giolito from Harvard-Westlake high school.

Giolito stands 6-foot-6, weighs 230 lbs. and is regarded as one of the most advanced right-handed prep prospects to come out of Southern California in the last 20 years.

He went 9-1 with 78 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.00 in 70.1 innings as a senior. Also on the resume were three shutouts and four complete games.

Giolito’s fastball has been clocked at 100 mph, and he has what GM Mike Rizzo called, “a power curve ball.” But he does come with elbow problems suffered earlier in the year, spraining his ulnar collateral nerve but that did not stop the Nats from making him their pick in the first round.

“We were on this guy from day one,” said Rizzo. “We just felt the reward outweighed the risk. We did our homework and our due diligence on his health and his makeup and we decided that this is the type of player, the type of stuff and the type of ceiling that we want here in the Washington Nationals organization.”

The Nats last saw Giolito pitch in the Aflac All-American Baseball Classic earlier this year and from all accounts, Giolito’s velocity on his fast ball had dropped below 95 mph.

“In Aflac he was probably 93-to-97, pitching at 94,” said Nats Scouting Director Kris Kline. “But a little later on, you could tell something wasn’t quite right, but we stayed on him. When he is 100 percent, he goes Top 3 in this draft. It’s kind of a no-brainer.”

Standing pat on their philosophy to take the “best available player” Rizzo and the Nationals have gone through the process in making sure Giolito is on his way to being a healthy pitcher.

“The elbow is good,” said Rizzo. “He’s been throwing on flat ground and long tossing on a throwing program. We feel confident about, he feels confident about it and we will see once we get our hands on him, in our uniform, we’ll see where he’s at.”

“This guy can impact a rotation. [Giolito] is a big physical guy that fits in with the other physical, hard-throwing guys that we already have.”

Assistant GM and VP of Baseball Personnel, Roy Clark was impressed with what he saw from Giolito last year.

“I saw him several times last summer,” he said. “Up to 98 with a plus curve ball and a real good change-up, 6′ 6″ and again, a top of the rotation guy that you can get at 16 and our doctor’s reports, everything was fine and it was a no-brainers for us.”

Ask Clark who Giolito reminds him of and he said, “A good comparison might be Roy Halladay when everything’s clicking. So, we’ll take that every year in the draft.”

The Nationals will next pick 80th overall, their second round choice and then their next pick will be in the third round, the 111th overall.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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