First 5 rounds: Hunter Greene (1-2), Jeter Downs (CBA-32), Stuart Fairchild (2-38), Jacob Heatherly (3-77), Cash Case (4-107), Mac Sceroler (5-137)
Also notable: Tyler Buffett (6-167), Packy Naughton (9-257), Tommy Mace (12-347), Seth Lonsway (19-557), Brady McConnell (33-977), Zack Gahagan (39-1157)
The Reds had lots of early picks, including three of the first 38, so they were able to get plenty of talent here, especially from the high school ranks. Looking for upside as they are far away from competing, they grabbed four high schoolers with their first five picks, and also drafted a few tough-sign high schoolers in the later rounds. They also did a great job of getting great baseball names, grabbing Hunter Greene, Jeter Downs, Cash Case, Packy Naughton, Brody Wofford, and A.J. Bumpass, just to name a few, though they did allow D'Mond LaFond to go un-drafted.
1-2: RHP Hunter Greene (my rank: 1)
Perhaps the most talked about player in this draft (and certainly the most talked about high schooler), Hunter Greene is a can't-miss talent from Sherman Oaks, California. The only reasons that he dropped past the Twins with the first pick were his asking price (very high) and the high risk of his demographic (high school right handed pitcher, of which none has ever gone first overall). The Reds gleefully took Greene's electric arm with the second pick, and he has clear ace potential. Right now, the 6'3" righty fires fastballs in the upper 90's and has touched 102 in bullpen sessions with a loose, relatively easy delivery. Greene's secondaries are merely above average at this point, as his slider can change shapes, which could be a good thing if he can control when to change its shape, or a bad thing if it means he can't be consistent with it when he needs to. Either way, with pro coaching, it should be a plus pitch when playing off his big fastball. His changeup is starting to emerge already, giving him every chance to be a top of the rotation starter. He's also young, not turning 18 until August, but he's a high risk pick even if the upside is immeasurable. Once he signs, he'll immediately become one of the most exciting prospects in the minor leagues. Greene shut himself down from pitching in April to save his arm, which some view as being a bad teammate, but I mean, can you blame him? What if he got hurt and cost himself millions of dollars, just to play a few high school games? He actually could have been drafted in the first round as a hitter, where he shows big power and the ability to stay at shortstop, and the Reds have actually indicated that he may swing the bat a little bit in the minor leagues while he builds his pitching back up. Greene hasn't signed yet, and he won't come cheap.
CBA-32: SS/2B Jeter Downs (my rank: 49)
If your name is Jeter Downs, you must be born to play shortstop. Actually named after the former Yankee, Downs is a scrappy high schooler from south Florida, one who has no standout tool but who endears himself to scouts with his hard-nosed style of play and emerging bat. He has a clean swing that has produced more power this year, and he could end up as another Brandon Phillips for Cincinnati if everything goes right. Even if it doesn't, Scooter Gennett looks like another good in-house comparison (minus the 4 HR game), and even though he's just a high schooler, he's likely to be at least a solid utility man. Downs signed for $1.825 million, which is $259,400 below slot.
2-38: OF Stuart Fairchild (my rank: 65)
Fairchild is an athletic outfielder out of Wake Forest, where he had a huge junior season and slashed .360/.439/.636 with 17 home runs and 21 stolen bases in an admittedly hitter-friendly environment. He has a high ceiling as a multi-category contributor, but I'm personally not his biggest fan due to his odd swing mechanics, lack of size (skinny six footer), and relatively high strikeout rate at Wake Forest this year (17.8%). I see him more as a fourth outfielder honestly. Fairchild signed for just over $1.8 million, which is $2,500 below slot.
3-77: LHP Jacob Heatherly (my rank: 54)
Heatherly was squarely in the first round conversation at the beginning of the season, but a tough spring pushed him down about 50 spots. Heatherly came into the season a polished, high-floor lefty with a low 90's fastball and a well-commanded array of secondaries. However, his command, which is what made the whole package play up, backed up during the spring and put significantly more risk into what was supposed to be a low-risk pick as far as high school pitchers go. He still has the upside of a mid-rotation starter if he can regroup, but he also turned 19 in May, making him old for the class. Heatherly signed for a little over $1 million, which is $303,600 over slot.
5-137: RHP Mac Sceroler (my rank: 150)
The very last guy to crack my rankings, Sceroler didn't quite dominate the Southland Conference like teams wanted him to, finishing 9-2 with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP for Southeastern Louisiana, striking out 110 in 101.2 innings while walking 34. He's a year old for his class, so he already turned 22 in April, but he does have a low 90's fastball and a solid, two-plane curveball that misses bats. He was hit hard on the Cape (7.03 ERA, 1.73 WHIP), but pro coaching could be just what he needs to unlock #3 or #4 starter potential. Sceroler signed for $297,500, which is $77,400 under slot.
9-257: LHP Packy Naughton (unranked)
I got plenty of chances to see Naughton pitch over the past two seasons at Virginia Tech, and he's a bit of an enigma. The 6'1" lefty has great raw stuff, showing a running low 90's fastball that can touch 94 as well as a big breaking curveball, but he is much more of a thrower than a pitcher. His control is well below average, and his funky delivery adds deception but is also difficult to repeat. He was pretty terrible at Virginia Tech as a sophomore (3-7, 6.75 ERA, 1.83 WHIP), but dominated on the Cape that summer (3-0, 1.69 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 42/6 K/BB) and looked poised to push himself into top 100 consideration if he could continue his upward trajectory. However, he struggled again with the Hokies as a junior, going 2-6 with a 6.24 ERA and a 1.89 WHIP, striking out 63 but walking 30 in 57.2 innings. He gets frustrated easily on the mound, and the Reds will need to put a lot of work into the 21 year old to mold him into a usable big league reliever, but the ceiling is very high for a college pitcher. Naughton signed for $137,500, which is $9,900 below slot.
33-977: SS Brady McConnell (my rank: 58)
McConnell almost certainly won't sign, having come into the spring a potential first round pick but falling into second round range with an inconsistent senior year in high school. When he's going right he can unload on pitches and drive them deep while also showing good athleticism at shortstop, but he swung and missed a bit more this season and struggled to get to his power consistently. He'll be eligible as a sophomore after two years at Florida.
Others: 4th rounder Cash Case joins Jeter Downs in the 70+ grade name club, and the Florida high schooler has a powerful swing with a lot of loft, though he'll need to prove he can handle advanced pitching as he moves up through the levels. He's a high ceiling, high risk infielder. 6th rounder Tyler Buffett had a successful four year career at Oklahoma State, though a full-time move to the rotation didn't work well this year (6-5, 5.23 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 82/22 K/BB) and he'll move back to the bullpen in pro ball. He'll be a solid long-man, where he can sit around 90 with a solid curveball and good command to keep hitters off balance. He's also a cousin of Warren Buffett. 12th rounder Tommy Mace may or may not sign, but if he does, he'll be a project. The 6'7" high school pitcher is ultra-projectable, already throwing in the low 90's with a mediocre curve that could have big break in time. He has a good ability to keep his long levers in check for his size, so that's a plus going forward. 19th rounder Seth Lonsway is a local guy from the small town of Celina, Ohio, coming in with a fastball around 90 and a curveball that shows good shape but needs to be tightened. He probably won't sign, but he could be a sleeper prospect coming out of Ohio State because he comes from a cold weather area off the beaten prospect path. 39th rounder Zack Gahagan was better as a sophomore (.297/.391/.439) than he was as a junior (.243/.366/.386) at UNC, but he's of note because when I watched him play along with J.B. Bukauskas, Logan Warmoth, Brian Miller, etc. from UNC, his parents gave me sunscreen when I was baking to a crisp. That's a fun story.
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