Reds hope '19 Draft class rises through ranks
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CINCINNATI -- Drafting and development of homegrown talent has been a main priority for the Reds for several years, and has become a lifeblood of the organization. Although the odds of reaching the ultimate big league goal will elude many, players like Nick Senzel, Joey Votto, Jesse Winker, Michael Lorenzen and Tucker Barnhart came all the way through their system.
The 2019 MLB Draft completed on Wednesday, and the Reds hope several of their selections will eventually funnel to Cincinnati. It also marked the first time that the picks were made under new director of amateur scouting Brad Meador.
On the first day, the Reds used the No. 7 overall pick to take the Draft’s top pitcher in lefty Nick Lodolo, followed by second-round high school slugger Rece Hinds. Day two saw another big high school hitter go in Round 3 in Tyler Callihan before the Reds went heavy on college players.
“We were really happy after the first night, and we came back on day two and took a couple of more younger hitters, and then we filled out with college guys,” Meador said Wednesday. “I thought we had a really good plan going into it, and I was really happy when we left [Tuesday]. [Wednesday], it was kind of the same thing. We took a couple of young guys early, and then really started to fill it out with older guys.”
A lot of the older players taken were four-year seniors who graduated from college this year to help stabilize some of the rosters.
With the addition of a third Rookie-level affiliate in Greeneville in 2018, the Reds have more opportunities to sign their picks.
“Before we had the Greeneville team, you had your rosters filled more quickly and saw a lot of players drafted that weren’t signed after the 20th round,” Meador said. “Today, we were going to the end. We’re going to sign some of those guys at the very end, and we need them. That’s great, because that third team gives us a chance to develop some other players, and gives you guys further down your system, and hopefully some of them get to the big leagues.”
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Of the 41 players selected by Cincinnati, 28 came out of the college ranks. As usual, there were many pitchers taken, 17. There were also eight catchers drafted.
“When you have the three teams, you obviously need a lot of pitching, but you also need a lot of catchers,” Meador said.
Among those taken on Wednesday was 15th-round selection Matt Lloyd, a two-way player out of Indiana University who is a right-handed pitcher and outfielder in a similar manner to Lorenzen. Before the organization picked him, the Reds got a recommendation from former Cincinnati third baseman Scott Rolen -- now director of player development for Indiana.
In the 17th round, right-handed pitcher Patrick Raby ranks at the top of the career-wins list for Vanderbilt University.
Cincinnati took Jason Ruffcorn, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Oklahoma, in the 18th round. Ruffcorn’s father, Scott, was a Major League pitcher with the White Sox and Phillies for parts of five seasons.
With their 39th-round pick, the Reds kept it local by taking center fielder A.J. Bumpass from the University of Cincinnati.
Now that the picks are done, the next phase begins immediately as Meador and the team work to get the players signed.