Rays Select Center Fielder Theo Gillen (No. 18) In First Round Of 2024 MLB First-year Player Draft
The Tampa Bay Rays have selected center fielder Theo Gillen from Westlake (Tx.) High School with the No. 18 pick in the first round of the 2024 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Gillen, 18, hit .415 with four doubles, six triples, 7 HR, 30 RBI, 38 runs and 29 stolen bases as a senior in 2024. He earned First Team High School All-American honors from Baseball America following the season. The two-time First Team All-Central Texas selection helped Westlake to the District 26-6A title and Class 6A state tournament during his junior campaign in 2023, marking the school’s first trip to the tournament since 2009.
Gillen was ranked as the No. 8 player in this year’s draft by FanGraphs, No. 23 by Baseball America and No. 28 by MLB.com. Baseball America also ranked him as the No. 20 high school player in the draft.
The University of Texas commit is the second Westlake High School product to be drafted in the first round, joining Kelly Gruber (10th overall) in 1980. Gillen, Gruber and Calvin Schiraldi (1980, No. 423) are the only players to be drafted directly out of Westlake.
Gillen is the 12th outfielder selected by the Rays in the first round, including the first since Nick Schnell in 2018. Other notable selections include Delmon Young (2003), Rocco Baldelli (2000) and Josh Hamilton (1999).
THEO GILLEN, CF
Bats/Throws: L/R | Height/Weight: 6-2/195 | Born: September 12, 2005 | Hometown: Austin, Tx.
Rays First Selections, All-Time
1996 OF Paul Wilder No. 29 overall
1997 RHP Jason Standridge No. 31 overall
1998 1B Josh Pressley No. 132 overall
1999 OF Josh Hamilton No. 1 overall
2000 OF Rocco Baldelli No. 6 overall
2001 RHP Dewon Brazelton No. 3 overall
2002 SS B.J. Upton No. 2 overall
2003 OF Delmon Young No. 1 overall
2004 RHP Jeff Niemann No. 4 overall
2005 RHP Wade Townsend No. 8 overall
2006 3B Evan Longoria No. 3 overall
2007 LHP David Price No. 1 overall
2008 SS Tim Beckham No. 1 overall
2009 CF LeVon Washington No. 30 overall
2010 OF Josh Sale No. 17 overall
2011 RHP Taylor Guerrieri No. 24 overall
2012 3B Richie Shaffer No. 25 overall
2013 C Nick Ciuffo No. 21 overall
2014 1B Casey Gillaspie No. 20 overall
2015 OF Garrett Whitley No. 13 overall
2016 3B Josh Lowe No. 13 overall
2017 LHP/1B Brendan McKay No. 4 overall
2018 LHP Matthew Liberatore No. 16 overall
2019 SS Greg Jones No. 22 overall
2020 RHP Nick Bitsko No. 24 overall
2021 SS Carson Williams No. 28 overall
2022 1B Xavier Isaac No. 29 overall
2023 SS Brayden Taylor No. 19 overall