Cincy drafts righty Santillan 49th overall
CINCINNATI -- There are conflicting reports on the weight of the Reds' second-round selection, right-handed pitcher Antonio Santillan. One place listed him at 195 pounds, and others had him as high 230 or even 240 pounds.
For the Reds, there was no debate that Santillan was a big kid. But they also loved the fact that the 18-year-old is quite athletic for his size.
"He fits in to what we've been doing," Reds senior director of amateur scouting Chris Buckley said. "He's a very good athlete. He's a real big, strong guy that's a very good prospect as a position player."
• 11th overall: Tyler Stephenson
The No. 49 overall pick in the 2015 Draft, Santillan is from Seguin High School in Arlington, Texas. He is a Perfect Game first-team All-America selection and a member of the Texas All-Region first team.
Santillan is a power pitcher with scouting reports showing him throwing his fastball from 93-95 mph with the ability to reach 98 mph. He also has a strong 12-to-6 curveball that comes to hitters in the mid-80s.
However, Santillan is far from a finished product and will need some work. He also lacks a changeup, but the organization will develop him as a starter.
"Like a lot of high school pitchers, he needs some help with his delivery," Buckley said. "We're thinking he'll be able to figure it out. He's a really good athlete for a big guy, and he has two power pitches."
The Draft continues on Tuesday. The MLB.com preview show begins at 12:30 p.m. ET, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 3-10 beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
Santillan is committed to play college baseball for Texas Tech should he not turn professional. He is also represented by agent Scott Boras, but Buckley did not expect to have issues signing the pitcher.
"Or last two Drafts we got Mike Lorenzen [38th overall in 2013] and Taylor Sparks [second round, 2014]. They both have Scott Boras," Buckley said. "Hopefully we'll be able to get something done there. Usually when you pick them up there, you've done a lot of work, hopefully."
A couple of hours earlier on Monday evening, the Reds used their first-round selection (No. 11 overall) on catcher Tyler Stephenson from Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia. With the competitive balance round B pick, No. 71 overall, Cincinnati took right-handed pitcher Tanner Rainey from the University of West Alabama.