Cincinnati Reds select HS catcher Tyler Stephenson in 1st round of MLB Draft

The 2015 MLB Draft began Monday evening, and with the 11th pick of the 1st round, the Cincinnati Reds selected Kennesaw Mountain, GA [HS] catcher Tyler Stephenson.

Stephenson's name was bandied about as the potential top overall choice in this year's draft prior to the Arizona Diamondbacks selection of Dansby Swanson, and his repertoire has drawn comparisons to Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters.  The 6'4" 210 lb future Red flashes big power potential, and has an arm that was routinely capable of hitting the low 90's during his appearances on the mound, according to his Perfect Game profile.

ESPN's Keith Law compared his build to that of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and had this to say about his tools:

Stephenson is very strong and looks like he'll hit for both average and power, maybe more of the latter. After an exaggerated leg kick that's mostly for show -- his front foot is down in plenty of time -- Stephenson has outstanding rotation in a powerful right-handed swing that allows him to drive the ball to all fields. For all of the leverage in that swing, however, he keeps his head and midsection steady through contact.

After the selection, both Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLBPipeline.com had generally positive things to say about the pick on MLB Network's coverage, and given that Stephenson is a HS catcher who missed much of the start of the 2015 with a side strain, is a guy who was as much of a pitching prospect as a catching prospect this time a year ago, and is an 18 year old Georgia kid that I've never once seen play before, I'll take their collective word for it.

Speaking of MLB.com, here's their draft profile on the Reds' newest shiny prospect:

Welcome to the Reds organization, Tyler.  If you're the best Stephenson in the organization, that'll mean the Reds have two of the Top 25 prospects in all of baseball, and that'd be A-OK with me.