Cincinnati Reds post-round 1 MLB draft recap

Day 2 of the 2022 MLB draft concluded this afternoon with rounds 3-10. After getting one of the bigger steals in the draft with their first pick in Cam Collier last night, the Reds had 3 more picks to close out Sunday night and made another 8 picks today. After their first 2 picks, the Reds went college-heavy the rest of the way, presumably to save some money to sign Collier and Sal Stewart. Here’s a recap of those picks.

Compensation Round 1: Sal Stewart, 3B, Westminster Christian HS (FL)

The Reds got a pick in the compensation round after Nick Castellanos declined his qualifying offer. They used that pick on another youngster in Sal Stewart out of Westminster Christian in Florida. He’s an offense-first third baseman who makes a ton of contact and has decent power. He hit .506 and struck out only 6 times in his senior season. He has signed with Vanderbilt to play in college if he declines to go pro this year.

Round 2: Logan Tanner, C, Mississippi State

For the Reds’ third pick of the night, they went the college route and selected Logan Tanner from Mississippi State University. He’s been one of the best defensive catchers in college baseball and helped lead the Bulldogs to a College World Series as a sophomore in 2021. The question is if his bat will translate. He hit .287/.382/.525 with 15 home runs as a sophomore but he lost quite a bit of power in his junior season. He still had a pretty good .387 OBP but he only hit 7 home runs and his SLG% dropped to 425. Hopefully the Reds can develop his bat in the minors. Defensively, he’s got a great arm. He used to be a pitcher and topped out at 97 MPH in high school. He’s also considered to be one of the best receivers in the draft.

Competitive Round B: Justin Boyd, OF, Oregon State

Justin Boyd was an interesting pick going this high considering this was his first season as an everyday player. He had an impressive season at Oregon State in 2022, hitting .373/.469/.577 this year. Scouts are concerned that his power won’t translate to the next level, despite that .577 SLG%. He’s been a corner outfielder in college, but has above average speed and could be a candidate to move over to center field.

Round 3: Bryce Hubbart, LHP, Florida State University

This pick was the first in a day filled with college pitching. Bryce Hubbart is a left-handed junior out of Florida State University. Hubbart had an impressive junior season in the ACC, putting up a 3.32 ERA with a 96/21 K/BB in 76 innings of work. His fastball has got as high as 97 MPH but usually sits in the low 90s. He also works with a solid curveball and slider. In addition to his solid 2022 season, he also had an impressive showing in the Cape Cod League last Summer, where he put up a 0.87 ERA in 31 innings.

Round 4: Kenya Huggins, RHP, Chipola Junior College

The Reds selected 1st round pick Cam Collier’s Chipola teammate in Kenya Huggins with their 4th round pick. He put up a 2.96 ERA in 73 innings last season at Chipola and struck out 97 batters. His best pitch is his slider, which sits in the mid-80s while his fastball sits in the low-90s. He does struggle some with command, as he walked 32 batters last season.

Round 5: Cade Hunter, C, Virginia Tech

Between Covid in 2020 and a Hamate injury in 2021, this was Cade Hunter’s first full collegiate season and he showed out. .330/.440/.637 with 31 extra-base hits, including 17 home runs, leading the Hokies to their best season in school history. He hits for good power but there are concerns with his ability to hit for average at the next level.

Round 6: Zach Maxwell, RHP, Georgia Tech

Zach Maxwell has pitched out of the bullpen in all 3 seasons at Georgia Tech. The thing that stands out with him is his velocity, as his fastball sits upper 90s and hits triple digits frequently. He counters that with an above average slider. The problem is that he can’t control where it’s going most of the time. He had more walks than IP in his first two seasons and walked 41 batters in 51 innings as a junior. He will obviously have to improve that if he wants to advance in the minors.

Round 7: Trey Faltine, SS, University of Texas

Trey Faltine is a defense-first shortstop who had the benefit of learning from Troy Tulowitzki at the University of Texas. He shows decent speed and is an above average defender. He hit .282 in his last season at Texas, but also struck out in 36% of his plate appearances. He obviously needs to hit for a lot more contact if he wants any chance at advancing at the professional level.

Round 8: Chris McElvain, RHP, Vanderbilt

After pitching out of the bullpen his first 2 seasons, Chris McElvain moved to the rotation and made 16 starts as a junior at Vanderbilt. He threw 86 innings and struck out 100 batters and put up a 4.27 ERA in 2022. He has a decent fastball and a good slider as his 2 best pitches. He’ll likely remain a starter at the professional level.

Round 9: Rob Hensey, LHP, Monmouth University

Rob Hensey is a senior lefty out of Monmouth University. Hensey has a fastball that sits upper 80s to low 90s but shows incredible command. In his senior season, he threw 81 innings, putting up a 3.87 ERA while striking out 102 while walking only 13.

Round 10: Brody Jessee, RHP, Gonzaga University

Brody Jessee is a sophomore relief pitcher out of Gonzaga University. The righty put up a career 4.69 ERA in 63.1 innings of work over those 2 seasons. He racked up 85 strikeouts in those 2 seasons, but also had 38 walks. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and tops out at 98 MPH while his slider is decent and sits in the low 80s.

The MLB Draft concludes later today with rounds 11-20 starting at 2:00 PM EDT.