Reds follow known blueprint with trio of picks on Day 1 of Draft
Mark Sheldon
@m_sheldonCINCINNATI -- The Reds' Day 1 Draft strategy seems to have a workable playbook under amateur scouting director Joe Katuska.
Just take starting pitchers from Wake Forest and LSU and a high school shortstop.
On Sunday, Day 1 of the 2024 MLB Draft, Cincinnati used the No. 2 overall pick to select right-handed starter Chase Burns from Wake Forest. With the No. 51 selection in the second round, the Reds took high school shortstop Tyson Lewis. At No. 71 in the Competitive Balance Round B, right-hander Luke Holman was taken out of LSU.
Coincidentally, in 2023, the Reds went with Wake Forest ace Rhett Lowder at No. 7 overall, LSU pitcher Ty Floyd at No. 38 and high school shortstop Sammy Stafura in the second round.
"If we¡¯re looking at profiles -- middle of the infield, offensive players, starting pitching profiles -- that¡¯s where we start," Katuska said. "That¡¯s where we¡¯re going to continue to look."
Lewis, an 18-year-old out of Millard West High School in Nebraska, was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 39 Draft prospect. He was named the Gatorade Nebraska baseball player of the year after slashing .496/.579/.912 with eight home runs, 41 RBIs and 31 stolen bases during his senior season.
A 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-handed hitter with a college commitment to Arkansas, Lewis is the first high schooler taken out of Nebraska since 2019. According to scouting reports, he has above-average speed and a plus right-handed throwing arm.
"We believe he can play shortstop long term," Katuska said. "He has power. He¡¯s an above-average runner. Obviously, he¡¯s a cold-weather kid, so he hasn¡¯t had exactly the same number of reps all the Southern kids have, but we believe there is tremendous physical ability and projection with him."
Holman, 21, was ranked as the No. 45 Draft prospect. He Drafted out of an Eastern Pennsylvania high school in the 20th round by the Blue Jays in 2021, but he opted for college instead, spending his first two years at Alabama before transferring to Louisiana State.
With the U.S. Collegiate National Team in the summer of 2023, Holman threw eight scoreless innings while striking out 15 batters.
"He is a really high-pitchability and high-IQ starter," Katuska said. "He doesn¡¯t have the biggest fastball in the Draft class, but it plays up because he has a four-pitch mix that he knows how to use. He really has the ability to use contrast to get hitters out, keep you guessing, locate. And we really saw him do it when he was at Alabama before this year at LSU."
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Holman's fastball sits in the 92-95 mph range, but the Reds believed that there was room to build more velocity.
"We¡¯ve seen guys like [prospect Julian] Aguiar go from 89-92 [mph] when we draft them up into the mid-to-high 90¡¯s later on in the process," Katuska said. "We think the same sort of thing is in front of Luke. He¡¯s not a soft-tosser by any means."
The Reds have long placed a premium on taking pitchers with ability and makeup like Burns and Holman, and the club will continue to seek that in all rounds of the Draft, which resumes on Monday with rounds 3-10.
"We are prioritizing that starting-pitching profile and going and getting the guys who can handle the bulk of the innings and know how to pitch," Katuska said. "One of the core values of the organization is ¡®C.H.P.¡¯ -- Can he pitch? That¡¯s very important in putting together the whole package for our guys, and [Holman] is the same sort of thing."