Cincinnati Reds, landing Cam Collier in first round, receive good reviews on draft class

In a draft that started with a first-round surprise, landing 17-year-old third baseman Cam Collier, the Cincinnati Reds received good reviews for their draft haul.

Collier will be a borderline top-100 prospect by most publications and should slot near shortstops Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain for the top-rated position player prospects in the organization. Others won’t be as highly rated as Collier, but first round compensation pick Sal Stewart, drafted out of a Miami high school, is another addition with high potential.

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MLB.com’s Jim Callis, a longtime draft analyst, rated the Reds with the fourth-best draft class. The Reds drafted 10 players from MLB.com’s Top 250 prospects list, tying the Colorado Rockies for the most among any team.

“The Reds did what they did in the 2021 draft, something most teams don’t do – they kept drafting prospects, rather than just taking college seniors from the fifth or sixth round on, going for quantity without sacrificing quality,” The Athletic’s Keith Law wrote.

After taking four position players on Day One of the draft, the Reds selected pitchers with 15 of their final 18 picks.

The Reds’ run on pitchers, particularly college pitchers, was partly by design.

“We wanted to add some more arms to the system, but also looking at who we had playing time for when you start out in Arizona,” Reds scouting director Joe Katuska said. “It’s difficult with the 180-(player) cap now. You need to make sure you have playing time for guys. You certainly don’t want to get in the way of someone who has an opportunity for playing time and a future with another club.”

The Reds had a varied approach with the types of pitchers they picked. Florida State’s Bryce Hubbart, a third-round pick, may not stand out with his pure stuff, but he has the pitch mix to develop into a big-league starter. Eighth-round pick Chris McElvain and ninth-round pick Rob Hensey could benefit from added velocity. Sixth-round pick Zach Maxwell has great stuff but below average control.

Then there are guys like fourth-round pick Kenya Huggins, a 19-year-old from Chipola Junior College in Florida, and 11th-round pick Ben Bruitti, from a Rhode Island high school, who are developmental picks with upper-90s fastballs.

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“(Area scout) John Ceprini did a real nice job getting to know him,” Katuska said of Bruitti. “He was a little bit of a popup guy this spring, but touching 97 mph with a good slider from a low, three-quarters slot.”

Developing pitchers is key for any organization, and the Reds are hoping some of their gambles on developmental projects pay off. Mason Pelio, the Reds’ 12th-round pick from Boston College, had a 9.16 ERA in 18 2/3 innings this year with 20 walks and 21 strikeouts. Pelio had a 6.65 ERA in 14 starts last year, too.

“We scouted him last year pretty hard and he was a little bit up and down over the course of that season, the same thing,” Katuska said. “We’re just looking at a change of scenery there. He’s run his fastball up to 96 or 97 mph. He has the makings of a breaking ball and we’ve seen a real good changeup. He just hasn’t seen the sort of consistency or production on the field up to this point that I’m sure he expected of himself.”

The Reds won’t sign all their picks like they did last year. High school outfielder Mason Neville, drafted in the 18th round, was ranked around the top 100 prospects in the draft, but he already told his college coaches he planned to honor his commitment to Arkansas.

“We thought it was worth the risk at that point there,” Katuska said.

The Reds hope to have a large chunk of players signed and on the field for their mini-camp in Arizona as early as Saturday. MLB moved the draft from early June to mid-July, so teams need to hurry players if they want to put them into minor-league games before seasons end in September.

Players have until Aug. 1 to sign contracts.

A breakdown of the top tools among Reds picks:

Hitting for average – Cam Collier (first round). He’s a 17-year-old who has held his own against much older pitching. He hit .333 for one of the country’s top junior college programs and showed a good approach in the Cape Cod League where he was the youngest hitter in the prestigious league’s history.

Hitting for power – Sal Stewart (compensatory pick). Facing top high school talent in South Florida, Stewart had 30 homers and 31 doubles in 91 varsity games during his prep career. He was a co-champion of the high school Home Run Derby in Colorado last year, launching one ball 533 feet with a metal bat.

Fastest runner – Justin Boyd (competitive balance round B). The 6-foot, 200-pound Oregon State outfielder led the Pac-12 with 24 stolen bases in 31 attempts this year. He doesn’t have elite speed, but enough to stick in center field.

Defense – Trey Faltine (seventh round). One of the best defensive collegiate shortstops in the draft class. He played at Texas and was helped by volunteer coach Troy Tulowitzki, a two-time Gold Glove winner. He was a two-way prospect when he was in high school, so he stands out with his arm strength.

Fastball – Zach Maxwell (sixth round). Listed at 6-foot-6, 275 pounds, it’s no surprise Maxwell has a lot of firepower. The right-handed pitcher can reach 98-99 mph with elite spin rates, drawing comparisons to Joel Kuhnel from the Reds’ scouting department.

Breaking ball – Chris McElvain (eighth round). His slider is at the upper end of the velocity scale, reaching 87 mph, despite sitting 90-93 mph with his fastball. The Vanderbilt righty struck out 100 in 86 1/3 innings in his first year as a starter.

Control – Rob Hensey (ninth round). The 6-foot-4, 220-pound lefty walked only 13 batters in 81 1/3 innings this season at Monmouth University, striking out 102. He doesn’t have standout fastball velocity, but the Reds picked him because of his command.

Cincinnati Reds 2022 draft picks

Round 1 (No. 18 overall): Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola (Florida) JC

Comp pick (32): Sal Stewart, 3B, Westminster HS (Florida)

Round 2 (55): Logan Tanner, C, Mississippi State

Competitive Balance Round B (73): Justin Boyd, CF, Oregon State

Round 3 (94): Bryce Hubbart, LHP, Florida State

Round 4 (123): Kenya Huggins, RHP, Chipola (Florida) JC

Round 5 (153): Cade Hunter, C, Virginia Tech

Round 6 (183): Zach Maxwell, RHP, Georgia Tech

Round 7 (213): Trey Faltine, SS, Texas

Round 8 (243): Chris McElvain, RHP, Vanderbilt

Round 9 (273): Rob Hensey, LHP, Monmouth University

Round 10 (303): Brody Jessee, RHP, Gonzaga

Round 11 (333): Ben Bruitti, RHP, South Kingstown HS (Rhode Island)

Round 12 (363): Mason Pelio, RHP, Boston College

Round 13 (393): Johnathan Harmon, RHP, Northwestern State

Round 14 (423): Jared Lyons, RHP, George Mason

Round 15 (453): Adam Serwinowski, LHP, Eastside HS (South Carolina)

Round 16 (483): Trey Braithwaite, RHP, West Virginia

Round 17 (513): Easton Sikorski, RHP, Western Michigan

Round 18 (543): Mason Neville, OF, Basic HS (Nevada)

Round 19 (573): Tyler Chadwick, RHP, Iowa Western CC

Round 20 (603): Joseph Menefee, LHP, Texas A&M

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds receive good reviews for their 2022 draft class