Diamondbacks load up on college picks as draft continues
After taking college players with each of their three picks on the first day of the draft, the Diamondbacks did the same with all seven of their selections on Monday, starting with Virginia Tech’s Jack Turley, an outfielder who has put up big numbers each of the past two seasons.
Turley, whom the Diamondbacks drafted in the third round with the 80th overall pick, hit .320 with 17 homers in 210 plate appearances this year after hitting .375 with 14 homers as a sophomore. The Diamondbacks believe he can reach the majors as a center fielder, but “the calling card is his bat,” Diamondbacks scouting director Ian Rebhan said.
“He has a real chance to hit (and) has a ton of power,” Rebhan said. “(We’re) really excited about the way he can impact the game on both sides of the ball and excited to get him where we got him.”
On Sunday night, the Diamondbacks took Stanford infielder Tommy Troy and North Carolina State third baseman Gino Groover with their top two picks, then took a lefty pitcher, Caden Grice, with their third pick.
They leaned more toward pitching on Day 2, going with five pitchers and three position players.
Though all 11 came from the college ranks, Rebhan would not say there was any rhyme or reason to it, shooting down theories like a stronger college class, a weaker high school class or a preference by the organization to get higher-certainty players into the system.
“I would probably say none of that,” he said. “… Maybe it’s unusual, but it’s not like it was a plan going in. It’s just how it fell and we’re happy about the guys that we got.”
As they did last year with Mississippi State right-hander Landon Sims, the Diamondbacks selected an injured pitcher whose upside they like, this time taking Alabama left-hander Grayson Hitt, who needed Tommy John surgery this spring. Rebhan described Hitt, whom they took in the fourth round, as displaying “big, big stuff” in the fall.
“We see him as a rotation piece, a left-handed starter with four pitches and strike-throwing ability,” Rebhan said. “Really intrigued by the athlete as well; he was a really good football player in high school.”
Before getting hurt, Hitt was in the 93-97 mph range with his fastball in the fall, according to reports. This spring, he struggled to throw strikes, posting a 4.19 ERA with 25 walks in 38 2/3 innings before hurting his elbow.
Fifth-round selection Kevin Sim, a third baseman out of the University of San Diego, comes with an interesting backstory. He is the son of Chong Soo Shim, who slammed 328 homers in a lengthy career in Korea’s top professional league. Sim helped his stock with a good showing at the draft combine last month, Rebhan said.
“We think he’s a power-hitting third baseman,” Rebhan said.
The Diamondbacks also took Florida lefty Philip Abner (sixth round), Morehead State first baseman Jackson Feltner and right-handers Kyle Amendt and Zane Russell, back-to-back selections in the ninth and 10th rounds who were teammates at Dallas Baptist.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks load up on college picks as draft continues
