Twins draft California prep ‘shortstop’ Lewis at No. 1
Reds take Greene at 2nd pick
SECAUCUS, NJ, June 13, (AP): The Minnesota Twins think they’ve got their shortstop of the future in the speedy and slick-fielding Royce Lewis.
The California high school star was taken with the No. 1 pick in the Major League Baseball draft Monday night. It was the third time the Twins were up first — the last time was 2001, when they grabbed hometown high school catcher Joe Mauer with the top choice.
Lewis played both shortstop and outfield in high school. But the Twins, who lead the AL Central after going 59-103 last year, classified him as a shortstop when Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement at MLB Network studios.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Lewis hit .377 with four homers and 25 stolen bases for JSerra Catholic High School, establishing himself as a top prospect with excellent speed and a solid bat.
The 18-year-old Lewis was a standout on USA Baseball’s gold medal-winning Under-18 team at the Pan American Championships last year and was selected as this year’s National High School Coaches Association’s high school senior baseball athlete of the year.
With the second pick, Cincinnati took California high school righthander Hunter Greene, one of the top two-way talents in a draft stocked with them.
Greene, chosen as a pitcher, also played shortstop at Notre Dame High School, but a fastball that can reach 100 mph has the Reds projecting him as a future ace. Greene, featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated this season, was the first of four prospects in attendance at the draft site to be selected.
And while the Reds drafted him
Alex Bregman in the fifth, but a runscoring double by Adrian Beltre gave the Rangers some insurance in the sixth inning.
Yankees 5, Angels 3 as a pitcher, Greene sounded as though he still might have designs on playing the infield, too.
Falvey said the Twins’ choice came down to the waning minutes and the decision to pass on Greene was “really tough.”
At No. 3, San Diego selected North Carolina prep left-hander MacKenzie Gore, marking the first time since 1990 that the top three picks were all high school players.
Louisville two-way star Brendan McKay was drafted fourth overall by Tampa Bay as a first baseman.
McKay had teams considering whether they should draft him as a pitcher, hitter — or both. The Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year is hitting .343 with 17 homers and 56 RBIs for the College World Series-bound Cardinals. He’s also 10-3 with 2.34 ERA and 140 strikeouts and 33 walks in 104 innings on the mound.
Atlanta selected Vanderbilt right-hander Kyle Wright — who grew up a Braves fan — with the No. 5 pick, looking to augment a large stable of touted arms already in the team’s farm system.
After North Carolina high school outfielder Austin Beck went sixth to Oakland, a pair of University of Virginia teammates were picked with the next two selections: first baseman Pavin Smith to Arizona and outfielder Adam Haseley to Philadelphia.
The University of North Carolina — with right-hander J.B. Bukauskas (15th by Houston) and shortstop Logan Warmoth (22nd by Toronto) — and Vanderbilt — with Wright and outfielder Jeren Kendall (23rd, by the Dodgers) — also had a pair of first-rounders.
In Anaheim, California, Aaron Judge hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning to lead the Yankees to their sixth consecutive victory, over the Angels.
One day after hitting a 495-foot homer in the Bronx, Judge hit a majestic 438-foot shot on the opposite coast for his fourth homer in three games and the 22nd of his spectacular rookie season.
The California native hit his first homer in his home state after Angels manager Mike Scioscia curiously allowed closer Bud Norris to pitch to the AL homers leader with first base open.
Jose Alvarez (0-3) gave up Aaron Hicks’ one-out double before Judge’s homer.
Padres 9, Reds 3 In San Diego, Franchy Cordero hit his first major league home run, Austin Hedges had three hits and three RBIs, and the Padres beat the Reds.
Cordero, who debuted in the majors May 27, hit an opposite-field shot during a six-run surge in the second inning that also included Yangervis Solarte’s sixth home run.
Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo (3-5) had allowed a major league-high 20 home runs entering Monday and brought in a 6.25 ERA.
Arroyo lasted 4-2/3 innings and allowed two homers and nine runs.