High school players selected 1-2-3

SECAUCUS, N.J. — The Twins selected California high school shortstop Royce Lewis with the No. 1 pick in the draft Monday.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Lewis hit .377 with four home runs and 25 stolen bases for JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano. He played shortstop and outfield in high school, but the Twins classified him as a shortstop.

“My body just went numb,” Lewis said during an interview with MLB Network. “It was an unbelievable feeling.”

Lewis was a standout on USA Baseball’s gold-medal under-18 team at the Pan American Championships last year. He was also selected as this year’s National High School Coaches Association’s baseball athlete of the year.

With the second pick, the Reds took California high school righthander Hunter Greene, one of the top two-way talents in a draft full of them.

Greene, chosen as a pitcher, also played shortstop at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, but his upper-90s fastball has the Reds projecting him as a future ace. He went 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 43 strikeouts and only four walks in 28 innings this season. Greene also batted .324 with six homers and 28 RBIs.

At No. 3, the Padres selected North Carolina high school lefthander MacKenzie Gore.

Louisville two-way star Brendan McKay was drafted fourth by the Rays as a first baseman. The ACC player of the year is hitting .343 with 17 homers and 56 RBIs for the College World Seriesbound Cardinals. He’s also 10-3 with 2.34 ERA and 140 strikeouts and just 33 walks in 104 innings on the mound.

The Braves took Vanderbilt right-hander Kyle Wright with the No. 5 pick. He is considered a potential front-end starter.