Reds join college shortstop hunt early on Day 2
CINCINNATI -- Shortstops dominated the first night of the 2015 Draft on Monday, and the Reds got into the act on Tuesday. With their third-round pick, No. 84 overall, Cincinnati selected shortstop Blake Trahan from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, and he supplanted Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy (101st overall in 2007) as the highest drafted player to come out of that program.
Trahan, 21, was the Sun Belt Conference's player of the year this season after he batted .315/.424/.406 with two home runs, 15 doubles, 29 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. He is listed at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds. Trahan was the 47th-ranked Draft prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and has range to both sides and reliable hands. Scouts say he needs to improve his pitch recognition and tone down his approach in order to make more contact and take better advantage of his speed.Complete 2015 Draft coverage
A native of Kinder, La., Trahan helped his school to the NCAA tournament super regional, where they lost on Sunday to LSU. Last summer, he played on USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team alongside Vanderbilt's Dansby Swanson and LSU's Alex Bregman, the top two picks in the Draft, as well as first-rounders Dillon Tate, Tyler Jay, Carson Fulmer, D.J. Stewart, Christin Stewart, James Kaprielian, and Kyle Funkhouser.
"Blake has continued to work hard and be a leader for this program since he stepped on campus," Louisiana-Lafayette coach Tony Robichaux told the Times-Picayune. "He's a leader both on the field and off of the field."
The Draft concludes on Wednesday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 on MLB.com beginning at Noon ET.
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Round 4: OF Miles Gordon, St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic, Ontario
In the fourth round, at No. 114, the Reds went back to the high school ranks and took outfielder Miles Gordon from St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic High School in Ontario, Canada.Video: Draft Report: Miles Gordon
Gordon, who bats left-handed, has a college commitment to the Univ. of San Francisco. The Oakville, Ontario, native is listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds. His baseball make-up and style has drawn comparisons to Nationals center fielder Denard Span. But Gordon's current favorite player is another outfielder, Lorenzo Cain of the Royals.
Besides Cain's speed and effort on defense, Gordon saw another similarity.
"He came up late on the radar late last year in the postseason," said Gordon, who could say he did likewise last fall. His Draft prospects didn't take off until last fall when he joined Canada's junior national team and got in front of Major League scouts more often.
Round 5: RHP Ian Kahaloa, Campbell High School, Hawaii
Taken at pick No. 145 overall, Kahaloa's MLB.com scouting report shows he has a fastball in the 96-97 mph range while his changeup is a "work in progress." He is 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds.
Kahaloa is committed to play for the Univ. of Hawaii should he not turn professional. During his senior season, he had a 0.16 ERA with one earned run allowed over 44 innings pitched. He walked just four batters and struck out 72.