DETROIT -- The main attribute that jumped out when the Indians scouted Quentin Holmes was the prep outfielder's impressive speed. Now, his professional career is off and running.
On Saturday, Cleveland announced that it signed Holmes, who was taken with the 64th overall pick (second round) by the team during the MLB Draft in June. MLB.com's Jim Callis reported that the fleet-footed outfielder received a signing bonus of $988,970, which is slightly above the pick's slot value ($969,900).
"We couldn't be more excited to be able to take Quentin," Brad Grant, the Indians' senior director of amateur scouting, said at the time of the Draft. "The big attraction with Quentin is his speed. He was kind a fixture out on the showcases this past summer and he actually set the [Perfect Game] nation 60-yard dash record with a 6.19 [seconds].
"He's a fun player to watch. He's a great person on and off the field."
Holmes, who will turn 18 on Friday, was taken out of Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School in East Elmhurst, Queens, N.Y. As a senior, the outfielder hit .420 with seven home runs, 18 extra-base hits, 33 runs scored and 22 steals in 23 chances. He was a 2017 Rawlings Perfect Game Preseason All-American, a member of the under-18 U.S. National Team last summer, and he was the 2016-17 Gatorade Player of the Year for New York.
Grant said Cleveland pegged Holmes as a 70-grade runner (80 being the highest level) with plus defense in center field. Offensively, Holmes' high-contact approach made him look like a future top-of-the-order hitter.
This year's Draft was a little different for the Indians, considering the club's top selection came in the second round for the first time since 1999. Cleveland forfeited its first-round pick this past winter due to signing free-agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion to a three-year contract worth $60 million.
The Indians have had success in the second round in the past. Most notably, Albert Belle was picked by Cleveland in the second round of the 1987 Draft. In terms of career WAR, second baseman Jason Kipnis -- a two-time All-Star -- ranks second to Belle in franchise history among second-rounders. Kipnis was taken with the 64th overall pick in the 2008 Draft.