Reds open Day 2 of Draft with five pitchers

June 10th, 2016

CINCINNATI -- Reds scouts and the baseball operations department reconvened in their war room on Friday for Day 2 of the 2016 MLB Draft. Thursday night saw Cincinnati select three players, led by Tennessee third baseman Nick Senzel going No. 2 overall.
The Reds went heavy on pitching after taking two position players with their three picks on Thursday.
"You try to rebalance a little bit," Reds senior director of amateur scouting Chris Buckley said. "You can't take 10 position players. You can't take 10 pitchers. It's the way it fell yesterday. We knew we needed to slant it the other way a little bit."
Track every Reds pick from Day 2 of the 2016 MLB Draft, which consisted of Rounds 3-10.
:: Complete 2016 Draft coverage ::
The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at noon ET.
Here is a pick-by-pick look at Friday's Reds Draft selections:
Round 3 (79th overall), Nick Hanson, RHP, Prior Lake Christian High School (Minn.)
Ranked at No. 112 among Draft prospects by MLBPipeline.com, Reds scouts were excited about getting Hanson, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds. He just turned 18 on Friday and there's thought he could grow a couple of more inches and add even more power.
"He hits 96 mph. We think he could hit 100 someday," a Reds scout said.
Hanson has a commitment to play for Kentucky, but he will certainly weigh the opportunity to turn pro.
"I've been playing baseball ever since I was 7 years old. It's always been a dream of mine," Hanson told WCCO-TV in Minneapolis last week. "Growing up watching Joe Mauer play … I just wanted to replicate him and be like him and make the big leagues."

Round 4 (108th overall), Scott Moss, LHP, Univ. of Florida
Another big pitcher that stands at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Moss missed his first two seasons of college ball because of Tommy John surgery. He made his debut this season, but was used sparingly with 13 appearances. He had a 1.59 ERA, nine walks and 31 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings.
During the SEC Tournament semifinal, Moss delivered six scoreless innings and touched 95 mph.
"Coming into the season, I knew I wanted to be an integral part of the [Gators] team," Moss told MLB.com. "Being out for the past two years and watching those guys dogpile and go to Omaha and everything like that, I knew I could be a part of that this year. I worked as hard as I could to make the rotation and do the best I could."
Moss was ranked by MLBPipeline.com at No. 191 among the Top 200 Draft prospects. He's not currently listed to start this weekend in the NCAA Super Regionals but could still pitch. He hopes to pitch in Omaha if his team advances.
"Like so many of their guys, that's a really talented team," Buckley said. "Because he was coming off an injury, they did a good job. We just watched him in the Southeastern Conference tournament and he did real well."

Round 5 (138th overall), Ryan Hendrix, RHP, Texas A&M
A reliever that is listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, Hendrix did not have a great 2016 season as a junior for the Aggies.
In 19 appearances with five saves, Hendrix posted a 6.66 ERA with 20 hits, 20 walks and 36 strikeouts over 24 1/3 innings.
According to scouting reports at MLBPipeline.com, Hendrix -- ranked No. 163 among the Top 200 Draft prospects -- began his college career dominating but then saw his velocity drop and performance dip. He is capable of working in the 94-96 mph range and can top out at 97 mph.

Round 6 (168th overall), Tyler Mondile, RHP, Gloucester Catholic HS (N.J.)
Mondile, who has a commitment signed with Florida State, has already had quite a season. In April, he threw a no-hitter as dozens of scouts and evaluators were in attendance. Then in May, Mondile dueled against MLBPipeline's No. 1 Draft prospect, lefty Jason Groome, in a charity game that drew 6,000 fans. It was the 18-year-old Mondile that emerged on top with a 1-0 complete-game victory.
Mondile used to big atmosphere
"Coming back out for pregame and seeing thousands of fans while I was getting loose, it was the first time I've gotten loose in the outfield and I had people taking pictures of me," Mondile told MLB.com. "That was kind of different for me but cool at the same time. That game was something I will never forget for the rest of my life."
According to MLBPipeline.com, Mondile is ranked No. 128 among the Top 200 Draft prospects. Their scouting reports indicate he has a strong electric arm that allows him to long toss from foul pole to foul pole with ease. On the mound, he can throw 95 mph and throw strikes but has a funky full windup.

Round 7 (198th overall), Andy Cox, LHP, Univ. of Tennessee
A teammate of Senzel's, Cox appeared in 22 games this season with eight starts and went 3-6 with a 6.72 ERA. The 22-year-old holds the school record with 91 appearances over his four seasons.
"He was Senzel's roommate," Buckley said. "We liked him and thought that'd be a good thing."
Round 8 (228th overall), John Sansone, 2B, Florida State
Slated to play in the NCAA Super Regionals this weekend vs. Moss and rival Florida, Sansone brings some offense to the table as a second baseman. Through 60 games, he is batting .374/.459/.585 with nine homers. Defensively, he's committed 17 errors. He was previously a 39th-round Draft pick by the Tigers in 2012 out of high school in New Castle, Pa.
Round 9 (258th overall), Alex Webb, RHP, Univ. of British Columbia
Webb racked up plenty of strikeouts this season -- 115 over 104 1/3 innings compared with 15 walks -- while posting a stingy 1.38 ERA in 15 games. He was ranked second in the NAIA in ERA and opponents' batting average (.155). His strikeouts total led the NAIA West. That helped earn him NAIA West Pitcher of the Year honors.
An electrical engineering major with a 3.75 grade-point average, Webb was also named an academic All-American for college baseball.
"A very successful college pitcher," Buckley said. "He had very good statistics and our analytic guys loved him."
Round 10 (288th overall), Lucas Benenati, RHP, Kansas State
A four-year senior, Benenati was K-State's closer and went 1-3 with a 3.81 ERA (12 earned runs, 28 1/3 innings) with a team-high six saves. A Santa Barbara, Calif., native, he spent his first two collegiate years near home in junior college. According to his college bio, Benenati aspires to be a history teacher and baseball coach. Perhaps that will be on hold for a little while as he attempts to reach the Major Leagues.