Phillies confident they can sign Day 2 picks
PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies selected two college pitchers, two college hitters and one high school hitter in Rounds 6-10 of the 2015 MLB Draft on Tuesday.
The Draft concludes Wednesday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 on MLB.com beginning at noon ET.
• Phillies complete infield with Day 2 picks
Round 6 (174th pick): LHP Tyler Gilbert, USC
He went 5-2 with a 2.79 ERA as a junior with the Trojans, for whom he spent most of his time in the bullpen. Gilbert allowed 68 hits, 21 earned runs, 25 walks and struck out 66 batters in 67 1/3 innings.
Round 7 (204th pick): RHP Luke Leftwich, Wofford College
Leftwich (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) is a junior with family ties. His father, Phil, made 34 starts with the Angels from 1993-96. Leftwich's grandfather, Tom Timmermann, pitched six season for the Tigers (1969-73) and the Indians (1973-74).
• Leftwich earns own way onto Phillies' radar
Leftwich went 7-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 16 appearances (14 starts) this season. He struck out 114 and walked 28 in 89 innings.
Round 8 (234th pick): OF Greg Pickett, Legend High School (Parker, Colo.)
Pickett is listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds. He hit .420 this season, and he has power from the left side of the plate.
He has committed to Mississippi State, but amateur scouting director Johnny Almaraz is confident Pickett and everybody else the Phillies selected the first two days will sign.
"Our area scouts really did a great job in keeping the lines open with these high school kids and college kids that sometimes have a tendency to not give us very accurate signability [information]," Almaraz said. "We stayed on him. We got some information that really, really made us make the decision of taking him in that round. We're pretty sure that we're sending him out there pretty quickly to start his career in the Gulf Coast League."
Video: Draft Report: Greg Pickett
Round 9 (264th pick): CF Mark Laird, LSU
Laird has good speed, but he lacks power. Laird (6-foot-2, 180 pounds) played the corners in college, but the Phillies see him as a center fielder. He has hit .323 with nine doubles, one triple, one home run, 23 RBIs, a .379 slugging percentage and a .390 on-base percentage. He stole 23 bases in 29 attempts.
"He can really run. He can really play defense," Almaraz said. "If those speed guys learn how to bunt and use both sides of the field, they're going to create havoc."
Round 10 (294th pick): 3B Josh Tobias, Florida
Tobias hit .373, with 14 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 41 RBIs, a .557 slugging percentage and a .447 on-base percentage as a senior. He is listed at 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds.
"My biggest interest was that Tobias just started hitting left-handed this year," Almaraz said. "He possess above-average ability. At that point in the Draft, if you can select somebody who can have an impact on the Major League club -- whether it's as an everyday player, a left-handed bat off the bench or even an extra outfielder or utility-type guy -- that's considered a really good Draft."