Draft Day The Reds Pick In the First Round 27th Robert Stephenson RHP

The Reds drafted Robert Stephenson a 6'2" 190 lb righthanded pitcher from Alhambra High School in Martinez, California.  Stephenson has committed to the University of Washington.  He threw back-to-back no hitters, like the Reds Johnny Vander Meer did in 1938.

"We are very excited to have Robert," Reds scouting director, Chris Buckley said.  "I've seen him three times. I saw him throw 98.  He's an outstanding high school pitcher with a good upside.  He's a very competitive kid.  He goes right after you.  One of the times I saw him, he lost a no-hitter in the sixth inning."

The baseball draft of amatuer players is not like the National Football League or National Basketball Association that basically use colleges to develop talent for them.

The baseball draft includes both high school and college players for one thing.  Also in baseball the drafted players are projected three to five years from the draft.

As I watch the Reds play while the draft is conducted, three players were picked by the Reds in the first round.  Drew Stubbs (2006), Jay Bruce (2005) and Mike Leake (2009) were all taken in the first round.  Stubbs was out of college, University of Texas.  Bruce was a high school player at West Brook High School in Beaumont, Texas.  Mike Leake was the ace of the Arizona State University pitching staff when taken.  Leake came straight to the major leagues but had a stint at Triple A Louisville, last month.

Dusty Baker remembered the day he was drafted in 1967.  Baker had offers to play college football, basketball and track but no college baseball offers. 

"They (baseball scouts) told me that they didn't want to waste a draft choice if I was going to college," said Baker who was picked in the 26th round of the '67 draft. "I remember draft day, day two and day three. You always hope you'll be drafted.  I prayed the night before I didn't get drafted by Atlanta."

Atlanta selected him in that draft.

"It was 1967, George Wallace , Lester Mattox, vietnam, riots, freedom marches. The south wasn't the place to go for a black kid out of high school. That turned out to be the best thing that happened to me.  I got to be teammates with Hank Aaron.  I met Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young Ralph Abernathy, a lot of good people white and black. Jimmy Carter was the governor.  I was his mother, Lillian's favorite player."



By Jerry Dowling