Marlins Select OF Connor Scott With 13th Pick In MLB Draft
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- The Miami Marlins have added three new names to their roster in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft, including outfielder Connor Scott out of Plant High School in Tampa, with the 13th overall pick.
Shortly after making the pick, Marlins CEO Derek Jeter called Scott to personally congratulate him.
Scott is the first pick for the Marlins under their new ownership group.
Marlins President of Baseball Operations Mike Hill compared Scott's combination of power, speed and defensive ability to current Marlins' starting center fielder Lewis Brinson.
The Club also selected shortstop Osiris Johnson out of Encinal High School (CA) with the 53rd overall pick, and catcher Will Banfield out of Brookwood High School (GA) with the 69th overall pick.
Scott, 18, is 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, and bats and throws left-handed. According to MaxPreps, he batted .424 (89x210) over 72 games during his three-year varsity career at Plant. He had 14 doubles, seven triples, 11 home runs, and 58 RBI in that time. As a senior this spring, he batted .526 (30x57) in 20 games, with 20 runs scored, four doubles, two triples, five home runs, 19 RBI, and six steals. He drew 17 walks and struck out just four times in his final season, and helped lead Plant to the Region 2 Final in the FHSAA 8A Baseball Championship.
He was rated by Baseball America as the third-best outfield prospect in the Draft. Scott was also named a 2018 Rawlings-Perfect Game 1st Team All-American, following 2017 Underclass 1st Team and 2016 Underclass 2nd Team honors the previous two years.
Johnson, 17, is a native of Alameda, California and the second cousin of former Major League All-Star Jimmy Rollins. In his senior season at Encinal he batted .535 (46x86) with 30 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples, six home runs, and 24 RBI over 26 games. He finished his four-year varsity career with a .403 average (119x295) with 80 runs scored, 34 doubles, seven triples, 12 home runs, and 68 RBI in 92 games. He stole 37 bases in 43 attempts over his high school career, including 16 in 17 attempts as a senior.
The Marlins selected Banfield (Lawrenceville, Georgia) with the first pick in Competitive Balance Round B. Banfield, 18, was the fourth-ranked catching prospect in the Draft by Baseball America. He batted .417 (43x103) in his senior season at Brookwood, with 37 runs scored, 13 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, and 49 RBI.
The Draft resumes with Rounds 3-10 Tuesday beginning at 1:00 p.m.
