June 9, 2015 at 1:15 PM
Red Sox select Austin Rei with their third-round pick
Listed at 6 feet, 183 pounds, Rei is considered to be one of the best defensive catchers available in the draft, with Baseball America praising his plus arm while clocking him with pop times as low as 1.8 seconds. The right-handed hitter was originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 38th round of the 2012 draft, but opted to attend Washington, where he was selected to the All-Pac-12 team as a sophomore in 2014 after hitting .314/.408/.451 in 52 games. He was limited to only 25 games this past season due to a UCL injury in his left thumb, but he was great once he returned, batting .330/.445/.681 with seven home runs.
With a lean body type, which is not too dissimilar from Blake Swihart, Rei is athletic for a catcher, with MLB.com saying he moves very well behind the plate, with excellent hands and a plus arm. Baseball America rated him as the 68th best prospect in the class, and he would have gone higher if not for his injury. Rei has also shown he can handle premium velocity, hitting a home run off Arizona State closer Ryan Burr, who can touch 97 with his fastball. With a strikeout rate over 30 percent this season, Rei certainly has some swing-and-miss in his game, but as a strong defensive catcher with the ability to hit for power, Rei has some great qualities that teams are always looking for.
Scouting info was compiled from industry publications including Baseball America, FanGraphs, Perfect Game USA, and MLB.com.
Photo Credit: Austin Rei by gohuskies.com