CCiinncciinnnnaattii RReeddss MMeeddiiaa CClliippss JJuunnee 77tthh,, 22001166 Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings June 7, 2016 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1981-Bruce Berenyi throws the fourth consecutive complete game for the Reds in a win, 2-0, over Montreal (6/3/81, Frank Pastore, 6-2 win; 6/5/81, Mario Soto, 6-3 win; 6/6/81, Tom Seaver, 9-3 win) MLB.COM Reds have plenty of options with second pick By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | June 6th, 2016 CINCINNATI -- The 2016 Draft will take place from Thursday through Saturday, beginning with the Draft preview show on MLB Network and MLB.com on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET. Live Draft coverage from MLB Network's Studio 42 begins at 7 p.m., with the top 77 picks being streamed on MLB.com and broadcast on MLB Network. MLB.com's exclusive coverage of Day 2 begins with a live Draft show at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, with exclusive coverage of Day 3 beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday. MLB.com's coverage includes Draft Central, the Top 200 Draft Prospects list and Draft Tracker, a live interactive application that includes a searchable database of over 1,500 Draft-eligible players. Every selection will be tweeted live from @MLBDraftTracker, and you can also keep up to date by following @MLBDraft. And get into the Draft conversation by tagging your tweets with #mlbdraft. Here's how the Draft is shaping up for the Reds, whose first selection is the No. 2 overall pick. In about 50 words It's the second time in the franchise's history, and the first time since 1983, that the Reds have the second pick overall. With the team in a rebuild mode seeking to invest heavily on the amateur market and develop its own players through the system, this pick could carry big ramifications. The scoop The 2016 Draft lacks the wealth of prized picks with no Bryce Harper or Stephen Strasburg-type players that are consensus top selections. The Reds have the luxury of losing only one player they might want on the Draft board ahead of them, depending on what the Phillies do with the first overall pick. According to senior director of amateur scouting Chris Buckley, Cincinnati has focused its scouting this spring on four or five players. The club will stick to its mantra of taking what it feels is the best available athlete. Whoever is taken by the Reds, even at the second pick, it might be a few years before that player reaches the Majors. "It remains to be seen if that type of talent is out there this year who is that close to the big leagues," Buckley said. First-round buzz Recent mock drafts by MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis have the Reds taking Nick Senzel, a third baseman from the University of Tennessee. However, if the Phillies do not take University of Florida left-handed pitcher A.J. Puk, as predicted in the mock Draft, he might be too good for Cincinnati to pass up. Other players that might be on the radar include outfielder Kyle Lewis from Mercer University and shortstop Delvin Perez from Puerto Rico. Money matters Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each pick in the top 10 rounds comes with an assigned value, and the total for each of a team's choices covers what it can spend without penalty in those rounds. Any bonus money in excess of $100,000 given to an individual player selected in rounds 11-40 also counts against a club's bonus pool. The amounts rise each year in accordance with Major League Baseball's revenue growth, and the total increased by 4.62 percent compared to 2015. Any team going up to five percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75 percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5-10 percent gets a 75 percent tax, plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes 10-15 percent over its pool amount will be hit with a 100 percent penalty on the overage and the loss of a first- and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100 percent tax plus the loss of first-round picks in the next two Drafts. Because the Reds have both the No. 2 pick and the No. 35 overall selection for winning the Competitive Balance Lottery, they will have the largest bonus pool at $13,923,700 to sign their 11 picks. For the No. 2 pick in this year's Draft, the slot value is $7,762,900. The No. 35 pick is valued at $1,837,200. Shopping list Via recent trades and the past few Drafts, the Reds have focused on replenishing their pitching depth. Several pitching prospects are in the system that the organization is very high on, including a few at the Triple-A and Double-A levels that are knocking on the door to the big leagues. Where the depth is lacking is with big-time hitters. That doesn't mean Cincinnati won't take pitching with its upper-round picks. "You may think you have a ton of pitching, but you never have as much as you think," Buckley said. "Look at all the guys who are hurt this year. It happens to every team. You never shy away from really good pitching." Recent Draft history Trend watch On the pitching front, the Reds have spent the past few Drafts loading up on power arms. They have not been afraid to take pitchers that have been relievers or closers for their college team and try to develop them as starters. It's something they've done with pitchers like Michael Lorenzen, for example. Rising fast Lefty starting pitcher Amir Garrett, Cincinnati's No. 4 prospect, is dominating at Double-A Pensacola this season. Garrett was a 22nd-round selection in 2011, but he had higher-round talent. When Garrett was taken, he was also a college basketball player who didn't have significant baseball experience. Since giving up hoops two years ago, he has flourished while steadily moving up. Cinderella story Right-hander Sal Romano, taken one round after Garrett in 2011, is the organization's No. 15 prospect. Although he doesn't have great numbers in 2016 for Pensacola, the organization likes his size and power right arm. In The Show Homegrown players are all over the Reds' current roster that were drafted and developed from within the organization. That includes former first-rounders like Jay Bruce and Homer Bailey, second-round selections like Joey Votto, Zack Cozart and Billy Hamilton and others such as Tucker Barnhart, Jon Moscot, Tony Cingrani and Lorenzen. The Reds' recent top picks 2015: Tyler Stephenson, C, Class A Advanced Daytona 2014: Nick Howard, RHP, Class A Advanced Daytona 2013: Phillip Ervin, OF, Double-A Pensacola 2012: Nick Travieso, RHP, Double-A Pensacola 2011: Robert Stephenson, RHP, Triple-A Louisville Draft Buzz: What Callis and Mayo are hearing Top-ranked prospect Groome reportedly commits to Chipola JC By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com | @JonathanMayo | 2:37 AM ET Groome to JUCO? Jason Groome, ranked No. 1 on the Top 200 Draft prospects list, might be headed to junior college, if the Draft doesn't go as planned. Groome, the lefty from Barnegat High School in New Jersey, had originally committed to Vanderbilt University, but there was late word that he had changed gears and instead committed to Chipola College, a two-year school in Florida. By switching to the junior college, Groome would be eligible for the 2017 Draft should he decide not to sign. As the spring started, that did not seem like a possibility, as Groome appeared to be a top-of-the-Draft type of player, one even in consideration to be taken No. 1 overall. But there have been concerns about off-field issues that have are seemingly causing the southpaw to slide. If the signability demands -- and there was talk of a $4 million price tag -- don't match the potential post-slide landing spot, Groome could decide to roll the dice, pitch a year back in Florida (he spent his junior season at IMG Academy in Bradenton), and try his luck in the Draft again next year. Braves looking for deal at No. 3? With this Draft class, particularly at the top, very much in flux, teams picking in the Top 10 are still trying to figure out how things will line up. Starting with the Phillies, who are still reportedly considering several options with the top selection, the volatility is causing teams picking early to explore any and all options. With this Draft class, particularly at the top, very much in flux, teams picking in the Top 10 are still trying to figure out how things will line up. Starting with the Phillies, who are still reportedly considering several options with the top selection, the volatility is causing teams picking early to explore any and all options. That includes potential bargains. The Atlanta Braves have the No. 3 pick and have mostly been associated with taking a bat with the pick. The last few mocks on MLBPipeline.com have had Atlanta taking local Mercer product Kyle Lewis at No. 3. And there would be interest in Florida lefty A.J. Puk should he get to the Braves. One thing there doesn't seem to be is consensus, about both who will be there and who the Braves will take.