Reds take pitcher from University of Virginia in first round

For the fourth time in the last six years, the Reds took a right-handed pitcher with their first pick in the Major League Baseball first-year player draft. They selected Nick Howard from the University of Virginia with the 19th pick in the first round Thursday.

Howard, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior from Olney, Md., is 2-1 with a 2.15 ERA in 29 1/3 innings this season. He set an Atlantic Coast Conference single-season record with 19 saves. Virginia plays in an NCAA Super Regional best-of-three series against Maryland this weekend.

Howard was the 25th-ranked player on Baseball America’s list of the top 100 draft prospects.

The scouting report on MLB.com had this to say about Howard: "A Sunday starter as a sophomore and a two-way player throughout his career at Virginia, Howard settled in as the Cavaliers' closer in 2014. A team that thinks he might have the profile to go back to starting might take him in the early rounds. As a starter, both at Virginia and in the Cape Cod League, Howard would throw his fastball in the 90-93 mph range, occasionally touching 94. In short relief, he's been up to 95-97 and touching 98 mph."

Howard moved to the closer’s role this season. As a sophomore, he pitched and played third base and shortstop. He was 6-4 on the mound and hit .323.

Howard, 21, was the 13th pitcher taken in the first 19 picks. The Astros drafted Brady Aiken, a left-handed pitcher from Cathedral Catholic High School (Calif.), with the No. 1 overall pick.

The Reds also took pitchers with their top pick in 2012 (Nick Travieso), 2011 (Robert Stephenson) and 2009 (Mike Leake).

They took three straight right-handers from 2002-04: Chris Gruler, Ryan Wagner and Homer Bailey. Gruler never pitched in the majors. Wagner won a total of 11 games in his career. Bailey has been a key part of the rotation for six seasons.

The Reds had a second pick in the first round, compensation for losing Shin-Soo Choo in free agency. They selected Stanford junior shortstop Alex Blandino with the 29th pick. Blandino hit .312 with 12 home runs this season.

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