The Reds have announced that they’ve signed catcher and 11th overall draft pick Tyler Stephenson. Stephenson has been assigned to short-season Billings. MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets that Stephenson will receive the allotted value of the pick, which is $3,141,600. Stephenson, from Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia, had been committed to Georgia Tech.
MLB.com notes that Stephenson appears capable defensively, with soft hands, a strong arm and good agility given his size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds). He also has good power, although his ability to make contact is a concern. Baseball America (subscription required) ranked Stephenson the 15th-best prospect in the draft, noting that his defensive ability would buy him time to work through any offensive issues that might arise. Stephenson is the third catcher the Reds have selected with a first-round pick in the past decade, joining Devin Mesoraco (2007) and the since-traded Yasmani Grandal (2010).
