The Reno Zephyrs today announced the club has selected outfielder Reggie Myers with the 5th overall selection in the first round of the 2018 First-Year PEBA Draft.

Myers, 21, is a senior out of Stanford.  He batted .391 (61-156) for the Axe this season with 7 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run and 57 runs scored in 49 games.  He also walked an amazing 80 times while posting a 1.060 OPS (.592OBP/.468SLG).  Myers helped his team to win their respective division with a 36-20 record.

In his four years at Stanford, Myers walked 258 times posting a .545 OBP.  Myers looks like mature hitter that knows how to be patient and wait for his particular pitch to hit.  There were other players on the draft board at #5 that the Zephyrs could have selected who might have a higher ceiling than Reggie, but the front office made it abundantly clear to reporters that Myers was their guy.

“As an organization, we were in complete agreement that Myers has tremendous up-side with his ability to get on base,” Zephyrs general manager Scott Maynor said during a phone interview after he announced the pick.  “Reggie can run, hit and field his position very well. He also brings a leadership quality that can help to unite a team.  This is undoubtedly a special kind of player.  We are thrilled to have him playing for our organization.” 

If there is a particular knock on Myers as a prospect, it is his complete lack of home run power. 

In his entire time at Stanford, Reggie hit just 1 home run.  Not every team appreciates an outfielder who can’t get the ball over the fence.  While there are more than a few little leaguers who can match his career home run total, Myers has shown an ability to hit doubles and triples which should lead to a respectable SLG percentage.  Myers’ ability to hit the ball into the gaps and to all fields has been well-documented, but some scouts suggest there is the potential for some power as well.  The native of Norland, Florida, is listed at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, but at just 21 years of age his body has yet to fully mature.

As you might expect, there are differing views on the total package Myers can be.  Some scouts see him as a 4^th outfielder who will never hit for power.  They say his bat won’t play well at the corners and that he doesn’t have the range, arm or overall defensive skill to project well in centerfield.  

Even though the Reno front office appears to be very high on Reggie Myers, there are no guarantees that we will ever see him play in the Zephyrs minor league system.  Two of last season’s top draft picks for Reno refused to sign with the team and ended up getting drafted by other organizations this year.  In fact, the 5^th overall selection Reno had was a compensation pick for failing to sign their top pick in 2017.

Myers and his agent have made it clear to Reno that they will not be an easy sign and have demanded in the neighborhood of $4,000,000 as a signing bonus.  Time will tell if Reno has what it takes to sign their top pick this time.