Cincinnati Reds land well-rounded outfielder in 8th round of MLB Draft

The Cincinnati Reds made some very solid selections on Day 2 of the MLB Draft, but one of their best picks may have been jack-of-all-trades, Quin Cotton.

One of my favorites picks that the Cincinnati Reds made during Day 2 of the 2019 MLB Draft came in Round 3 when the front office selected prep infielder Tyler Callihan with the 85th overall pick. However, as the day waned on, another pick caught my eye. I absolutely the eighth-round selection of Quin Cotton.

The 5’11” outfielder from Grand Canyon University was still on the board when the Reds were making the 234th overall selection. Dick Williams and company quickly scooped up the jack-of-all-trades and he’ll likely be headed to either Arizona, Billings, or Greenville to begin his pro career with the Cincinnati Reds.

Cotton was previously drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 38th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. After putting up solid numbers for GCU, including a .342 average this season, Cotton’s hard work seems to have paid off as he’s now been taken about 900 picks sooner than he was in 2016.

I mentioned earlier that Quin Cotton is a jack-of-all-trades. Depending on which scouting report you read, it’s not clear what area of his game Cotton excels at. However, it’s very clear that while he may not be great at any one thing, he’s good at several things.

No one is going to confuse Quin Cotton as a power hitter, as he had just 4 home runs last season. However, if his speed can help him to stick in center field, the lack of power can be ignored. Cotton does profile as a contact hitter with some power to the gaps.

MLB.com ranks Cotton as the No. 173 prospect in this year’s draft. He has an average hitting and fielding tool with a plus tool in terms of his speed. However, below-average of both his arm and power grade Quin Cotton’s overall game as a 45. For those unfamiliar, scouts use a scale of 20-80 to grade potential prospects. A score of 50 is average, so Cotton comes in just below that level.

Quin Cotton may profile as a fourth outfielder in the future, but I believe that he possesses some versatility that may allow him to maximize his talent beyond just a utility role at the major league level. Under the right tutelage, Quin Cotton could emerge as a phenomenal get by the Cincinnati Reds on Day 2 of the MLB Draft.