The 2011 MLB Draft got off to a strong first day for the Bay Area as pitching ruled the day for Northern California. Chris Reed, Joe Ross, Robert Stephenson led the way in the first round as the Bay Area continued its strong tradition of baseball excellence. Here's a rundown of each Bay Area player selected in the first round and compensation round A on day one of the 2011 MLB Draft.
LHP Chris Reed, Stanford - Selected by the Dodgers, Reed has worked primarily as a closer at Stanford but could be stretched out into a starting role. Given Broxton's troubles, the quickest path to the big leagues is in the bullpen, but the Dodgers haven't specified their long term plans yet for Reed.
RHP Joe Ross, Bishop O'Dowd HS (Oakland) - Tyson Ross' younger brother has the command mechanics to become a very solid starting pitcher. If the Padres can sign him away from UCLA, he brings solid makeup and could prove to be a solid middle of the rotation guy for San Diego.
RHP Robert Stephenson, Alhambra HS (Martinez) - The Reds decision to pick Stephenson stems from anybody's love of "upside" in an athlete. Seeing as you can't teach 98mph heat, it's easy to see why the Reds made the pick. Hopefully he stays healthy, but that kind of heat in a small body will be interesting to follow.
3B Tyler Goeddel, St. Francis HS (Mountain View) - A third baseman that is likely to grow into an outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays if he can improve on average to above average tools.
OF James Harris - Oakland Tech HS - The second Bay Area pick for Tampa Bay has solid speed but needs to work on pitch recognition to make it at the next level.
We'll be here for the next three days covering the 2011 MLB Draft for the San Francisco Giants, the Oakland Athletics, and Bay Area baseball products. For more in-depth discussion about the Giants head to McCovey Chronicles. For more on the A's head over to Athletics Nation. For more general minor league and draft discussion, check out Minor League Ball and Baseball Nation.