Phillies select high school star Cornelius Randolph in first round

THE YEAR of the shortstop.

That's an easy way to classify the first round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft.

Shortstops were selected with each of the first three picks. And the Phillies, at No. 10, selected a high school shortstop, Cornelius Randolph from Griffin High School in Georgia.

But he won't be playing much shortstop from here on out. Which should quell the immediate reaction of bewilderment at why the Phillies took a shortstop, with 2013 first-rounder J.P. Crawford doing so well at Double A Reading.

Johnny Almaraz, the Phillies' director of amateur scouting, said the club likes Randolph in the outfield, likely left. Almaraz said Randolph played there a lot last summer.

In the second round, 48th overall, the Phillies selected the University of Arizona's Scott Kingery, 21, a 5-11, 175-pound second baseman.

Almaraz was making his first selections in his new title after the Phillies let go Marti Wolever in September. Wolever had held that position since 2002. In that time, only Cole Hamels (2002) and Joe Savery (2007) reached the majors after being selected in the first round.

One of those failures was shortstop Anthony Hewitt, whom the Phillies drafted 24th overall in 2008 and released last summer.

The potential position change for Randolph is nothing abnormal for a high school shortstop entering professional baseball. Oftentimes, a prospect plays shortstop in high school simply because he's the best athlete on the team.

Mike Schmidt, Jim Thome, Justin Upton, Melvin Upton, Chipper Jones and plenty more all were drafted as shortstops and played elsewhere in the bigs.

At the very least, the Phillies - especially Almaraz - were enamored with Randolph's bat. Randolph, who turned 18 last Tuesday, batted .526 in 17 games in his senior year, smacking seven home runs and 11 doubles for a .934 slugging percentage.

"We love his bat,'' Almaraz said. "He's somebody we feel is one of the top three hitters in the country, just as far as this year's draft is concerned. Very rare do you ever get a consensus from the entire room. There's no doubt we feel he's got a chance to be a hitter in the major leagues that hits for both average and power.''

Randolph, a 6-1, 190-pound lefthanded hitter, comes from the same high school as the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft, Tim Beckham, a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. Randolph has been committed to Clemson University since December 2013. He'll likely sign with the Phillies instead.

The Phillies had one private workout with Randolph in Atlanta, Almaraz said.

Even after taking righthander Aaron Nola seventh last year, the Phillies had been linked to a few college pitching prospects in the days leading up to the draft.

Almaraz said there "was a breaking point,'' as to whether the Phillies were looking for a bat, or considering a pitcher.

Three pitchers, all college prospects, were selected ahead of the Phillies' pick.

"The way I operate, I believe unless [a pitcher] has potential to be a No. 1 or No. 2 starter, I'm not going to forfeit a third starter for a strong and impact bat," Almaraz said. "I'll always have a tendency to favor that.''

Just how much impact remains to be seen. Almaraz said the team felt Randolph was the "best bat in the country'' among high school hitters.

Baseball America had Randolph ranked as the 20th best prospect in the draft.

Almaraz talked before the draft about choosing the best player with the best ability and reiterated that last night.

If the Phillies thought Randolph was the best bat in the draft, why did he slip to No. 10?

"I honestly think that there's some teams that just, they're college-oriented teams,'' Almaraz said. "With me, it doesn't matter whether it's college or high school. I look at the talent and the ability to hit the baseball, the ability to pitch, and age has nothing to do with it.''

As for Kingery, the Phillies' second-round pick, he was projected by many as a late-first-rounder after being named Pac-12 Player of the Year.

A former outfielder, Kingery moved to second base this season, where Almaraz said he'll likely remain as a professional.

Kingery batted leadoff for the Wildcats and smacked a Pac-12-high 93 hits for a .392 average with five home runs, five triples, 15 doubles and 53 runs scored. He swiped 11 bases.

Kingery also was named to the Pac-12's all-defensive team.

After selecting a high school player with their first choice, the Phillies went the route of a player who could be MLB ready a bit sooner.

"He's an advanced hitter and an everyday second baseman,'' Almaraz said. "We just felt it would be a good balance. He's got a good swing and a little bit of pop; doubles with occasional pull power. But his ability to play defense and set the tone at the top of the lineup - he's very exciting player.''

Stroudsburg High pitcher Mike Nikorak, a hard-throwing righthander whom many projected to be selected in the top 20, fell to Colorado at No. 27.