The Cincinnati Reds have signed more draft picks today. The team has officially signed 1st round competitive balance pick Jeter Downs, 2nd round pick Stuart Fairchild, and 24th round pick Anderson DeLeon. C. Trent Rosecrans from the Cincinnati Enquirer was the first to report all three.
#Reds have signed comp pick SS Jeter Downs, 2nd round Stuart Fairchild, RHPs Packy Naughton (9), Ryan Nutof (16) & Anderson DeLeon
— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) June 20, 2017
Jeter Downs signed for a little bit under slot value, while Stuart Fairchild signed at slot value. Both signings have been added to the 2017 Cincinnati Reds Draft Tracker.
None of the players have been assigned to teams yet. It wouldn’t surprise me if Stuart Fairchild wound up in Dayton for his first assignment, though Billings isn’t out of the question either. You can read the draft day scouting report on Stuart Fairchild here.
I’d expect Jeter Downs to begin his season with the Mustangs, though a quick tune up in Arizona isn’t out of the question. His bat is considered very advanced, and the Reds sent a similar prospect in Taylor Trammell to Billings to begin his career last season. You can read the draft day scouting report on Jeter Downs here.
With Anderson DeLeon it will be interesting to see how they handle him. He was dominant in college during the 2017 season, but it was at a smaller school in Iowa Central Community College. Sending him to Billings could make sense if they believe he’s advanced enough, but coming out of a smaller college they could send him to Arizona to join the Arizona League Reds. You can read the scouting report from draft day on Anderson DeLeon here.
The signing deadline is July 7th at 5:00pm ET. The Reds have already signed 17 of their draft picks and based on past numbers, they will probably sign another seven or eight players before all is said and done.