By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Reds top draft pick, Ryan Wagner, a sophomore from the University of Houston. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

Ryan Scott Wagner has been groomed to pitch in the big leagues from the moment he entered the world and his parents named him after former Houston Astros greats Nolan Ryan and Mike Scott.

"It was fate from the day I was born," Wagner said. "I was raised to be a pitcher my whole life."

The Reds are hoping fate will continue to be kind to Wagner, and by extension to a club with a woeful record of developing pitchers. They announced before Friday's game with the Philadelphia Phillies that they had signed Wagner, their No. 1 pick in the June free agent draft, and right-hander Thomas Pauly, their second pick.

Wagner, a 20-year-old right-hander, was the 14th player taken in the draft. He was 6-5 with a 1.93 ERA in 70 1/3 innings this season for the University of Houston. His average of 16.8 strikeouts per nine innings is the best in the history of NCAA Division I baseball.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound native of Yoakum, Texas, will begin his professional career at Double-A Chattanooga, and if he dominates the way Reds general manager Jim Bowden hopes he will, he could be pitching at Great American Ball Park before the season is over.

"Our scouts say he can pitch here right now," Bowden said.

Initially, Wagner will be used in relief, but Bowden doesn't rule out the possibility of converting him to a starter down the road.

"We're concerned about the innings that he's pitched," Bowden said. "We're going to pitch him one inning and then give him two days off. We're going to take care of his arm. He throws 91 to 94 (mph) with his fastball, and he's got a breaking ball that no one hits."

Two years ago, the Reds failed to sign their top pick, left-hander Jeremy Sowers, who enrolled at Vanderbilt when the club refused to meet his demand for a $3 million signing bonus. Sowers was the 20th player selected in the draft.

Last year, with the third overall pick, the Reds selected right-hander Chris Gruler and signed him for $2.5 million. He underwent shoulder surgery in April and is out for the season.

With Wagner, who was represented by Ryan Ware, the same adviser who negotiated Gruler's contract, the negotiating process proceeded smoothly and quickly. Wagner received a $1.4 million signing bonus.

"I'm here to play baseball," Wagner said. "It's not about the money. It's not about the TVs and the cameras. It's about playing baseball."

Reds second draft pick, Thomas Pauly, a junior from Princeton University. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

Pauly, 21, was 6-2 this spring with a 1.46 ERA in two starts and 17 relief appearances at Princeton University, where he was a chemical engineering major.

"Chemical engineering is probably one of the hardest degrees in the school," Pauly said. "If you told me I would be here today, I wouldn't have chosen it. But I chose it at the time because it was a challenge and I thought it would help me later in life. Maybe it will. Maybe it won't. But it doesn't matter right now. Chemical engineering is miserable. Baseball is fun."

Pauly, a third-team academic All-American from Atlantic Beach, Fla., was an outfielder in high school until his junior year. He wasn't born to pitch like Wagner was, but he took to it immediately. He'll begin his pro career at Single-A Dayton.

"I've got a lot of work to do," Pauly said. "I'd like to improve my command significantly. I'd like to work with a pitching coach for the first time, and I'd like to develop my off-speed stuff more."

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com