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Brandon Larson
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Ht/Wt: 6-0, 197. Bats: Right. Throws: Right. Age: 21. Hometown: San Antonio, Texas. College: Louisiana State. 1997 Numbers: .384, 40 home runs, 115 RBI. Fun fact: This is third time he has been drafted. He was picked in the 41st round out of high school and the 44th round last year. In the clutch: Larson batted against Rice's Matt Anderson on Friday in the College World Series, with LSU trailing 4-2 in the eighth inning. Larson hit a two-run home to tie the score. LSU added another run to win 5-4. Quote: "We really like his makeup," said Al Goldis, the Reds senior director of scouting and player development. "He's a leader. Of all his attributes, that's the one we like best. The 40 home runs and .380-plus average don't hurt either."
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One of manager Ray Knight's laments this year has been the lack of a big bopper in the middle of the lineup. The Reds took a step toward filling that void Tuesday by selecting Brandon Larson with their first pick in the amateur draft.
The Reds took a bit of a flyer on Larson, a 6-foot, 197-pound shortstop for Louisiana State - as much of a flyer as you can on someone who has 40 home runs and 115 RBI in 68 games this year. Larson was not considered first-round material in the weeks approaching the draft.
The Reds had no misgivings and took Larson, a 21-year-old right-handed hitter, with the 14th overall selection.
"I've been fortunate enough to sign Frank Thomas and Robin Ventura," said Al Goldis, the Reds' senior director of scouting and player development. "He's right there with Ventura . . . but he can run. Ventura can't."
Ventura had 34 home runs and 105 RBI with the Chicago White Sox last year and has averaged 20-plus home runs for seven years in the majors.
Though the Reds and other major-league teams selected dozens of players, only the results of the opening round were officially released. The rest of the draft will be announced next week.
The Reds believe Larson will be in Cinergy Field sometime next season.
"We believe he is one of the closest players to the big leagues in this draft," scouting director Julian Mock said.
The Reds' scouts saw Larson play 20 to 25 times and found nothing to dissuade them from picking him.
Larson's stock climbed as the draft drew near. Baseball America rated him as the 92nd best player available in its draft preview. "If the season went on another month," Goldis said, "he'd probably be a top-five pick."
"It was a little surprising to be rated so low after the season I had," Larson said. "But I haven't been at Division I for three years like some of these other guys."
This is Larson's first season at LSU. Larson, who went to high school in San Antonio, Texas, transferred to LSU from Blinn Community College in Texas.
All those homers did just that. He is the first LSU player and only the fourth player in NCAA history to reach 40 home runs in a season. The Reds made a organizational decision to stress selecting players who can hit with power. Larson plays shortstop for LSU, but the Reds do not see him exclusively as a shortstop.
"They've talked to me about several positions," he said, "primarily second base and some about third. It doesn't matter to me."
The Reds will put Larson in the fast track to the big leagues. Goldis said Larson will probably start in Single-A.
"Hopefully, he'll end up the year at Double-A," Goldis said. "(General Manager) Jim (Bowden) has taken guys right from Double-A to the big leagues."
The thing that impressed the Reds' braintrust is who Larson has homered against lately. Two of his College World Series homers came off Rice's Matt Anderson, the No. 1 pick in the draft, and Stanford's Kyle Peterson, the No. 13 pick.
"Those are against pitchers who are going to be No. 2 and 3 starters in the big leagues," Goldis said. "Five or six times, he's come up in late innings with the score tied and hit home runs to win games." HD:Other Reds' picks
The Reds took Travis Dawkins, a shortstop from Newberry (S.C.) High School, in the second round; Thaddeus Markray, a third baseman from Spring Hill (La.), in the third round; Monte Roundtree, a left-handed pitcher from Greenville (N.C.) High School, in the fourth round; and Matt Borne, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Kentucky, in the seventh round.
Scouts said Dawkins plays similar to Reds infielder Pokey Reese, but should be a better hitter. Markray is a 6-foot-3, 17-year-old power hitter; and Roundtree is 6-4 with a fastball that has reached 94 mph.
Borne, a junior from Henry Clay High School, was 3-4 with a 7.46 ERA for the Wildcats this season.
4 LOCAL PLAYERS DRAFTED IN TOP 4 ROUNDS
REDS 3, PHILS 2
NOTEBOOK: LARKIN'S SURGE SURPRISES NOBODY
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