MLB Draft: Reds make power play with second round pick

Credit: Joe Robbins

Credit: Joe Robbins

The Cincinnati Reds used their second pick of the 2019 MLB Draft on the Rece Hinds.

A shortstop from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., who has committed to LSU, he is rated MLB.com's No. 42 prospect while Baseball America has him 39th.

Some regard the 6-4, 205-pound right-handed hitter as the No. 1 power hitter in the draft.

While first-round picks tend to get the most headlines, some of the most notable Reds of the recent and more distant past have been found in the second.

That began with the very first draft when Cincinnati used its No. 2 pick in 1965 on a catcher from Binger, Okla., named Johnny Bench.

He was the 1968 Rookie of the Year, a two-time MVP, 14-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner.

>>RELATED: Reds take TCU pitcher in first round | What he said about being drafted 

The Hall of Famer was a key member of the Big Red Machine and remains a great ambassador for the team and the game.

Thirty-seven years later the team struck gold on another catcher, though Joey Votto did not stay behind the plate.

The Toronto, Canada, native moved to first base and became one of the best hitters in team history.

Other notable second-round picks by the Reds include Milt Wilcox, Chris Sabo, Adam Dunn, Travis Wood, Zack Cozart and Billy Hamilton.

Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin was also a second-round pick out of Cincinnati Moeller in 1982, but he chose to go to the University of Michigan. Three years later the Reds picked him again — this time in the first round.

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