NewsSox sign first-round Draft pick Fuentes
Young outfielder will report to Gulf Coast League
By Jeff Seidel / Special to MLB.com
07/01/09 3:28 PM ET
BALTIMORE -- The Red Sox announced on Wednesday the signing of outfielder Reymond Fuentes, their top pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.
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1 WAS: S. Strasburg
2 SEA: D. Ackley
3 SD: D. Tate
4 PIT: J. Sanchez
5 BAL: M. Hobgood
6 SF: Z. Wheeler
7 ATL: M. Minor
8 CIN: M. Leake
9 DET: J. Turner
10 WAS: D. Storen
11 COL: T. Matzek
12 KC: A. Crow
13 OAK: G. Green
14 TEX: M. Purke
15 CLE: A. White
16 ARI: R. Borchering
17 ARI: A. Pollock
18 FLA: C. James
19 STL: S. Miller
20 TOR: S. Jenkins
21 HOU: J. Mier
22 MIN: K. Gibson
23 CWS: J. Mitchell
24 LAA: R. Grichuk
25 LAA: M Trout
26 MIL: E. Arnett
27 SEA: N. Franklin
28 BOS: R. Fuentes
29 NYY: S. Heathcott
30 TB: L. Washington
31 CHC: B. Jackson
32 COL: T. Wheeler
36 LAD: A. Miller
72 NYM: S. Matz
75 PHI: K. Dugan
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Fuentes comes from Fernando Callejo High School in Puerto Rico and has been assigned to the Rookie League Gulf Coast Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla. He's the first player Boston has picked from Puerto Rico in the first round.
In addition, he's the cousin of Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran.
Baseball America rated the 18-year-old Fuentes as the third-fastest runner among high school players eligible for the Draft, being clocked at 6.3 seconds in the 60-yard dash at Puerto Rico's annual Excellence Tournament in May.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Fuentes had a solid season in 2009. He hit .424 (14-for-33) with three doubles, five triples, three homers, 14 RBIs, 18 runs plus 12 walks and nine steals in 13 games. The left-handed hitter also had a strong .620 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of 1.091.
Boston also signed the following players: outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker (Ball State University, fourth round); outfielder Shannon Wilkerson (Augusta State University, eighth round); catcher Michael Thomas (Southern University A&M, 12th round); and first baseman Chris McGuiness (Citadel, 13th round).
The Red Sox now have signed 16 players from this year's Draft.
Jeff Seidel is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
