First rounder Noah Naylor signs with the Indians
INDIANS LOCK UP FIRST TWO SELECTIONS
FROM 2018 FIRST-YEAR PLAYER DRAFT
CLEVELAND, OH – The Cleveland Indians signed C NOAH “BO” NAYLOR (1st round, 29th overall pick) and RHP ETHAN HANKINS (compensation phase, 1st round, 35th overall) from the 2018 First-Year Player Draft. Overall the club signed five selections today and 32 overall to date from the 2018 draft, including the club’s top 20 picks through round 18.
Naylor, 18, was a standout high school catcher for the Ontario Blue Jays in Mississauga, Ont. The left-handed hitter appeared in seven games with the Ontario Blue Jays this spring (8-for-26, .421, two doubles, homer, six RBIs, the elite 18U travel team in Ontario. He also toured Florida as a member of the Canadian Junior National Team during spring training, including games and at-bats against the Major League staffs of the Toronto Blue Jays.
He participated in the 2017 High School Home Run Derby during the All-Star Game festivities at Marlins Park last July. He entered the draft ranked 27th and 20th among amateur draft-eligible prospects according MLB.com and Baseball America, receptively. He was also rated the second-best high school hitter entering the draft by BA.
Hankins, 18, was compensation for the offseason free agent signing of 1B/DH CARLOS SANTANA by Philadelphia. He recently completed his senior season at Forsyth Central High School in Cumming, Georgia. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound right-hander appeared in both the 2017 Rawlings-Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park and the 2017 Under Armour All-America Game at Wrigley Field. Hankins helped the USA Baseball 18U squad to a gold medal in the World Cup last fall, going 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 27 strikeouts across 12.0 innings (3H, 1R/ER, 0HR, 3BB). During that tournament, he fanned 14 batters over 6.0 innings in a 2-0 win over Korea.
Hankins was touted as having the best fastball among high school-eligible prospects by Baseball America and was rated 17th overall by the Durham-based publication. MLB.com rated him the 21st overall amateur prospect for 2018.
With the five signings, the Indians have now signed 32 of their 42 selections from the 2018 First-Year Player Draft.
Round 1 (#29 overall)
C NOAH NAYLOR
AGE/DOB: 18, Feb. 21, 2000 High School: St. Joan of Arc HS (Mississauga, Ont.)
BATS/THROWS: L/R HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-1/195 Signed 7/3
Naylor, 18, is a standout high school catcher at St. Joan of Arc Catholic High School in Mississauga, Ont.. The left-handed hitter appeared in seven games with the Ontario Blue Jays this spring (8-for-26, .421, two doubles, a homer and six RBIs), the elite 18U travel team. He also toured Florida as a member of the Canadian Junior National Team during spring training, including games and at-bats against the Major League staff of the Toronto Blue Jays. He participated in the 2017 High School Home Run Derby during the All-Star Game festivities at Marlins Park last July and his older brother, Josh, was the first round pick of the Miami Marlins in 2015 and currently is a top prospect in the San Diego Padres system. He entered the draft ranked 27th and 20th among amateur draft-eligible prospects according MLB.com and Baseball America, receptively. He was also rated the second-best high school hitter entering the draft by BA.