We selected right-handed pitcher Touki Toussaint out of Coral Springs (Fla.) Christian Academy with our first selection (16th overall). Toussaint, 17, went 8-2 with a 1.22 ERA in 63.1 IP while striking out 104 batters for the Crusaders. The Vanderbilt commit led Coral Springs to the Florida State Final Four and was named the Miami Herald 2014 5A-2A Pitcher of the Year. In Toussaint's junior campaign, he garnered invitations to the Perfect Game and Under Armour All-American games, and as a sophomore, struck out 18 batters over six innings in the PG World Wood Bat Championships. He earned a gold medal with the USA Baseball 16U National Team in 2011.
"We're really excited to add this type of arm, athlete and talent to our system," said Montgomery. "Touki has an electric fastball, a plus curveball and a combination of two or three pitches that are starter quality. He's very advanced, very worldly and the type of person that Touki is off the field, still outweighs the talent he has on the field." The 6'2", 198-lb right-hander was rated by Baseball America as the nation's third-best high school pitcher and MLB.com as the No. 8 Prospect, overall, in today's draft. Toussaint is the 20th first-round selection for the D-backs and 11th taken from the high school ranks. The D-backs had two first-round selections in 2003, 2009 and 2011.
- 2nd Round, 54th overall. Left-handed Pitcher Cody Reed , from Ardmore (Ala.) High School. Garnered Gatorade 2014 Alabama Player of the Year accolades after going 10-2 with a 0.46 ERA and 226 strikeouts over 92.0 innings pitched.
- Competitive Balance-Round B, 69th overall. Outfielder Marcus Wilson. A product of MLB's Urban Youth Academy and an Arizona State University commit, is rated by MLB.com as the No. 35 Prospect in the draft.
- Competitive Balance Round B, 70th overall. Infielder Isan Diaz. From Springfield (Mass.) Central High School, hit .529 (27-for-51) as a senior and is rated by Baseball America as the No. 34 infield prospect in the draft.
The draft will start today at 10:05 a.m. Arizona time.