The Los Angeles Dodgers selected left-handed pitcher Chris Reed with the 16th pick in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft. The southpaw from Stanford marks the ninth consecutive year that the Dodgers and Logan White have drafted a pitcher with the first pick. However, Reed is just the third college pitcher among those nine.
Reed was identified by MLB.com as a future closer, noting, "he's got the pure stuff for the role, with a fastball that he can get up to 96 mph, sitting typically anywhere from 91 to 95 mph, with good arm-side run." For the most part, Reed is seen as a safe pick, and one that won't cost a lot of money, an absolute must given the Dodgers' ownership situation.
The only other time the Dodgers have had the 16th overall pick in the draft, they selected Steve Howe, the left-handed reliever out of the University of Michigan in 1979. Howe won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1980, and recorded the final out of the 1981 World Series against the Yankees. However, drug problems led to several suspensions and eventually a banishment from baseball.
The MLB Draft is a three-day event, beginning Monday at 4 p.m. PDT with the first round and supplemental round on MLB Network. For more news and information on the Dodgers, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.