2016 MLB Draft: Diamondbacks pick Auburn OF Anfernee Grier 39th overall
Jun 9, 2016, 7:55 PM | Updated: 9:11 pm
(Vasha Hunt/AL.com via AP)
The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Auburn outfielder Anfernee Grier with their 39th overall draft choice in the opening lottery round of the 2016 MLB Draft on Thursday.
As a junior, Grier earned First-Team All-American honors from Baseball America after averaging .366 and compiling 12 home runs and 41 RBI with the Tigers. The publication ranked the 6-foot-1 center fielder as the 47th-best prospect in the draft.
“I was just speechless. I was just happy, full of joy. Everything I worked for is finally here,” Grier said in a conference call with reporters on Thursday night. “I got a call from my adviser telling me (the Diamondbacks) were interested in me but I wasn’t 100 percent sure.
“The anticipation was real high … it was worth it.”
Grier said he worked out for the D-backs, and four or five teams total.
The outfielder improved his batting average from .255 to .323 to .366 in his three seasons at Auburn. Grier doesn’t compare his game to any outfielders in particular but said he admires the Orioles’ Adam Jones and the Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen.
“I wouldn’t say I’m trying to be them,” Grier said. “Definitely take some of the things they do and try to put it into my game. I definitely look up to those guys.”
Two scouts told the Montgomery Advertiser before draft night that Grier possessed first-round potential.
The common rule of thumb is scouts judge players on five basic skill sets: hitting for average, hitting with power, speed, fielding and arm strength. According to one National League scout, Grier checks the box on nearly all of the categories.
“He’s one of the best players in a lot of the things you want to see from a player in one of the best college leagues in the country,” the scout said.
Grier was a 39th-round selection by the Detroit Tigers in the 2013 draft before deciding to head to Auburn.