Drafted in the 5th round (168th overall) by the Boston Red Sox in 2005 (signed for $154,000).
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OF Reid Engel has outstanding speed. He runs the 60-yard dash in 6.4 seconds, but may run all the way to Baylor if he's not selected in the top five rounds. He's athletic and had six home runs among his first nine hits this year, but at 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds, he may not be physically ready yet for pro ball.
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Engel's Baylor commitment led most teams to believe he was unsignable in 2005, but the Red Sox took him in the fifth round and signed him for slot money ($154,000) plus money to cover his tuition if he does attend Baylor ($96,000). He just hit .243 in his first two pro seasons and didn't reach full-season ball until his third, but he had a nice little breakout in 2007. He made adjustments to his approach and to his swing, showing more patience while putting his hands more out in front of his body, giving him a better trigger. He has decent power, though his best tool is plus-plus speed that he's still learning to use on the basepaths. He has enough range to play center field and enough arm to play in right, but he was a left fielder at Greenville because Jason Place and Josh Reddick were also there. Engel endured a scary incident at the end of May, when he fouled a ball off the plate and it bounced up and hit him in the jaw. But after spending 10 days on the disabled list, he returned and kept on hitting. He'll enjoy playing in hospitable Lancaster this year.
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