The Rockies had to wait a good while on Monday night before making their first pick of the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, but they still landed an accomplished player when their turn finally came around.
With the 48th overall pick, Colorado selected third baseman Ryan Vilade out of Stillwater (Okla.) High School.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Vilade was awarded the Gatorade Player of The Year Award for the state of Oklahoma and was named a Rawlings-Perfect Game 1st Team All-American in 2017.
Vilade, an 18-year-old Frisco, Texas, native batted .410 with seven home runs and 34 RBI from the right side this season, his only season at Stillwater High School. Prior to his move to Oklahoma, Vilade attended Frisco High School in Frisco, Texas, where he was a 2016 Under Armour All-American.
https://twitter.com/RyanVilade/status/637611887266390016
Vilade is the first third baseman selected by the Rockies with their first pick since Ian Stewart was selected with the 20th overall pick in 2003.
The 48th pick of the draft is the lowest first selection for the Rockies in franchise history, and it is the second time that they have not had a pick in the first round. (In 2001 infielder Jayson Nix was selected in the supplemental first round, 44th overall.)
The Rockies forfeited their first-round pick when they signed infielder/outfielder Ian Desmond, who turned down a qualifying offer from Texas, on Dec. 13.
Featured Image Credit: Ryan Vilade, Twitter