Austin Rei

Rei's star was rising as he returned healthy from a torn left thumb ligament that sidelined him for much of the first two months of the season. He returned as a DH for Washington's series with Arizona State, and after three days of batting practice, he singled in his first at-bat, then turned a Ryan Burr 97 mph fastball around for a home run. A dominant weekend against Oregon State started the parade of crosscheckers, and Rei sealed his move up draft boards with a solid weekend at Arizona, hitting a home run at spacious Hi Corbett Field while returning to playing catcher. A catch-and-throw guy when recruited to Washington, Rei has good receiving and throwing skills, a plus arm with a quick transfer that produces 1.8-1.9-second pop times to second base. He's leaner than the average catcher at a listed 6-foot, 183 pounds and produces average to plus raw power thanks to good bat speed and a smart, disciplined hitting approach. When he swings, it's with conviction, and Rei was shooting up draft boards with two weeks left in Washington's season. He has some track record, both as a prep (38th-round pick of the Twins in 2012) and with wood bats in summer ball (he's hit .300 in two short Northwoods League stints the last two years), and his uncle Fran Mullins, a 1979 third-round pick out of Santa Clara, spent parts of three seasons in the major leagues. Rei could be the first college catcher drafted, perhaps as high as the second round.