The Phillies took high school pitcher Kevin Gowdy with their 2nd pick (42nd overall) in the 2016 MLB amateur draft on Thursday night.
The pick marked the second time on the first day of this year’s draft that the Phils selected a high school player committed to Chase Utley’s alma mater, UCLA. They took outfielder Mickey Moniak with the top overall pick in the draft just hours earlier.
Gowdy, a 6-foot-4 175-pound right-hander, has a lean frame that could fill out nicely. He features a 90-94 MPH fastball along with a strong slider, a good change up and mechanics that are described as smooth. With a 1.59 ERA along with 93 strike outs and just five walks in 56 2/3 innings in his senior season at Santa Barbara High School, Gowdy was impressive all year.
He was a member of the USA 18U team that won a gold medal last autumn in Japan.
It’s said that the Phillies love Gowdy’s ceiling and see him having the potential to become a front line pitcher.
Honored to have been drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies. Can’t wait to see what’s next! @Phillies
— Kevin Gowdy (@kgowdy34) June 10, 2016
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