Three with ties to Las Vegas picked early in MLB Draft

By Justin Emerson

Monday, June 3, 2019 | 8:44 p.m.

It was a good day for Las Vegas area baseball players at the MLB Draft.

Three players — UNLV shortstop and former Desert Oasis star Bryson Stott, Oregon righty and Basic grad Ryne Nelson, and Arizona third baseman and former Arbor View standout Nick Quintana — were chosen today on the first day of the draft. Stott went 14th overall to the Philadelphia Phillies, Quintana went 47th by the Detroit Tigers and Nelson was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 56th pick.

Stott was high on draft boards all season. He was a preseason All-American and widely predicted to go in the early part of the draft. He destroyed college baseball this year, hitting .356 with 10 homers and a 1.085 OPS all while playing at a key position. He was the co-Mountain West Player of the Year and named a third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball.

Stott’s selection is historic for a few reasons. He is UNLV’s highest selection since Matt Williams went third overall in 1986 and the highest selection by a player who attended high school in the area since Kris Bryant went second overall in 2013. He will join former top overall pick Bryce Harper in the Phillies’ organization. Harper attended Las Vegas High School and College of Southern Nevada.

Quintana was previously selected in the 11th round by the Boston Red Sox but chose to attend Arizona after he was named the Las Vegas Sun's Male Athlete of the Year in 2013. He was a preseason All-American then batted .342 with a 1.088 OPS with 15 home runs. He was an All-Pac-12 selection this season.

Nelson meanwhile saw his draft stock skyrocket this season and was a preseason All-American as well. His fastball ticked up, and a permanent move to the mound help him strikeout 104 hitters in 65 innings, a per-nine rate that led the Pac-12 and was fourth in the nation. He was named to the all-conference team.