The Major League Basseball First-year Player Draft began its three-day marathon Thursday night with first-round and compensation-round picks taking place. In all, 60 players were chosen. The second round kicks off Tuesday and the draft runs for 50 rounds, finishing up Wednesday.

 

The draft is always filled with great stories, and one of the best involved the Phillies, who selected a high school outfielder named Larry Greene Jr. with the 39th overall pick. The Phils, who lost their first-round selection for signing Cliff Lee, got the 39th pick from Washington for the Nationals' signing of right fielder Jayson Werth. 

 

Greene, 18, is a 6-1, 235-pound outfielder who bats left and throws right. Coming into the draft he was ranked the No. 75 draft prospect, according to Baseball America, but in the past few weeks he began to rise on teams' draft lists.

 

This past season for Berrien County High School in Nashville, Ga., Greene batted .562 with 19 home runs and 52 RBIs. In 89 at-bats, Greene had 58 hits, including 11 doubles and one triple, stole 13 bases and scored 50 runs.

 

Baseball America's scouting report on Greene said  that he's a "huge physical specimen with huge physical talent.

 

What makes his story so compelling is that he lost his mother ealier this year and he was in New York Thursday night when his name was announced. Greene and his father, Larry Greene Sr., embraced and both were in tears. When Greene was asked by MLB's Hazel Mae how happy he was about being drafted, Greene said he wished his mom could have seen this night. Anyone who didn't have tears in their eyes has no feelings.

 

Hopefully, the Phillies got a future standout talent who will roam left or right field and bash home runs at Citzens Bank Park in the near future. Or maybe Greene will replace Ryan Howard at first base some day.

 

Whatever, it looks like the Phillies drafted a young man Thursday night with plenty of outstanding makeup and plenty of baseball talent. 

 

Greene's selection, which was shown live on the MLB Network, was made by former Phillies second baseman Mickey Morandini, who will be the manager of the Williamsport Crosscutters this season. The Crosscutters are the Phillies' affiliate in the Short-Season New York-Penn, which kicks off its 70-game season in less that two weeks.