Report: West A’s Austin Hendrick signs $4 million contract with Cincinnati Reds

By: Chris Harlan
Friday, June 26, 2020 | 7:57 PM

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Former West Allegheny star Austin Hendrick signed with the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.

Hendrick, picked in the first round of the MLB Draft this month, signed for $4 million, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis. The slot value for the 12th overall pick was $4,366,400.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound outfielder is the sixth WPIAL baseball player drafted directly from high school, joining Plum’s Alex Kirilloff (2016), Pine-Richland’s Neil Walker (2004), Gateway’s Tom Conroy (1978), Knoch’s Scot Thompson (1974) and Mt. Pleasant’s Bob Gorinski (1970).

Baseball America ranked Hendrick as the ninth-best prospect in this year’s draft class, adding that he “has the quickest pure bat speed in the class and complements it with light tower raw power, giving him arguably the best power/hit combo of any high school hitter.”

1st-rder Austin Hendrick signs with @Reds for $4 million (slot 12 value = $4,366,400). Pennsylvania HS OF, best prep power hitter in @MLBDraft, strong arm, fits RF profile with chancce for CF. Mississippi State recruit.

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) June 26, 2020

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: West Allegheny