SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Even the great Johnny Bench, who revolutionized the catching position, wasn’t a first-round draft choice out of high school.
In June 1965, in baseball’s first free-agent draft for amateurs, the Cincinnati Reds selected the future Hall of Famer in the second round out of Binger High School (Oklahoma) with the 36th overall pick. Fifty-five years later, the Rockies selected Drew Romo with the 35th (supplemental pick) of the first round in the summer of 2020. He was the first catcher the Rockies selected in the top 100 picks of the draft since 1998.
The draft-and-develop Rockies dove in to swim against the tide.