Known for his pitching prowess, Ardmore grad Cody Reed also starred at the plate. He hit .494 with six home runs, 10 doubles, 33 RBIs, racking up a .667 on-base percentage and an .800 slugging percentage.

On the heels of one of the most prolific seasons ever recorded by an Alabama high school pitcher, Ardmore’s Cody Reed is living out his childhood dream.

In a span of nine days, the 6-foot-3-inch, 245-pound lefty received his high school diploma, celebrated his 18th birthday and watched his name flash across the screen during the Major League Baseball draft.

Arizona used its second selection Thursday night on Reed, taking him at No. 54 overall and 13th in the second round. The Diamondbacks may spend up to $1.03 million for a signing bonus, which is based on slotting for the 54th draft pick.

“I was actually ecstatic, and there’s no better feeling. Since I was little, that’s been my dream to see my name on the board,” Reed said. “I watched the draft at my grandparents’ house with my friends, girlfriend and family, and everybody screamed and hollered when it got announced. They went absolutely crazy.”

Reed, who graduated from Ardmore High School with 3.78 grade-point average, signed a national letter-of-intent eight months ago to play baseball at Vanderbilt. The SEC school is known for producing pitchers such as Mike Minor and David Shields, and 13 former Commodores have made it to the majors since 1999. But Reed indicated to The News Courier on Friday that he planned to turn pro.

“I wasn’t expecting Arizona because I hadn’t heard from them in quite a while. Me and Mom went to Athens to get food for the draft party, and then the Diamondbacks (representative) called and asked what I would sign for,” Reed said. “In about a week or so I’ll have to leave. Sometime this week, I will sign the contract after having my advisers look over it, and then I’m going to Montana for rookie ball.”

The Missoula Ospreys, the D-Backs’ Rookie League team, plays home games in western Montana and competes in the Pioneer League from June through September. The distance between the Ospreys’ home stadium and Ardmore is 2,000 miles, or about a 29-hour drive.

Sizzling stats

Reed produced eye-popping numbers for Ardmore as a junior and senior, ringing up 386 strikeouts in 165 innings and a 20-3 record. He led the Tigers to back-to-back playoff appearances, including this season’s trip to the Class 4A championship against state power Charles Henderson.

During his senior season, he went 10-2 with a 0.46 ERA, 226 Ks and only 17 walks in 92 innings. He notched 14 double-digit strikeout games, including five no-hitters, 21 strikeouts against Elkmont and 20 Ks versus Pope John Paul II-Catholic.

At the plate, he pounded out six home runs, 10 doubles and 33 RBIs, with a .667 on-base percentage and an .800 slugging percentage.

Ardmore baseball coach Andrew Smith said Reed’s most impressive outing came against Charles Henderson. He had 13 strikeouts, allowing only three hits in a 6-0 shutout victory to open the state title series.

“Cody is special, there’s not any other way to describe him. Just the way he handled himself in the championship series, in that type of situation. Against great hitters, he struck out 13 and Charles Henderson had scored at least 10 runs in 17 games this season,” Smith said. “I think he will succeed as a pro because of his work ethic, the time he puts in. This will become a job for him and he’ll be able to do what he loves all the time, which will be really good for him. He’s only going to get better.

“I figure he’ll go to Single-A (after Rookie League) and work his way up, but it just depends on how things work out.”

Road map to the majors

As with other MLB franchises, Arizona’s farm system has several levels. Based on his summer performance against other rookies and a possible assignment to Single-A, Reed could wind up much closer to home if he gets called up to the Double-A BayBears in Mobile.

The final rung before getting to play at Arizona’s Chase Field in Phoenix will be the Triple-A Reno Aces of the Pacific Coast League.

According to a MLB player comparison report, Reed projects as a No. 2 or No. 3 starter in the majors due to a fastball that currently tops out at 95 miles per hour and his pitching command. The report compares him to Yankees’ star CC Sabathia due to “his electric fastball/slider combination and overall potential to boast a four-pitch mix at maturity.”

Arizona’s leadership includes General Manager Kevin Towers, former GM for San Diego, and Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa, who managed three World Series champions in Oakland (1989) and St. Louis (2006 and 2011). The franchise’s lone World Series title came in 2001, less than three years after joining the league as an expansion team.

The D-Backs also drafted righthanded pitcher and Vandy signee Touki Toussaint (16th overall) of Coral Springs, Florida; outfielder Marcus Wilson, an Arizona State commit (69th compensatory pick) and infielder Isan Diaz (70th compensatory pick) of Springfield, Massachusetts.