Collier drafted in first round by Cincinnati

Former Mount Paran Christian standout Cam Collier was selected by the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday in the first round of Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft.

Collier, a third baseman who reclassified to graduate high school early, was selected with the 18th overall selection out of Chipola Junior College in Mariana, Florida. Chipola has been a frequent stepping stone for players with major league dreams, producing All-Stars Jose Bautista, Patrick Corbin and Russell Martin, as well as former Atlanta Braves catcher Tyler Flowers.

At only 17 years old, the 6-foot-1, 220 pound Collier hit .333 during his lone junior college season, with eight homers and 47 RBI in 52 games. He also had 25 walks and 33 strikeouts.

“He should be a high school junior right now,” Joe Katuska, the director of amateur scouting for the Reds, told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “He reclassified to go to a junior college and really challenge himself. We haven’t seen someone of his age do that since Bryce Harper did. A really advanced hitter. He’s been around the game his whole life.”

Collier is the ninth first round draft pick from Cobb County since 2014, and the third drafted by the Reds. He joins former Kennesaw Mountain standout Tyler Stephenson (2015), who is now Cincinnati’s starting catcher, and outfielder Taylor Trammell (2016), another former Mount Paran Eagle, who is currently with the Seattle Mariners’ organization.

Other recent first-rounders from the county include Sprayberry’s Michael Chavis (Boston, 2014), Marietta’s Dansby Swanson (Arizona, 2015), Walton’s Carter Kieboom (Washington, 2016), Pope’s Josh Lowe (Tampa Bay, 2016), Allatoona’s Clarke Schmidt (N.Y. Yankees, 2017) and North Cobb’s Harry Ford (Seattle, 2021). All of them have reached the majors, save for Ford, who is with the Mariners’ Class A affiliate in Modesto, California.

Collier became the third former Mount Paran player to be selected, joining Trammell and Jake Palomaki, and 18th-round pick in 2018, who is now with the Los Angeles Angels’ Triple-A team in Salt Lake City.

Collier is considered to be an advanced hitter with great bat speed. The son of former major leaguer Lou Collier, he had committed to play at Louisville should he decide to return to college.

Originally expected to be a top prospect in the 2023 draft class, Cam Collier, who was ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the 2022 draft by ESPN and No. 7 by Baseball America, was the youngest hitter in the draft. He was the first junior college position player taken in the first round since current Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson in 2013.

Collier was the only Cobb County product selected on Day 1 of the draft, which consisted of the first two rounds, as well as supplemental rounds. The draft continued Monday with Rounds 3-10, and it was set to conclude Tuesday with Rounds 11-20.