Reid Mahon ranked 23rd in the April
FutureBacks Prospect Rankings
despite originating as a five-year senior out of Minnesota who went unselected
in the 2006 June Amateur Draft. He will certainly rank even higher in our
fall rankings, and could even earn a callup in September with a strong month of
August.The Diamondbacks may have made a similar find in Ben Dollar, who made
his home in South Carolina before signing. The Presbyterian College
pitcher has a similar build to Mahon, but his fastball doesn't have quite the
zip or the sink that Mahon's does yet, sitting comfortably at 90-92 MPH while
Mahon gets his heavy sinker to 95-96.
“They knew I could throw hard," Dollar said. "My scout (Howard
McCullough) said that my size and stature was more appealing [than the
velocity]. That’s really what got me here.”
Mahon required professional coaching to attain his potential, however.
The 6-foot-4 right-hander posted an ERA over 5.00 in each of his four seasons
playing for the University of Minnesota. Similarly, Dollar posted a 6.18
ERA in his junior year at Presbyterian College and a 7.76 ERA this season.
The Diamondbacks were not the only team interested in Dollar. The
Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, and
Washington Nationals had also spoken to him, with the Pirates additionally
holding a tryout for the big right-hander. Dollar has reported to Yakima, but has yet to pitch for the Bears.
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