Phillies choose Port St. Joe's Quinn in second round

PORT ST. JOE — Roman Quinn was watching the Major League Baseball draft unfold Tuesday morning when his future was altered dramatically.

The Port St. Joe standout was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies with the sixth pick of the second round, the 66th pick overall.

“Words can’t describe what I was feeling when I saw my name,” Quinn said. “I was just so happy. I’m very excited and very happy. I was surprised, but sort of not surprised.

“I kind of thought this day would come, at least I had an idea, but it is all happening so soon. I’m just so excited.”

Quinn, who has signed a scholarship to play at Florida State University, said he would wait until he talked to Philadelphia team officials to determine which path his baseball career will take.

“I don’t have a number (dollars) in mind, I am just going to listen and make a decision from there,” Quinn said.

Quinn said he had an idea the Phillies might select him. His father, Sandy Quinn Sr., had spoken to Philadelphia representatives on Monday. The Phillies told the elder Quinn they liked his son and had selections at 39 and 66.

“They said they were interested and would be glad to have me,” Roman Quinn said.

It certainly was no surprise that Quinn would be selected in the 2011 amateur draft, as scouts flocked to Port St. Joe games all season. The Phillies and Rays were among the teams that worked out Quinn.

“This spring alone we’ve had 10 scouts a game on average,” Port St. Joe coach T.C. Brewer said. “I’ve never been around a kid so athletic.”

Quinn finished his scholastic career the last week of May when he played in the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA) All-Star Classic in Sebring.

Quinn, who hit primarily right-handed during the season although he experimented with switch hitting, hit solely left-handed in Sebring.

“I think that is part of what the Phillies like, that I am versatile,” Roman Quinn said.

Quinn went 2 for 5, drove in a run, stole second base twice and third base once.

“He has the baseball skills and the knowledge,” Brewer said. “He’s a real coachable kid. He always works hard. It says something when your best player earns the ‘Hustle Award’ at our annual banquet. He never questions anything, is a real quiet kid, but works really, really hard.”

Brewer said Quinn brings a special skill set to the table. Quinn hit .385 with a .510 on-base percentage as a senior, with four home runs, three triples, four doubles, 21 runs batted in, 39 runs scored and 20 stolen bases.

As a junior, Quinn hit more than .400 with an on-base percentage of .550.

Quinn rotated between shortstop and center field throughout his Port St. Joe career. His defining gift, however, might be his speed.

“He is a combination of things, but the glaring thing is speed,” Brewer said.

Quinn was timed earlier this year in the 60-yard dash at 6.35. To put that in context, as a senior at FSU, Deion Sanders was timed at 6.19, Brewer said.

Brewer added that Quinn has spent much of the past 12 months working with Keion McNair and Ray Bailey, both assistant coaches at the high school in track and football, respectively, to increase his strength and speed.

“There are not going to be a lot of guys in the draft who run like he does,” Brewer said. “With the end of the steroid era, teams are looking for speed. They are putting money into speed.”