Minneapolis – After securing Marek Houston, a well-balanced player, with their first-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. The Minnesota Twins used their comp round A pick to secure Riley Quick, a University of Alabama pitcher with plenty of upside in his game.

Quick was a baseball and football star at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Alabama and was scouted by SEC football programs as early as 2020. It helped that his older brother, Pierce Quick, was already an offensive lineman on the University of Alabama Football team, so scouts were already aware of him.

“I got my first SEC offer during COVID, and I was like, this is probably what I’m going to want to do,” said Quick. “Then COVID summer happened, and baseball started getting fired back up again. I started throwing, and I was throwing really good, and I was like, ‘Okay, I think I like striking people out a little bit more.’”

While pitching became his primary focus, Quick didn’t abandon his football career. He remained an offensive lineman for his high school team through his senior year. At 6’6”, 245 lbs., it’s no surprise that he played in the trenches on the gridiron. Quick said that remaining an offensive lineman in football was a big help for his development on the mound, and where his game is today.

“It definitely helped me out with footwork, too,” Quick said. “That was a big thing when I was in high school and really focused on football, like having good feet, having quick feet, stuff like that, so that definitely helped me out a lot.”

“I think we’re lucky he chose baseball over football, because it sounds like he could have done well in college and maybe even beyond that,” said Twins assistant general manager Sean Johnson. “Not all 6’6” guys have the same amount of athleticism. So a guy who is that nimble and that big and coordinated with his delivery was really appealing to our group.”

The coordination in his delivery was a major factor for Twins scouts as they pursued Quick this draft cycle. He also has three strong pitches in his arsenal between his fastball, slider, and changeup, with the upside to add a fourth in the Twins system. Minnesota has typically added to college pitchers’ pitch mix with recent draft picks.

When the Twins were scouting Quick, he was recovering from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in February 2024. Fortunately for Quick, he returned to form after recovering from the surgery.

“I was kind of with the team the rest of that year in the dugout, cheering those guys on,” he said. “Doing my best to be the best teammate I could be, and I kind of just took that role, and that helped me rehab a little bit better. It was smooth and I was really excited. They had to hold me back a little bit during the process, so that was weird.”

Quick returned to game action on February 15 this year, facing off against Bradley University. He only allowed two hits, hit a batter, and struck out four in three innings of work. Quick brought his season totals to a 3.92 ERA in 62 innings pitched, along with a 1.38 WHIP, 24 walks, 70 strikeouts, and only five home runs allowed.

Those aren’t elite numbers. Still, he was returning from Tommy John, going up against some of the toughest college baseball competition in the SEC. Quick passed the high standard he had for himself to put himself high up on the draft board this summer.

“The biggest thing I had to get used to is just being able to stay locked into that full one through nine and not taking a batter off,” he said. “Because even when you get to the nine hole, that guy is still a really good player, even though he is hitting late in the order. And that’s one thing I kind of got the hang of as the season went on, and it was honestly really cool.”

“The SEC is a real monster of a conference,” said Johnson. “Every weekend, there’s no off weekends. Every weekend’s a good test for those players, and to see a player like Riley Quick do as well as he did and perform obviously gives you more confidence to select him.”

Taking into account the upper echelon of the SEC baseball talent Quick was facing, the Twins knew he was one of those college arms with high upside they couldn’t pass up if he fell to them in the first round.

“We had a great combine interview with him, and it kind of synced up with what we saw on the field,” said Johnson. “And he’s a pitcher, we think there’s even more to unlock with the way he uses his pitches and his arsenal. Our pitcher development guys are just so excited to have him on board.”

When the draft was underway on Sunday night, Quick was with family and friends at the Trussville Social. Recent Hewitt-Trussville graduate Steele Hall, who was drafted ninth overall by the Cincinnati Reds, was hosting his watch party across the street.

Quick describes himself as an energetic individual who feels the nerves more intensely in big moments, such as the MLB Draft. With each passing pick, he was hoping his advisor would be calling him soon to let him know where he was going. When the phone finally rang to let Quick know the Twins had drafted him, the Trussville Social was overcome with cheers and excitement for his future.

Quick was ecstatic for himself, but his high school baseball coach, Jeff Mauldin, also got to see two of his players (him and Hall) picked within the top 40 picks of the same draft class. Still, no one was more excited than his brother Pierce. The Alabama offensive lineman brought his SEC college football celebration energy to his little brother after he accomplished a major step in fulfilling his dream.

“Dude, he was more excited than me, I think,” said Quick. “But he was super excited, it was really cool moment for sure.”