Marlins select Tyler Kolek with the 2nd overall pick in MLB Draft

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The Miami Marlins selected Texas high school pitcher Tyler Kolek with the second pick of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft.

Kolek has one of the most electric arms in the draft, and certainly among the fastest. The 6-foot-5 right-hander is a prototypical Texan fireballer: big, strong and has the ability to throw triple digits. 

The TCU-commit posted a stingy 0.35 ERA over 60.1 innings in 2014 for Shepherd High School in Texas. 

Physically, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Kolek is major league-ready but command could delay his path to the majors. Scouts project Kolek, who throws a sweeping curve and slider, as a potential front-of-the-rotation arm. 

Although Kolek might have to wait a bit longer than first overall pick Brady Aiken to get to the big leagues, some think he's got the potential to feature at the top of the rotation and should form a formidable one-two-punch with Marlins ace José Fernández in the future.

Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, who's currently an executive advisor for the Houston Astros, considered taking him with the first overall pick and expects Kolek to spend minimal time developing in the minors

"The thing I like about him is when you watch him pitch, he's around the plate,'' Ryan said. "He's not bouncing balls, throwing stuff up on the backstop and things of that nature. I predict he's going to come quicker than people think,'' Ryan told Phil Rogers of MLB.com

Ryan ​was particularly impressed with Kolek's presence on the mound when he scouted him a month ago during a playoff game.

"The thing about Tyler is he's very unique, from the standpoint he's so big that he controls his body as well as he does on the mound and he has such good arm speed."

The decision to pick Kolek over North Carolina State's Carlos Rodon was a surprising pick to some.

Baseball runs in the family as his brother Stephen, another right-hander pitcher, is considered a possible early-round pick in next year’s draft. 

Here's a look at the Marlins' last five first round picks: