For the Houston Astros, day two of Major League Baseball’s 2010 First-Year Player Draft began with selections No. 58 and No. 90 (before a plethora of picks in rounds 4-30) shortly after noon ET on Tuesday, June 8.
So how did Houston score in the second day of the draft?
Let’s begin by taking a look at their first few choices (rounds two, three, and four) and what the future may hold for those players.
Overall, I’d give the Astros a B for their picks in day two of the MLB Draft.
Houston’s first selection came in the second round at No. 58, as the Astros opted for right-handed pitcher Vincent Velasquez.
Velasquez, at 6’3” and weighing 185 lbs, is a senior with great potential out of Garey High School in California.
According to a brief scouting report on Velasquez on MLB.com’s Live Draft Tracker, “Velasquez raised many eyebrows with his breakout performance at the Urban Youth Academy.” In the past, Velasquez had largely been a position player, partially because of an injury and partially because that’s how he viewed himself.
“He may be forced to change his view because there’s no doubt scouts see him on the mound after he was throwing a live fastball a good curve and a plus change. Add in good athleticism, excellent mechanics and the kind of projectable body scouts love, if Velasquez continues to throw that well, he’ll move up the charts among high school arms in a hurry.”
The Astros’ second selection of day two came at No. 90 in the third round, as Houston chose Austin Wates.
Wates, a 6’1” junior right fielder out of Virginia Tech, adds a powerful plate presence and lightening quickness to a team in dire need of offensive upgrades.
According to a brief scouting report on the outfielder on MLB.com’s Live Draft Tracker, “Wates is a rare breed: a toolsy college hitter. The Virginia Tech standout’s best tool is his speed and he should be a base-stealing threat at the next level. He can swing the bat, too, and projects to hit for more than enough average.”
“What he’s not going to do is hit for a ton of power. That, and his lack of a true position—he’s playing first and left field this season—are the only real knocks against him. He has the skills to play left full-time and could be a future table-setter. Those are always in high demand, so don’t expect Wates to last long on Draft day.”
Houston’s fourth round pick—and third selection of day two in the MLB Draft—No. 123, was used to nab right-handed pitcher Robert Doran.
Doran, at 6’6” and weighing 225 lbs, is a junior out of the Big 12’s Texas Tech.
According to a brief high school review of Doran on Texas Tech’s official athletic site, he is a “2007 graduate of Class 5A Flower Mound High School in Flower Mound, Texas [where he] earned varsity letters in baseball and was coached by Steve Stinson. [He] pitched the first no-hitter in school history in 2007 [and] helped lead his team to the district title and a No. 3 national ranking later that same year.”
Also, in two seasons at Seward County Community College, he was the team’s ace in 2009 with a 10-3 overall record and a 2.58 ERA. In addition, Doran had 81 strikeouts while walking just 24 batters (in a tad over 92 innings pitched) in 2009; and went 4-0 with two saves as a freshman in 2008.
Hopefully with a bit of instruction and training in the minors, Doran will bud into a future star in Houston—as the team continues to search for refined pitching prospects to lead the organization through 2011 and beyond.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the remainder of the Astros picks in rounds 5-30:
Round 5, No. 153—Ben Heath, C, Penn State University (Junior).
Round 6, No. 183—Adam Plutko, RHP, Glendora High School.
Round 7, No. 213—Robert Pena, C, Eloisa Pascual High School.
Round 8, No. 243—Jake Buchanan, RHP, North Carolina State University (Junior).
Round 9, No. 273—Thomas Shirley, LHP, Xavier (Junior).
Round 10, No. 303—Evan Grills, LHP, Sinclair SS High School.
Round 11, No. 333—Kyle Redinger, 3B, Cedar Crest High School.
Round 12, No. 363—James Robinson, RHP, Georgia Tech (Senior).
Round 13, No. 393—Davis Duren, 2B, Oklahoma State University (Junior).
Round 14, No. 423—Jordan Scott, CF, Riverside High School.
Round 15, No. 453—Jamaine Cotton, RHP, Western Oklahoma State [Junior College] (J2).
Round 16, No. 483—Christopher Wallace, C, University of Houston (Senior).
Round 17, No. 513—Tyler Burnett, 3B, Middle Tennessee State (Junior).
Round 18, No. 543—Joshua Magee, CF, Hoover High School.
Round 19, No. 573—Jacoby Jones, SS, Richton High School.
Round 20, No. 603—Daniel Adamson, CF, Jacksonville State University (Senior).
Round 21, No. 633—Aaron Blair, RHP, Spring Valley High School.
Round 22, No. 663—Zachary Dygert, C, Ball State (Senior).
Round 23, No. 693—Adam Bailey, RF, Nebraska (Senior).
Round 24, No. 723—Adam Champion, LHP, University of Arkansas-Little Rock (Senior).
Round 25, No. 753—Rodney Quintero, RHP, Chipola Junior College (J1).
Round 26, No. 783—Alexander Sogard, LHP, North Carolina State University (Senior).
Round 27, No. 813—Jacke Healey, SS, Youngstown State University (Senior).
Round 28, No. 843—Jason Chowning, RHP, University of Oklahoma (Senior).
Round 29, No. 873—Broughan Jantz, CF, Nevada Union High School.
Round 30, No. 903—Kellen Kiilsgaard, RF, Stanford (Junior).
Although I’m not going to breakdown Houston’s final 26 picks on day two in the draft (in terms of brief scouting reports), one thing should absolutely be pointed out: Roy Oswalt was taken in the 23rd round by the Astros in the 1996 MLB Draft.
So, who’s next?
Is there a future Roy O or Nolan Ryan (drafted in the 12th round) on this list?
Only time will tell…
Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com
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