According to Jeff Lockridge of the Tennesseean, Astros fourth-round pick Conrad Gregor, a first baseman/outfielder from Vanderbilt, has agreed to terms with the team.
#Vandy junior 1B Conrad Gregor @conradgregor55 has signed with the Houston #Astros. Team's 4th rd pick. Just texted me the news
— Jeff Lockridge (@jefflockridge) June 13, 2013
Gregor is a powerful corner guy who hit nine home runs in three seasons with the Commodores. He hit .308/.440/.410 this season for Vandy with 29 strikeouts and 54 walks in 227 at-bats.
According to The Luhnow Code, it also appears the Astros will be moving the athletic Gregor into the outfield in pro ball. Gregor played mostly at first base this season with the Commodores. Here's what our draft group had to say about him on Day 2:
Gregor has good size and has the frame for power. He stands 6-3 and weighs 215 pounds. As a left-handed hitter, he creates some good leverage along with good load on his back leg in his swing. He has decent weight shift and he's quick to the ball. There aren't many holes either. He's shown power potential in the past with eight home runs scattered over 44 games in the Cape last summer. But, the six total in his last two seasons in college play is concerning.
That's the highlight with Gregor. Few holes in his swing and great discipline leads to few strikeouts and tons of walks. He's actually had 53 walks this season compared to 26 strikeouts. Thats the type of thing we saw out of draftees last year in Nolan Fontana, Joe Sclafani, and Andrew Aplin.
He's probably limited to first base as well. He's played in the outfield before and that may be an option moving forward, but first base is the likely home for him. He has a strong lower half, but he's fairly athletic and doesn't look like a liability at first.
No word on signing bonus, but it's assumed he got under slot. Of course, we also assumed teammate Tony Kemp got under slot and it appears he got quite a bit more. So, time will tell.
