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For the first time since 2000, the Houston Astros took two college right-handers at the top of the draft. This year, it was Mark Appel going at 1-1 and UC-Irvine right-hander Andrew Thurman getting drafted at the top of the second round.
Here's the summary of Thurman from his draft preview:
Andrew Thurman's draft profile
A great look at one of the top college arms in this draft.
His mechanics are repeated well and should not lead to any red flags as far as I can tell. His arm action is smooth and he uses a high 3/4 release point to add downward plane to his fastball, which comes in between 90 and 93 MPH, even in the later innings. In college he relies heavily on his plus changeup, which clocks in anywhere from 77 to 82 MPH, ideal separation from his fastball. His changeup shows sink and fade and plays wonderfully off of his fastball. His command of those two pitches is his bread and butter, which allows a parallel to be drawn between him and Astros' farmhand Nick Tropeano when he came out of college.
While most of our draft crew wanted either high school catcher Jonathan Denney or Stanford outfielder Austin Wilson with the top pick in the second round, the Astros went with a guy our crew ranked No. 30 on the Top 100 prospect list. He was either No. 2 or No. 3 on most of these guys' boards and was considered a first round talent by the Houston front office.
He's a polished guy who didn't have super success, but what I see is that he's flashed the ability to command three pitches. If he can consistently use that curve with his fastball and change, he's got as much potential as any first round pitcher.
Houston hasn't taken two right-handers at the top of a draft since 2000, when they took Robert Stiehl out of community college and Chad Qualls in the second round. The last time they took a college right-hander at the top and another right-hander with the second pick was in 1998, when they tabbed Brad Lidge at 17th overall and then Mike Nannini in the supplemental round.
For more information on Appel and the Astros draft, check out these resources:
- Why the Astros should take Appel at 1-1
- Mark Appel Draft Profile
- TCB Top 100 Prospects
- Andrew Thurman Draft Profile
