TCB Top 30: The 2015 Draft Class

Thanks to a certain unmentioned situation in 2014, the Astros were able select twice in the first ten picks of the 2015 draft. Thanks to a trade, they were able to add another top forty selection. With those picks, they were able to add five prospects that were selected in the first one-hundred picks.

Yes, one of those picks, Thomas Eshelman, has already been traded away to help get Ken Giles. That still leaves four top one-hundred draftees.

With our top thirty prospects now revealed. There are five 2015 draftees in the top thirty.

#2. Alex Bregman--B+ (Drafted second overall)

#5. Kyle Tucker--B (Drafted fifth overall)

#8. Daz Cameron--B (Drafted in supplemental first round)

#27. Trent Thornton--C+ (Drafted in fifth round)

#28. Nestor Muriel--C+ (Drafted in sixth round)

The inclusion of Bregman, Tucker, and Cameron are very obvious. It's the placement that is up for debate. I can understand the reasoning for Bregman to be first overall since he plays up the middle and has a very high floor. However, I don't see star potential with him and I do with A.J. Reed. I think our staff leans towards that as well.

There can definitely be discussion about the order for Cameron and Tucker as well. Some had Cameron as the better prospect in the draft. Our staff leans towards the higher upside of Tucker as reasoning for being a better prospect. Because of their relative similarity in floor and pre-draft rankings, it's tough to separate them much rankings wise. And they really aren't considering both are B grade prospects.

It's Thornton and Muriel that make this interesting. The Astros drafted Thomas Eshelman, Riley Ferrell, and Anthony Hermelyn before both of these guys. That is significant. Eshelman has already been traded so that part is explainable and he probably would have been on this list. Now, Riley Ferrell  being excluded is open for debate. He is a reliever and having some issues with control probably put enough doubt in our minds to rate him lower. I personally had Hermelyn in my top 30 and wrote about him earlier this week.

That's not to say that Thornton is a good prospect in his own right though. He posted good numbers for Tri-City after being drafted but also showed promise at times. But, he also showed that he had his struggles in college. It's yet to be seen what he'll really be in the pro's and that's reason enough to doubt his inclusion on this list.

Muriel is as raw they come in this draft. He was 16 when his name was announced in the draft. He has tools but his tools aren't yet truly developed. They are still coming along. But, there's a lot to dream on. And if you want to really go all in on upside, he's not a bad pick. And that's why he's here.