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After all the countless hours mocking and project draft picks, the day has finally come to make draft picks official. While the major outlets have the Astros selecting Illinois pitcher Cody Sedlock. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo has the Astros selecting Mississippi State right-handed pitcher Dakota Hudson.
May says of the pick:
While the Astros looked at many high school arms for this pick, like Anderson, it's been college pitchers who have come up more of late. The hurlers mentioned above with the Angels all could come into play with this pick as well.
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Hudson, a junior, is 9-4 with a 2.62 ERA in 16 starts (16 games) with the Bulldogs in 2016. He has struck out 109 batters, walked 34, allowed 14 total extra-base hits (two total home runs) in 106 2/3 innings. He is a 2016 team captain, 2016 NCBWA Pitcher of the Year, a Baseball America second-team all-American, First Team All-SEC, and a 2016 Golden Spikes semifinalist.
Minor League Ball's John Sickels profiled Hudson:
Age 21, Hudson is listed at 6-5, 205. He throws hard, his fastball running at 93-95 MPH with peaks at 97. The pitch isn't straight; indeed, command issues with the heat held him back his first two seasons though that wasn't a problem last summer or through this March. He mixes the fastball with an unfair cutter/slider hybrid in the high-80s. The hard stuff is plus, while his softer curveball and change-up need more work. If he can develop the off-speed stuff in pro ball, he can be a dominant starter.