The Astros 2019 Draft
The deadline for draft picks to sign has passed so the draft is complete and it is possible to make an initial assessment. What a difference from last years draft. Full advantage of every pick was taken. High selections went to high skill positions. Bonus money was maneuvered to take full advantage of every dollar available. At the end I felt as if I had seen a draft in which Jeff Luhnow had left his fingerprints on the every bit of strategy and on almost every selection. We won't know the results for years but there is good reason for high expectations.
Round by Round
This is the sheet I use make notes on during the draft. The first year I did this the sheet was completely filled out by the weekend after the draft. Every year it takes me longer to find enough information to complete the thing. This year I "finished" on July 15th and still don't have meaningful notes on several draftees. Grades are not entirely about the players but also represent my opinion of the teams use of the picks they have available. I find myself refining and referring back to this sheet throughout the season and am always glad I have it available. If you have something to add or find something you disagree with please put it in the comments, I could use the help.
|
Name |
Class |
Position |
Impressions & Notes |
|
1 |
Korey Lee |
JR |
Catcher |
Excellent plate discipline w/ a plus arm and some power, needs time w/ professional pitching. |
A- |
2 |
Grae Kessinger |
JR |
SS |
5 good tools w/ potential for plus hit, glove, & power should stick at SS. |
B |
3 |
Jordan Brewer |
JR |
RF |
Solid contact hitter w/ plus arm & speed but average power & defence. |
C |
4 |
Colin Barber |
HS |
OF |
Plus speed, quick bat starts in center but could play in RF, good raw talent & athleticism |
B+ |
5 |
Hunter Brown |
JR |
RHSP |
4 pitch starter / late reliever w/ plus slider, good 2&4 seam FB, average change. |
B |
6 |
Mat Barefoot |
SR |
CF |
Excellent season hitting in the cape lacks size, power, & speed. |
C |
7 |
Blair Henley |
JR |
RHSP |
Texas Sat night starter, grinder w/ a Fringey FB and change & a plus plus spinning curve. |
C |
8 |
Luis Guerrero |
JC |
CF |
Injured this past season, high potential little experience, plus arm and speed w/ potent bat. |
C+ |
9 |
Peyton Battenfield |
JR |
RHRP |
Oklahoma State closer holds up in high leverage situations may develop as a starter. |
C |
10 |
CJ Stubbs |
SR |
Catcher |
Garrets brother a RHP who caught full time last year at USC raw talent for a college player. |
C |
11 |
Ryan Gusto |
JC |
RHSP |
Conference pitcher of the year, high strike out rate young polished, difficult sign. |
B- |
12 |
Garrett Gayle |
JR |
RHRP |
Rice reliever from Cypress Woods where he pitched and played 3rd base. |
C- |
13 |
Kevin Holcomb |
JC |
RHSP |
Very advanced for his age probably drafted as an alternative to Gusto if he does not sign. |
C+ |
14 |
Derek West |
SR |
RHP |
Big strong athletic, 94 mph FB, good spin on his curve, change is his out pitch, fast mover. |
C |
15 |
Cole McDonald |
SR |
RHP |
Iowa's Friday night starter steady workmanlike pitcher. Thats all I got. |
C- |
16 |
Dexter Jordan |
JC |
2nd Base |
Power hitting infielder has work to do on defense. |
C- |
17 |
Daniel Cody |
SR |
RHSP |
Set school strikeout record in his final season in a division III program in Ohio. |
C |
18 |
Justin Campbell |
HS |
RHP |
Did not sign. |
NS |
19 |
Tyler Krabbe |
SR |
Catcher |
Better than average organizational catcher with a chance at a little more. |
C- |
20 |
Alex Palmer |
JR |
RHP |
Texas kid with high strikeout numbers will get a look as a starter, probably pitches in relief. |
C |
21 |
Davis Vainer |
SR |
RHP |
Did not sign. |
NS |
22 |
Shea Barry |
JR |
RHRP |
UC Santa Barbra reliever struggled this year 10.9 K/9 but 4.1 BB/9 , ERA near 7.0 |
C- |
23 |
Zach Biermann |
SR |
1st Base |
Division 1 top 30 third baseman gets on base at a good rate, good athleticism for 1st base. |
C |
24 |
Preston Pavlica |
SR |
CF |
Good speed and power .552 slugging % & tied a school record w/ 22 steals. |
C |
25 |
E.P. Reese |
JR |
CF |
Organizational OF with an opportunity to develop into more. |
C- |
26 |
Chandler Casey |
SR |
RHRP |
Inning eating grinder, piggy back rotation guy will spend some time as a Milb starter. |
C |
27 |
Kevin Dickey |
JC |
LHSP |
First LHP taken. Texan, good JUCO numbers not predictive but good nonetheless. |
C |
28 |
Bryan Arias |
SR |
2nd Base |
UT San Antonio middle infielder, just couldn't find much info on him at all |
C |
29 |
Whit Drennan |
SR |
LHRP |
High strike out rate lefty starter is probably a Milb reliever. |
C- |
30 |
Michael Horrell |
SR |
RHRP |
Had an unexpectedly good senior season hopefully not a fluke. |
C- |
31 |
Peyton Plumlee |
SR |
RHSP |
Missed his JR season due to a failed drug test, good success before and after. High risk. |
C- |
32 |
Oscar Carvajal |
JR |
RHP |
Did not sign. |
NS |
33 |
Bryan Martinez |
JC |
LHSP |
Young LHP from Broken Arrow, successful JC career w/ good fundamentals to build on. |
C+ |
34 |
A.J. Lee |
SR |
SS |
Middle infielder with a chance to play a utility role, probably does not stick at SS. |
C |
35 |
James Nix |
JC |
RF |
High upside bat hits for average & power 25% BB / 7% K, 5 tool potential difficult sign. |
B |
36 |
C Murphy |
HS |
RHP |
Did not sign. |
NS |
37 |
Max Dias |
HS |
3rd Base |
Did not sign. |
NS |
38 |
J.C. Correa |
JR |
SS |
Did not sign. |
NS |
39 |
Brock Rudy |
HS |
Catcher |
Did not sign. |
NS |
40 |
Dillon Plew |
JR |
1st Base |
Did not sign. |
NS |
My favorite 2019 picks
- Beginning with the first pick. Catcher Korey Lee looks like he has a very good chance to contribute at a highly skilled position and to do so relatively quickly.
- High school outfielder Colin Barber was a steal in the McCullers mold. He was signed with money that was not there when this draft began.
- Second pick Grae Kessinger starts with a high floor and could develop into a starting middle infielder.
- Hunter Brown this years fifth round pick appears to be a legit rotation candidate.
- James Nix is a bonus signing from the 35th round who will surprise a lot of people.
- Ryan Gusto, the 11th round pick looks too good to call a sleeper. I was forced to end my tradition of taking the 11th pick as my sleeper and look elsewhere.
- Eighth round selection Luis Guerrero has lots of upside but has not played much this year at all, otherwise he probably would have gone much higher.
- At pick # 13 Kevin Holcomb is the pitcher I usually expect to see in the 11th round.
- Bryan Martinez was another very late pick in the 33rd round and is a young and promising LHSP. It has been tough to choose between him and Nix for this years sleeper pick so for now I will follow both.
- There was even a feel good pick with Gerrit Stubbs brother CJ taken in the 10th round.
Recently I posted "The Upcoming Draft" the responses where wide and varied. Once the draft started I stopped paying attention so I could concentrate on it. Those responses deserve a follow up but this is not that. There is so much going on now I thought it best to set that aside for later.