As their crosstown counterparts did in the NFL’s May draft, the Houston Astros select first in Thursday’s Major League Baseball draft. Unlike the Texans, the Astros can’t count on a sure thing or trade the pick if they get cold feet.
Ever hear of Bryan Bullington, Matt Anderson, or Shawn Abner? They made it to the majors after getting selected first. But they never really made it in the majors. Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, and Stephen Strasburg all went first. But busts abound. It’s baseball, which develops rather than discovers talent, after all.
Potential top prospects include high school lefty pitcher Brady Aiken, slugging catcher/outfielder Alex Jackson of San Diego’s Rancho Bernardo High School, and southpaw pitcher Carlos Rodon, a Cuban-American North Carolinian who skipped a draft media availability on Thursday to go fishing.
The Astros find themselves picking first for the third time in the last three years and for the fifth time in their 53-year history. This ties the Padres and Mets. In other words, they’re first at being worst. Past Astros top picks include Floyd Bannister and Phil Nevin.
Miami, the two Chicagos, Minnesota, and Seattle follow Houston in selecting in Thursday’s draft.
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