Round 12, Pick 374: Anthony Huezo, OF, Etiwanda High School, Rancho Cucamonga, California Top-200 ranking from Perfect Game, #5 HS OF in Cali, committed to UC-Irvine.
I think Ochoa would have been justified in the 4th or 5th round and Hueto in the latter half of day 2. So if they get one more of those guys, this draft strategy starts to make sense. If they get 2+ more of those guys, this draft starts to look like a potential boon. But if this is just drafting a bunch of kids on the hopes that one might sign, yikes.
Yep. Both these guys together probably justify the strategy but neither of them individually seem to. You get one more like then and sign all 3 and I’d call that a win.
You've got one hometown kid and one with a commitment to UC Irvine which *shrug*. Both situations seem fairly realistic to expect signatures.
So looks like they got 2 HS kids, one (Ochoa) ranked just below where Clifford was (and what Gasparino is) in terms of Perfect Game, and another ranked a tier below that. I am assuming that’s their play and remaining rounds will be either roster filler or guys they don’t expect to sign but are drafting as insurance. So this draft looks below average for now, but as I’ve repeated as nausea I trust this front office and will assume Matthews is as good as Drew Gilbert and Ochoa and Hueto are both as good as Clifford.
Reaching the point where teams start drafting for roster needs. Looking at next year, Houston is pretty set, although they could probably use another college catcher and a couple more college arms.
