2013 Draft Report Card

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/2013-draft-report-cards-houston-astros/

With the first pick and a $11.7 million bonus pool, the Astros made another significant talent infusion through the draft. After going high school heavy in 2012, Houston went the college route in each of the first five rounds this year.

Bonus Spending:$10.82 million


Position Players

Best pure hitter: The Astros say that 1B Conrad Gregor (4) will be an above-average hitter with excellent on-base skills. He does a good job of drawing walks and using the whole field.

Best power hitter: C Jacob Nottingham (6) has shown plus raw power in batting practice and workouts. Like many young hitters, he didn’t translate that into home runs in the difficult conditions of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, with one home run in 44 games.

Fastest runner: 2B Tony Kemp (5) is a 65 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale at his best, and he’s aggressive on the basepaths. He can still improve on some of the finer points of getting a good jump.

Best defensive player: OF James Ramsey (7) is at least a solid-average center fielder, with a tick above-average speed to go with excellent routes.


Pitchers

Best fastball: RHP Mark Appel (1) sits at 93-96 mph and will run it up to 99 on a regular basis. He generates that velocity while throwing primarily two-seamers with good movement. The Astros are working with him on adding more four-seamers as well.

Best secondary pitch: Scouts differ over whether Appel’s changeup or slider is the better pitch, and the Astros say both could end up being plus or even plus-plus pitches at their best.



Odds and Ends

Best pro debut: 3B Tyler White (33) hit .322/.406/.456 at three different stops while walking (27) more than he struck out (24). RHP Kyle Westwood (13) anchored the New York-Penn League champion Tri-City club, going 2-2, 0.81 in 45 innings.

Best athlete: Kemp is 5-foot-6, but he packs a lot of strength into his small frame to go with excellent speed. His leaping ability has come in handy at second base, as he can climb the ladder to snag line drives.

Most intriguing background: Appel was a high-profile Stanford senior after turning down the Pirates as a first-round pick in 2012. Unsigned RHP Kacy Clemens (35) is the son of Roger.

Closest to the majors: When a polished pitcher like Appel goes No. 1 overall, fans start counting the days until he arrives in the big leagues. Appel won’t be expected to start the 2014 season in Houston, but he could be there by the end of the year if everything goes well.

Best late-round pick: Westwood, a senior sign out of Jacksonville, generates a lot of ground balls with a heavy 91-95 mph fastball and a solid curveball. He has enough stuff to be a potentially useful starting pitcher.

The one who got away: RHP Alex Schick (17) was an intriguing sleeper as a 6-foot-6 righthander who generates excellent downhill angle on his 90 mph fastball, and he has a useful curveball. His skinny frame gives him the potential to add velocity, and teams will see how he develops after three years at California.