2012 Astros Draft Picks: Correa 1st overall

Figured I would track the picks in a separate thread, and post scouting reports in here since they will get lost in the other thread.

1st overall - Carlos Correa, SS, HS

http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2012/6...carlos-correa-ss-puerto-rico-baseball-academy

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...video-highlights-scouting-report-and-analysis

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41st - Lance McCullers, RHP/SS, HS
[rquoter]Major League bloodlines are always a plus and the younger Lance McCullers has the chance to be much better than his father, who spent parts of seven seasons in the big leagues.
McCullers is pure power. His fastball can easily touch the upper 90s and it has above-average movement in on right-handed hitters. When he stays on top of his slider it's an above-average, hard and tight breaking ball. He does have a changeup, but it's behind the other two offerings. He's got a feel for it, but doesn't need to use it much at this level. McCullers is fearless on the mound, with a closer-type mentality (and the stuff to match it).

McCullers does struggle with his command at times, which keeps hitters from being too comfortable at the plate. He will need to refine that, along with his offspeed stuff, to be an effective starter at the highest level. But there's nothing to indicate he won't be able to do just that with time and experience
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61st - Nolan Fontana, SS, Florida, Jr.
[rquoter]Take each of Fontana’s tools individually and none of them may overwhelm you. Add them up and you’ll like what you see a lot more.
Fontana can swing the bat a little bit, showing a solid approach and an ability to make adjustments. He even has a little power to the pull side and will turn on a mistake. Fontana's instincts on the bases allow his average speed to play up and he does all of the little things offensively to help a team win. He’s the same way on the other side of the ball, always putting himself in the right position to make the plays, with a solid arm and range and very good hands.

Fontana could be a very good second baseman, a decent shortstop or the kind of super utility man championship-caliber teams tend to have. Whatever the case, his abilities and instincts should allow him to help a big league club out quickly.
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96th - Brady Rodgers, RHP, Arizona St, Jr.
[rquoter]Once the top-of-the-board college starters are taken, there’s a very good group of advanced arms in the next tier, with Rodgers one of the most polished of that group.
While he’s not a soft-tosser -- his Major League average fastball will sit in the 90-91 mph range and he can reach back for a little more and maintain his velocity deep into starts -- Rodgers is more about the art of pitching than anything else. He has three secondary pitches that should at least average. Rodgers' slider is a sharp downer that can be a strikeout pitch and his changeup is very deceptive, with both looking like future above-average offerings. His curve isn’t quite as good, but with a 12-to-5 break, it’s more than just a show-me pitch.

Rodgers throws all of those pitches for strikes and should have plus location down the line, showing outstanding knowledge of how to mix pitches. His ceiling might be the middle of a big league rotation, but it shouldn’t take him too long to reach that goal.
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129th - Rio Ruiz, 3B, HS
[rquoter]He's from SoCal. He hits left-handed. It's not a real shock Ruiz gets Eric Chavez comps. Unfortunately for Ruiz, he became even more similar to the oft-injured Chavez in March when he had to undergo a procedure to break up a blood clot near his clavicle by his right shoulder.Ruiz has the tools to be an everyday Major League third baseman. He has a terrific left-handed swing, a short stroke with good bat speed. He makes consistent hard contact and there's more than enough loft and leverage for him to have good power at the next level. He's a solid, instinctive defender at third, with good lateral movement and a strong arm.Ruiz doesn't run well, but given his other skills, that doesn't matter so much. He doesn't need to run if he's going to develop into a run-producing third baseman as a professional. That potential should put him in many beginning-of-the-Draft conversations.[/rquoter]

159th - Andrew Aplin, CF, Arizona St, Jr.

189th - Brett Phillips, CF, HS
[rquoter]The thing that stands out most about Phillips is his defense. He can play anywhere in the outfield and has incredible instincts, speed and arm strength. He has a quick, compact swing and handles the bat well, with the ability to hit the ball to all fields. He has pretty good bat speed and could develop some power in the future. Phillips is the type of maximum effort player that scouts love. [/rquoter]

219th - Preston Tucker, RF, Florida, Sr
[rquoter]In a year where affordable college seniors might get a long look early in Drafts, Tucker is one who many teams have paid attention to. Playing for one of the best college teams in the country with other top-notch Draft talent, Tucker has continue to show his one plus tool: power. The left-handed hitter can flat-out mash, especially to the pull side. With good bat speed, he's shown some aptitude as a hitter, but it remains to be seen if he can continue to make adjustments in order to become a better all-around hitter, not to mention making enough contact to tap into that power. He's an average right fielder with a pretty good arm, though his lack of speed limits his range a bit. Playing first would add to his positional flexibility. In the end, though, the team that takes him will be buying his bat. He should improve on his Draft slot from when the Rockies took him (16th round) a year ago.[/rquoter]

249th - Tyler Heineman, C, UCLA, Jr.
[rquoter]Tyler Heineman has been the feel good story, the gutty little Bruin who waited for his turn and made the most of it as a junior. I mean, if I could grade fan favorites, he’d be way up there. Instead, here’s what he is – a left-handed hitting catch-and-throw guy. Those guys always get drafted. Nobody cares what he looks like in blue jeans: stocky build with thick features. Solid catch and throw guy with useable left-handed bat. Strong, accurate throws through the bag, clean arm action, clean footwork and transfers. Strong and soft hands, good actions behind the plate, a good catching athlete. Has good hands offensively, though he tends to get too long too often. Won’t run. Arm and defense profile as best pro tools. Just enough bat to make him dangerous, but has to be careful not to let that touch of power get him into trouble. It might take a while, but catch-and-throw guys with the ability to put the ball in play tend to make it to the big leagues.[/rquoter]

279th - Daniel Minor, RHP, Texas A&M-CC, Jr.
http://www.goislanders.com/sports/bsb/2011-12/players/danielminorgd2g

309th - Joseph Bircher, LHP, Bradley, Sr.
[rquoter]We continue the countdown today at number 56 with Bradley senior LHP Joe Bircher. The Omaha, Nebraska native attended Roncalli Catholic High School where he played four years of baseball under Tom Kupfer. As a junior and senior, Bircher was named second-team all-state. His freshman season saw him appear in 14 games with six starts going 4-2 with a 3.39 ERA. He struck out 50 batters while walking 17. Bircher struggled as a sophomore going 4-5 with a 5.67 ERA in 81 innings pitched while starting 14 games. He struck out 68 batters while walking 24 batters. He returned to his freshman form as a junior going 6-6 with a 3.00 ERA in 15 starts. He pitched a total of 105 innings striking out 71 batters while walking 33. He was able to holding opponents to a .229 batting average against. He pitched the summer of 2011 in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Falmouth Commodores going 2-2 with an ERA of 1.68 in a total of 48.1 innings pitched. He struck out 54 batters while walking 11 for the season.[/rquoter]
http://www.bradleybraves.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3400&ATCLID=3666523
http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/player.html?playerid=150148

339th - Hunter Virant, LHP, HS
[rquoter]Virant hasn't been pitching for all that long, but he's shown the potential and projectability to get scouts very excited about his future.Virant has the chance to have four at least Major League average offerings. While his fastball sits in the 87-88 mph range, he'll touch 90 mph and with his projectable frame, there should be more in the tank. There's the typical lefty sink in to left-handed hitters on his two-seamer. His curve is inconsistent right now -- he'll drop his arm angle to make it too slurvy -- but that will improve with time and experience. He doesn't always command his changeup now, but it should be a solid offering in the future. He'll also cut his fastball for a slider-like look.He throws the fastball for strikes and competes well. And he does it all with a very smooth delivery. Those raw ingredients, along with his ideal pitcher's frame and his handling of the big-spotlight events should have many scouts watching his progress this spring.[/rquoter]

Would take McCullers not signing or a small miracle to sign. A flier pick like Jacoby Jones a few years ago, just without the ability to go as high as we want.

369th - Terrell Joyce, LF, Florida State College, JUCO

399th - Brian Holmes, LHP, Wake Forest, Jr.

429th - Joe Sclafani, SS, Dartmouth, Jr.

459th - Erick Gonzalez, RHP, Gateway CC, JUCO

489th - Dan Gulbransen, LF, Jacksonville U, Jr.
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?c...=29113154&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_22029387&v=3

 

Only going 1st and supplemental. Astros have 41st pick left today.