The first member of the Houston Astros 2024 draft class is... Round 1, Pick 28: Walker Janek, C, Sam Houston State This is the Astros' only selection on Day 1 as they forfeited their 2nd-round choice after signing Josh Hader. Their next pick will occur in the 3rd round (pick 101).
MLB.com: Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50 After drawing little interest from pro teams or major college programs as a Texas high schooler, Janek has developed into arguably the 2024 Draft's best catching prospect after three years at Sam Houston. His stock surged at the 2023 Karbach Classic, where he went 5-for-13 with a pair of doubles, squared up a 97-mph fastball from Louisiana State's Chase Shores and backpicked a runner. He continued to impress in the Cape Cod League last summer and played his way into first-round consideration this spring while winning the Buster Posey Award as college baseball's top catcher. With impressive bat speed and good strength, Janek creates plus raw power that translates into average game pop with most of his home runs driven to his pull side. While he's an aggressive right-handed hitter who looks to launch balls and frequently chases pitches out of the strike zone, he's showing more patience and doing a better job of using the entire field in 2024. Though he has below-average speed, he runs better than most catchers and will steal bases if opponents don't keep him honest. Conference USA's 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, Janek is agile behind the plate and does a nice job framing pitches. He can get lackadaisical with his receiving, which grades as merely average until he cleans it up. He controls the running game with his plus arm strength and quick release.
midzee4, aka Ben Zeidman, is a Baseball Prospectus writer from Houston who did some freelancing before getting a BP gig.
Wow! We did it! We go him! How is everybody feeling? I am so excited and surprised he lasted for us to get him!
looks to launch balls and frequently chases pitches out of the strike zone ****, he'll fit right in. If he can stick at C it's a very solid pick.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5622935/2024/07/09/mlb-draft-2024-top-100-prospects-final/ 23. Walker Janek Janek has emerged as the top catcher in the class, which may be damning with faint praise but also reflects the fact that he’s mashed and has shown he can stick behind the plate. He jumped to a .364/.476/.709 line this year for the Bearkats, finishing just a thousandth of a point off the Conference USA lead in slugging behind a senior who played for New Mexico State (altitude 3900 feet). It’s a simple gap-to-gap approach with pull power and some ability to go the other way for contact, along with a two-strike approach that sees him focus on putting the ball in play. He has the hands and the arm strength to catch, close to average right now with the chance to be a 55 defender all around with some coaching help, offering the upside of a 20-homer bat at a position where offense is scarce. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/li...4-prospects-picks-order-results/wsfxcxUSuuwT/ Janek best defensive catcher in college Janek was the best defensive catcher in the college crop this year and maybe the best in the draft, with some scouts saying he was above-average and others saying he was easily plus. He's got a simple gap-to-gap approach with some pull power and — I hope you're sitting down — an actual two-strike approach, something I thought I would only see in the Smithsonian. He could end up a 20-homer guy with strong on-base skills and plus defense at a critical position, which would make him a very valuable regular and a great pick as the Astros try to rebuild their system
Walker Janek from Sam Houston it is. I visited that school when I was taking my daughter to audition for their theater program. She was offered a scholarship there but she preferred the program at A&M. It is a nice campus but I think the proximity to the prison kind of creeped her out.
Why the hell would you boo an MLB draft pick? Then again, the Houston sportsfan redneck geniuses also boo'd JJ Watt and Robert Horry.
Maybe a Travis D’Arnaud comp? High floor pick. Very very likely to be at least an average defender and will hit enough to be a backup. Not sure I can envision him being a star. We’ll have to see how much he signs for before we’ll know how good of a pick this looks like.
