He's a cast off from the Pirate's system, and is old for his level. He is considered nothing more than minor league depth, sort of like Brandon Barnes. The other guy with (theoretical) power is Ariel Ovando. It will be interesting to see how it manifests when the SS leagues start.
The Pirates never signed him. He was then signed as an undrafted FA by the Astros. He is only 23, which isn't too old to be in A+, considering this is only his 2nd full season of professional ball (after 2 seasons of rookie ball). His K rate is bad, but similar to a number of our higher rated prospects who don't have nearly as much power. He also posts a decent walk rate. While he probably never becomes anything more than a career minor leaguer, he doesn't appear to be as bad as your short description makes it seem.
Nash appears to be the one power source in the system, Ovando hasn't even played a game yet and is only 17, we could count on for power as he is starting to become VERY dangerous. Wallace is VERY intriguing being undrafted, curious to see his progress through the system. The one cat I am looking with interest, now that Castro is injuried, is Ben Heath. The guy broke out after signing last year but has leveled off a bit this season. If he can provide decent power and good defense, Castro may have some much needed competition.
MLBTR: Astros assistant GM and scouting director Bobby Heck told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that he has been impressed with the crop of power arms in this year's draft. Odds are the Astros will take a pitcher with the 11th overall pick, according to Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner (Twitter links). High school pitcher Archie Bradley told Goff that "the Astros have been in pretty good contact" with him.
3. Archie Bradley, RHP, Broken Arrow HS, Broken Arrow, OK Bradley was dominant last summer on the All-Star circuit and has had a solid start to his 2011 season. He has a fastball in the 92-95 MPH range, a plus hard knuckle curveball with great bite and mental toughness that scouts rave about. With clean mechanics and solid command, scouts project him to be a frontline starter in the bigs and an AL scout believes his fastball and curve are near major league ready now. Bradley is a top QB prospect as well and the 6’3’’, 225 pound senior has committed to play baseball and football at the University of Oklahoma. http://athletics.scout.com/2/1059633.html
1. Pittsburgh Pirates: Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA There is still no decision, as the Pirates are making sure they are doing due diligence. They're not tipping their hand, but it would make sense if they are looking largely at the college guys in Cole, Anthony Rendon and Danny Hultzen. 2. Seattle Mariners: Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice Teams evidently have medical reports on Rendon and his uncertain shoulder at this point. If questions are answered, Seattle has always been a potential home for him. 3. Arizona Diamondbacks: Danny Hultzen, LHP, Virginia Same candidates apply. Hultzen has pitched his way to the top of the Draft and wouldn't take much time to be big league ready. 4. Baltimore Orioles: Dylan Bundy, RHP, Oswasso HS, Okla. The top high school pitcher has done nothing to lose that title. There's been talk about a very high price tag, but most believe he wants to play. 5. Kansas City Royals: Bubba Starling, OF, Gardner-Edgerton HS, Kan. The Royals are also looking at college arms like Trevor Bauer or Cole if he dropped here. Starling and Francisco Lindor are the hitters being considered, with the two-sport toolsy outfielder in their own back yard making almost too much sense. 6. Washington Nationals: Trevor Bauer, RHP, UCLA The slightly unorthodox Bauer is being mentioned all over the top of the first round, and it's hard to argue based on his performance and stuff. 7. Arizona Diamondbacks: Francisco Lindor, SS, Montverde Academy, Fla. Lindor's a premium talent at a premium position. His season ended a while back, so he's performed in some private workouts. That often can clinch the deal. 8. Cleveland Indians: Jed Bradley, LHP, Georgia Tech The Indians have take college pitchers in the first round the past two years. They'd love to get Bauer, but with him gone, Bradley, the southpaw, could be the third in a row. 9. Chicago Cubs: Archie Bradley, RHP, Broken Arrow HS, Okla. After a slow start, Bradley has come on strong to be right there with fellow Oklahoman Bundy. Another big price tag is being mentioned, but a rotation with Bradley in it sounds good. 10. San Diego Padres: Taylor Jungmann, RHP, Texas It's certainly no guarantee the Padres will go the college route with this unprotected pick, but there are some awfully good arms to choose from coming from this group. 11. Houston Astros: Matt Barnes, RHP, Connecticut Most of the buzz at this point is about pitchers, and Barnes would be a top-10 pick, if not top five, in another class that wasn't as deep in pitching 12. Milwaukee Brewers: Alex Meyer, RHP, Kentucky After two years of struggling, things really started to work for the big right-hander this year. Good timing, as it's moved him to the top half of the first round. 13. New York Mets: Sonny Gray, RHP, Vanderbilt There are many eyes on the Mets, with new general manager Sandy Alderson and their financial situation, to see what they will do. College pitching could very well be the way they go. 14. Florida Marlins: Mike Mahtook, OF, Louisiana State In a thin year for college hitters, Mahtook is one who has stood out for putting up very good numbers, despite the new NCAA bats. 15. Milwaukee Brewers: Taylor Guerrieri, RHP, Spring Valley HS, S.C. Guerrieri hasn't been talked about as much lately, but that doesn't mean he's still not very much in the middle-of-the-first-round conversations. 16. Los Angeles Dodgers: Javier Baez, SS, Arlington Country Day HS, Fla. Baez will likely have to move to third base, but he's got enough tools to profile very well at the hot corner. 17. Los Angeles Angels: Dillon Howard, RHP, Searcy HS, Ark. The Angels have never shied away from projectable right-handers in the past. 18. Oakland A's: George Springer, OF, Connecticut It's always a bit disconcerting when there's consensus among prognosticators about a pick this deep in the first round, but it still makes a good deal of sense. 19. Boston Red Sox: Blake Swihart, C, Cleveland HS, N.M. Swihart's one of the better high school hitters in the class, but word is he will come with a big price tag. So, naturally, many think this spot makes sense for him to land. 20. Colorado Rockies: CJ Cron, 1B, Utah There's been a lot of talk about a college hitter here -- Kolten Wong and Levi Michael might be fits -- but while you don't draft for need, there will be a bit of an opening soon at this position in Colorado, and Cron flat-out raked this year. 21. Toronto Blue Jays: Levi Michael, SS, North Carolina College middle infielders are in short supply, and even if the Blue Jays think Michael will eventually be moved to second base, they might consider taking him here. 22. St. Louis Cardinals: Kolten Wong, 2B, Hawaii An advanced college hitter who can run, it won't take Wong too long to be big league ready. 23. Washington Nationals: Daniel Norris, LHP, Science Hill HS, Tenn. This would give the Nationals one college and one high school pitcher in the first round. Norris is the top prep lefty in the class. 24. Tampa Bay Rays: Robert Stephenson, RHP, Alhambra HS, Calif. Perhaps a small step behind the elite high school right-handers, Stephenson isn't too far behind, with arm strength to spare. 25. San Diego Padres: Cory Spangenberg, 3B, Indian River State (Fla.) Spangenberg's name has been mentioned a bit higher, but the Padres would love it if he were still around at this point. 26. Boston Red Sox: Andrew Susac, C, Oregon State A broken hamate bone shelved the Draft-eligible sophomore for a spell, but he's a catcher with some pop, something that's always a hot commodity. 27. Cincinnati Reds: Tyler Anderson, LHP, Oregon Anderson fits the mold of the quintessential college lefty, complete with outstanding pitch-ability and a quick path to the big leagues. 28. Atlanta Braves: Jose Fernandez, RHP, Alonso HS, Fla. A live arm with a good feel for pitching might have Fernandez gone before this point, but the Braves do like developing young pitching. 29. San Francisco Giants: Brian Goodwin, OF, Miami Dade College The Giants took Gary Brown a year ago, and so far, so good. Nabbing a toolsy outfielder to join him might make sense. 30. Minnesota Twins: Andrew Chafin, LHP, Kent State Chafin bounced back from a stretch of minor injuries that forced him to miss a couple of starts. But he came back and pitched well in conference tournament play to move him back up a bit. 31. Tampa Bay Rays: Henry Owens, LHP, Edison HS, Calif. Owens' star has faded a bit, and he could slide out of the first round, but the SoCal lefty still has some pretty good stuff. 32. Tampa Bay Rays: Chris Reed, LHP, Stanford Reed's name has been creeping up boards, especially with some very strong performances down the stretch. He could be a quick-to-the-bigs reliever, but some see the ability and stuff to start. 33. Texas Rangers: Brandon Nimmo, OF, Cheyenne East HS, Wyo. The Wyoming kid without a high school team has some serious tools and lit it up in front of a lot of scouts recently, which could mean he'll be gone before this pick. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp...key=draftcentral2010&tcid=tw_article_19917766
If Matt Purke drops out of the first round I hope the Astros snag him in the second round. Although I've met him a few times and he's kind of a douche, he's a great pitcher and has the potential to be a #1 or #2 guy in an MLB rotation.
It's some of the finest GM'ing I've ever seen. Friedman knew 3-4 years ago a) he wasn't going to be able to keep his FA's at the end of 2010 and b) that the 2011 draft class was going to be one of the deepest in years. He could bust on 50% of those picks and still have highest impact draft of any team in 3 years. He won the division last year, has something like 11 of the top 100 picks this draft and his team is still in contention this year. Incredible.
Down on the Cyber-Farm: Following the Draft WHO THE ASTROS MIGHT DRAFT? Matt Garrioch, who writes for MLB Bonus Baby tackled the question “Who are five players the Astros may draft in the first round with followng essay: “With the 11th pick in the draft the Astros will have plenty to choose from. This draft is loaded with pitching talent from college and high school this season. The only two players I am sure that they won’t have an opportunity to take are Anthony Rendon, the 3B out of Rice and right-handed pitcher from UCLA, Gerrit Cole. Bubba Starling is an outfielder from Gardner, Kansas. He is the best high school talent in this year’s draft and he’s also a Nebraska QB recruit. I doubt the Astros would take him if he is on the board because of the high price tag. However, if they do, they could get a potential superstar. He has a great arm, great power potential, a solid bat and he can run well for his size. He may be gone by the time they choose. Jed Bradley is a left handed pitcher from Georgia Tech. Bradley has a fastball that can hit 93 MPH on occasion but is more often in the low 90′s. He has a very good breaking ball that could be an out pitch in pro ball. His changeup routinely makes college hitters look bad. All three pitches could be MLB average pitches in a short period of time. He has good control and could be one of the fastest players to reach the majors from this draft. He is a near lock to be a #3 starter in the majors. Dylan Bundy is the best high school arm that could be available at #11. Bundy has great bloodlines, as his brother is an Orioles’ farmhand and his father is a former minor leaguer as well. He has a fastball that is incomparable in this year’s draft, hitting 100 mph, reportedly. He usually throws in the mid to upper 90′s with a knockout curve. He would immediately be the top prospect in the Astros farm system and could be one of the top 20 prospects in baseball next offseason if he decides to forgo his Texas commitment. University of Texas right hander Taylor Jungmann is likely to be available and could be a solid pick. He throws in the low 90′s topping out at 95. He has two good breaking balls that are out pitches in college and will be good pitches in the pros. He won’t be a big strikeout pitcher but he could be a very good #3 starter if not a #2 starter. University of Connecticut outfielder George Springer has a ton of upside. He has enormous power, a great arm, and good speed, but he has contact issues. If he puts it together, he could be special. Francisco Lindor, a high school SS out of Florida, is one of the best defensive players in this draft and has shown an improved bat this spring. Power arms Matt Barnes, Matt Purke, Archie Bradley, Sonny Gray, Daniel Norris and Henry Owens could all be looked at as well. I think it is likely the Astros will take a pitcher with their first pick but they have been known to surprise. The great thing is there are about 100 players who could be acceptable picks at this spot with the amazing depth that this draft offers.”
I'm hoping Dylan Bundy somehow falls to 11. Even if he did though the Astros will probably grab someone who isn't expected off the board for another 10-15 picks.
With the structure of the MLB draft, you unfortunately can't trade down to grab the guy you want later, so you have to take these guys early, and it has been working for them.
I'll also add that this draft is LOADED with young power arms and most of the signablity issue guys will be gone in the top 10. All that leads me to believe whoever they pick will be a good pick this time around. Taylor Jungmann seems intriguing because he is a college guy so should be a quick mover in the system and has put up sick numbers at Texas but part of me is worried because Garrido is notorious for overworking his pitchers. I've seen him projected as high as a #2 down to a #4 starters.
I'm actually against drafting Jungmann for the same reasons. With the depth of HS power pitching in this draft, the Astros should target a front of the rotation caliber pitcher. No reason to play it safe when you already have the worst farm system in the majors.
Exactly. The scouting reports on some of these guys we have drafted lately in the first round are "projected to be an average everyday to above average type guy" or a "projected to be a solid middle of rotation guy". Lyles looks good, but everyone said back then and still are saying his ceiling is as a #2 starter. We need to be going after projectable franchise type players in the first round
Honestly speechless... FrankiePiliere This kid isn't even projected to be a 1st rd pick, at best a comp pick.
