first surprise in the draft with Alonso going to cincy at 7. Now one of either crow, smoak or beckham falls to the Astros!
Astos taking a play from the Texans playbook and draft some unknown commodity. Let's hope the Jason Castros/Duane Browns of the world turn out to be good picks.
Keith Law of ESPN.com's response: Castro didn't get to catch last year in the Cape Cod League because the team had Posey. Castro was expected to go in the second half of the first round. He's a contact hitter; he will not hit for a lot of power. He's an average regular catcher in the big leagues. But I don't see him as a star. By the way, the next best college catcher in the draft is well below Castro.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2008/reports.jsp?content=castro His profile Hitting Ability: A little heavy on his front side, he can be vulnerable to the changeup; sometimes Castro tries too hard to be the guy in the lineup. He does have the ability to drive the ball from the left side of the plate. Power: He's got average power now with the chance to be plus down the road. He's got opposite-field power with good loft and backspin. Running Speed: He's got more speed than most catchers. Base running: He does have the ability to take the extra base or even steal a bag or two. Arm Strength: He's an got average arm, but keeps improving his pop times to second base. Fielding: He's worked hard on his craft and does a terrific job framing the ball. Range: He's good at blocking pitches in the dirt. Physical Description: Castro is a tall, well-proportioned backstop with a long body. Medical Update: Healthy now, but an arm issue over the summer kept him from catching regularly. Strengths: With legitimate power, some hittability and an improving set of defensive skills, he's got the chance to be a good all-around catcher. Weaknesses: He has trouble with offspeed stuff. Summary: College catchers, especially those who hit left-handed, are always in demand, and Castro has used a strong Cape League season to put himself in position to be one of the first backstops taken. He's got legit power and a good set of defensive skills. He might not be the first college catcher to go off the board, but he likely won't have to wait long.
Jason Castro, Catcher, Stanford University 2008 .372 12 home runs, 63 rbi 16 doubles 23BB 37K 253 AB's His stock jumped up in the cape this past summer and he built on that with a solid season. Before that summer, he didn't really have much of a track record. Might be a safe pick that doesn't cost too much. Hopefully we take some arms in the supplemental or 2nd round. This pick does piss me off though.
Either they really believed Castro was the BPA or the current regime does not have much confidence in Towles to get out of his current slump.
Here is where Castro was rated on some national scouts draft boards: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2008/5/17/519689/john-s-2008-draft-board-as#comments "Here is a look at my current draft board. THIS IS NOT A PREDICTION OR PROJECTION OF THE FIRST ROUND. This is my current personal opinion of these players. This will continue to change as we approach draft day and some players are already ranked differently compared to the lists I've been doing this past week. #30) Jason Castro, C, Stanford: I'm not 100% convinced about the bat yet." http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/draft Keith Law's top 75 #18: Jason Castro Baseball America draft tracker "#21. Jason Castro c Stanford 27 21 Stanford's most consistent hitter profiles as a similar player to rangy A.J. Pierzynski, with a sunnier disposition."
possibly. id say something around 10-15 hr and a .275 average with the possibility to hit 20 homers some day. his defense is quite good. threw out 40.6% of base runners.
Espn's scouting report on Castro "Summary: Castro finished second in the Cape Cod League in batting average to Conor Gillaspie, but didn't get to catch that often because he was behind Buster Posey. This spring, he's established his catching bona fides and is lined up to be the second college backstop taken, probably in the back of the first round but perhaps in the top 20 picks. Castro has a simple, contact-oriented swing, with a very slight bat wrap but good overall bat speed and plate coverage. His swing plane is pretty flat, and he shifts his weight forward before contact, resulting in below-average power. Behind the plate, he's solid-average in all respects: hands, arm, plate-blocking. His upside is as an average regular catcher in the big leagues, unless he develops more power. He has a very high probability of making it as a backup." Did the astros just used a top ten pick (when Smoak a top talent was still available) on a player who projects as a big-league backup? What happened to all the talk about taking the "best player available"?
