Astros seeking quick-impact player with No. 21 Draft pick

HOUSTON -- If you need a reminder how quickly a player taken in the MLB Draft can impact a Major League club, Astros right fielder Cam Smith is a prime example. Smith, drafted No. 14 overall by the Cubs last year, has been one of the best rookies in the American League this year and a key player on a team with one of baseball’s best records.

Traded by the Cubs to the Astros in December as part of the Kyle Tucker deal, Smith’s impact on the Houston lineup has been massive. That has the Astros hoping for similar success in this year’s MLB Draft, which takes place from July 13-14 in Atlanta. The Astros have been working for weeks to put together their board with eyes on taking the best available player with the No. 21 overall pick -- a player they hope can make a quick impact.

“At the end of the day, we don’t want to be in a position where we’re 'draft for need,'” said Cam Pendino, the Astros’ director of amateur scouting. “We want to stay true to the board and take who we think is the best available talent.”

Last year, the Astros selected just two high school players, only one of which -- 17th-round pick Ethan Wagner, an outfielder from South Carolina -- wound up signing. Their first-round pick, catcher Walker Janek from Sam Houston, could be in Double-A by the end of the season. The Astros took eight position players and 11 pitchers in 2024.

“Last year, there was a lot of college bats at the top -- Cam Smith chief among them,” Pendino said. “And this one is less college bat-heavy and more high school bat-heavy. There’s a lot of interesting high school bats, particularly in terms of depth. There’s more high school depth than there was a year ago.”

This year’s Draft, which is the third under general manager Dana Brown, will see the Astros once again covet pitching. The Astros have been successful the last few years in drafting arms after Day 1 who wound up making an impact in Houston, including Hunter Brown (fifth round in 2019), Ryan Gusto (11th round, 2019), Shawn Dubin (13th round, 2018), J.P. France (14th round, 2018), Spencer Arrighetti (sixth round, 2021) and Colton Gordon (eighth round, 2021).

“I will say you can never have enough pitching,” Pendino said. “I do think this organization has historically been very successful at drafting arms later down the board who return Major League value.”

• Day 1 picks: 21, 95
• Bonus pool allotment: $7,181,500
• Last year’s top pick: Walker Janek, C, pick 28 … The Astros’ No 3-ranked prospect, Janek’s OPS through 50 games at High-A Asheville was about 300 points higher than his pro debut at Asheville last year, putting him on the radar for a promotion to Double-A. Janek has been as good as advertised behind the plate and is one of the best catching arms the Astros have had in their system in a long time.
• Breakout 2024 pick: Bryce Mayer, SP, pick 493 ... Mayer (No. 25 prospect) began the season at Single-A Fayetteville and has already earned a pair of promotions, taking him to Double-A. He posted a 3.22 ERA in 14 games (12 starts) combined for Fayetteville and High-A Asheville before allowing one run and two hits while striking out six batters in five innings in his first Double-A start Saturday.

So far, the Astros have had only one pick in the past two Drafts reach the big leagues -- 2023 third-rounder Jake Bloss, a right-hander who was dealt to the Blue Jays last year and is now recovering from Tommy John surgery. In many ways, the Draft remains a crapshoot, but it’s an important exercise that could yield a star of the not-to-distant future.

“If we were to have an immediate return of value, that would be an exciting outcome,” Pendino said. “The time value of production is real, but you don’t want a lesser talent that’s [in the big leagues] quick. I think there could be a really exciting talent who makes an impact a little bit later down the road. We know it’s important to make our team better and our organization better.”