MLB Draft Insider - Top 14 in 14 - Houston Astros

Rank	Name	Position	Bats/Throws	Height/Weight
1	Carlos Correa	SS	R/R	6-4 / 205
The Astros took Correa with the first overall pick of the 2012 draft, and while he’s not the best prospect to come out of that draft, I doubt that Houston is having any second-guesses about the selection, especially considering the other quality they acquired later in that draft.  Correa has shown an advanced feel at the plate, showing impressive barrel control and an understanding of how to work counts into his favor. He has great wrist acceleration that helps generate plus bat-speed, and he shows plus-plus raw power in batting practice, that power drops a bit in game as he doesn’t get quite enough hip rotation, but he’s a hard worker who should be at least plus as he gets stronger and looks to drive more pitches, and could be a 25-35 homer guy. In the field, Correa isn’t a lock to stick at shortstop, but he is very athletic for his size and has a cannon for an arm along with quality instincts. He would be a plus-plus defender at third and the bat would play there just fine, but if Correa can stick at shortstop, he’s got a chance to be one of the very best shortstops in all of baseball. HIT 45-60 POWER 50-65 SPEED 50-50 GLOVE 45-50 ARM 70-70 ETA: 2016

Rank	Name	Position	Bats/Throws	Height/Weight
2	Mark Appel	RHP	R/R	6-5 / 190
I’m not sure how serious the Astros were about taking someone other than Mark Appel with the No. 1 pick, but at the end of the day I think they made the right choice in Appel; a right-hander with two plus-plus pitches and a chance for a third plus offering. Appel generally sits 93-95 with his fastball, but will touch 97 and he can throw it to any part of the plate. His slider is his best secondary offering, a wipeout pitch with solid tilt that buries into the feet of left-handed hitters, but he can throw the pitch for a strike to get ahead of hitters as well. The change is his most inconsistent of Appel’s offering but flashes plus-plus with outstanding arm speed. In addition to quality stuff, Appel gets rave reviews for his feel for pitching, and he’ll throw any pitch at any point in a count from a clean delivery and a high three-quarter arm slot. If everything goes right, he should be a quality top-of-the-rotation starter who should be helping the Astros rotation at some point in 2015, maybe sooner. FASTBALL 70-70 SLIDER 65-70 CHANGE 50-60 COMMAND 45-60 ETA: 2015

Rank	Name	Position	Bats/Throws	Height/Weight
3	George Springer	OF	R/R	6-3 / 200
The Astros took Springer with the 11th pick in the 2011 draft which was a pick I thought was a steal at the time, and he’s done little to make me think otherwise. There’s five tools here, including enormous power in his right-handed bat that is capable of hitting the ball out to any part of any ballpark. That power could play down at the major-league level however, as there is a great deal of swing and miss in his game at pitches both in and out of the zone. He’s a smart hitter however, and is willing to work counts and take walks that help negate the 130-140 strikeouts he’s sure to have at the next level. Springer has the athleticism to play in centerfield, and his instincts and routes to the ball have improved enough to project he’ll be there for at least the short-to-medium term. If he was moved to a corner he’d likely move to right, as he has a strong, accurate arm that would allow him to be plays there. The bat will play wherever Houston chooses to deploy him, as Springer is a 270/360/550 type bat who can hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases. HIT 45-50 POWER 70-70 SPEED 65-65 GLOVE 55-60 ARM 60-60 ETA: 2014

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