2016 Draft Report Card: Houston Astros

BEST PURE HITTER: OF Ronnie Dawson (2) didn’t hit in his pro debut, as he turned in a .225/.351/.373 line for short-season Tri-City, but he hit .331 at Ohio State and projects as a potentially average to above-average hitter thanks to his bat speed, strength and speed. 2B Ryne Birk (13) is a lefthanded hitter who can spray the ball to all fields.

BEST POWER HITTER: Dawson has plus raw power with plenty of strength and a thick, muscular frame although he’s yet to fully tap into that power. 1B/LF Spencer Johnson (16) hit 24 home runs this spring at Missouri State to lead NCAA Division I and added 10 more in his pro debut. He has a lot of swing and miss, but he could hit 25-30 home runs a year. 

FASTEST RUNNER: OF Stephen Wrenn (6) will turn in 4.1s to first from the right side which earns 70 grades on the 20-to-80 scouting scale.

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: C Jake Rogers (3) was considered the top defensive catcher in college baseball in 2016 by near unanimous acclamation. He moves well behind the plate, has soft hands, blocks pitches in the dirt and has a plus-plus arm that shuts down running games.

BEST FASTBALL:  RHP Forrest Whitley (1) sat 92-94 mph and touched 97 mph this spring and summer. His fastball gets on hitters quickly and it has excellent life.

BEST SECONDARY PITCH: Whitley’s main offspeed offering right now is a plus curveball with depth. Whitley can throw it for strikes, or bury it through the bottom of the strike zone for late-count swings and misses. He doesn’t throw his 86-88 mph slider very often yet, but when he does, it flashes plus and could end up as a better pitch than the curveball.

BEST PRO DEBUT: Birk played his way out of the New York-Penn League by showing an advanced approach at the plate. He hit .323 in a promotion to low Class A Quad Cities for the final week.

BEST ATHLETE: Wrenn is a speedy outfielder who can stay in center field. Dawson is a power-speed outfielder who runs well for a big man. 3B Abraham Toro (5) is an extremely strong, well-built 6-footer who has average speed to go with his strength.

MOST INTRIGUING BACKGROUND: SS Stijn Van Der Meer (32) grew up in The Netherlands and is the shortstop for the Dutch national team that won the European Baseball Championship in September. Van Der Meer came to the U.S. to play at Lamar. He is an athletic shortstop with feel for the game.

CLOSEST TO THE MAJORS: Catchers don’t usually move quickly, but Rogers extremely advanced defensive ability should get him to high Class A in 2017 and could allow him to move quickly. For a high school pitcher, Whitley’s advanced assortment will make him a quick mover.

BEST LATE-ROUND PICK: Birk faced questions about his defense when he was at Texas A&M, but his bat and his willingness to work to alleviate some of his defensive issues could make him a potential big leaguer.

THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY: The Astros were one of only two teams to fail to sign a top 10 round pick. RHP Tyler Buffett (7) decided to head back to Oklahoma State after the Cowboys fell short in Omaha.