Drew Waters, Mark Vientos, Hugh Fisher, Tommy Mace, Evan Steele, Michael Mercado, Terry Fuller, Brendan Little, Blayne Enlow, Sam Carlson, Steven Jennings in that order. There's alot more guys I like but didn't have time to fully organize my top 200.
If it's Bukauskas I will be happy. #1 upside, late inning reliever floor. Will be a Top 100 prospect and could move very quickly.
The first member of the Houston Astros draft class of 2017 is..... Round 1, Pick 15: J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, North Carolina
Bukauskas' 2017 stats: 15 starts (pitched in a shutout), 9-1, 2.53 ERA, 92.2 IP, 62 H (7 HR allowed), 34 R (26 ER), 37 BB, 116 K, 1.07 WHIP, .188 opponent average
http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/mlb-2017-draft-tracker-a/ 15. ASTROS: J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, North Carolina Bukauskas, whose first name is Jacob, reclassified as a high school junior to be part of the 2014 draft class and enroll at North Carolina a year early. The Diamondbacks drafted him that year anyway but he became a Tar Heel and made a jump as a sophomore, when he refined his slider to become one of the nation’s top strikeout pitchers. Short but strong-bodied at a listed 6-foot, 201 pounds, Bukauskas features the nation’s best breaking pitch, a slider that earns consistent 70 grades and even some 80s from area scouts. He has tremendous command of the 86-88 mph pitch with late, sharp bite and good tilt. He has better command of the slider than either his fastball or changeup, leading him to pitch off his slider more than big league pitchers would. The slider also helped him average 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings over 150 innings from the start of 2016 through April 2017. His fastball earns plus grades thanks to its velocity; it usually sits 95-97 mph early and settles in as a 92-94 mph pitch. It tends to lack movement even when he leaks out with his front shoulder and yanks the pitch. Bukauskas’ changeup earned above-average grades as an amateur and in the summer of 2016 with USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, but he was using it sparingly (5-10 times per game) as a junior, too infrequently for scouts to grade it more than average. The overall package leads many scouts to chalk Bukauskas up as a reliever, while others believe he could still start in the Sonny Gray/Lance McCullers mold. He’s young for the class and has the swing-and-miss slider to land in the first 10 picks. Twitter handle: @JBukauskas22 http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/2...r-draft-first-round-complete-results-tracker/ RHP J.B. Bukauskas, UNC. Bukauskas has a fastball that touches the mid-90s, but his slider -- probably the best breaking pitch in the entire draft -- is his calling card. That slide-piece helped him strike out 116 batters in 92 ⅔ innings this past season against ACC competition. Bukauskas will need to cultivate his changeup if he's going to be a part of a big-league rotation, but there's time for that. https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/06/12/mlb-draft-tracker HOUSTON ASTROS J.B. BUKAUSKAS, RHP | 6'0", 200 LBS | UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA Scouts love Bukauskas’ raw stuff and his aggressive nature on the mound. No fan of subtlety, he attacks hitters with a hissing mid 90’s fastball and a biting mid 80’s slider. Some clubs see Bukauskas as a starter, some as a closer; the final decision on his role will probably be made when he reaches Double A. No doubt pitching experts in every organization have closely analyzed video of Bukauskas, wary that his mechanics are a prelude to injury. He lands on a stiff front leg and falls off to his left, opens too soon (isolating the arm and putting strain on the elbow and shoulder) and his arm action is cramped on the back end into the dreaded “inverted W”, often a telltale sign of an injury waiting to happen. https://www.mlb.com/draft/tracker Bukauskas created a stir in the 2014 Draft when he reclassified from a junior to a senior and came out throwing 94-97 mph in his first start of the spring. He ultimately asked teams not to select him so he could attend North Carolina, though the Diamondbacks took a flier on him in the 20th round. Bukauskas ranked third in NCAA Division I in strikeout rate (12.8 per nine innings) in 2016 and showcased the most electric arm on the U.S. college national team during the summer, then encored by winning Atlantic Coast Conference pitcher of the year honors this spring. At his best, Bukauskas can blow away hitters with a pair of double-plus pitches in a mid-90s fastball with sink and a mid-80s slider with tilt. His slider isn't as consistent as his heater, but it's still a plus offering more often than not. Bukauskas made good progress working on his changeup while with Team USA, and it shows signs of becoming at least an average pitch with armside run. Bukauskas has toned down his delivery in college, but he still throws with effort and he's a 6-foot right-hander, so there's concern that he might be destined for the bullpen rather than the rotation. Some scouts who believe he can make it as a starter liken him to Sonny Gray, and others say he has better command than the similarly sized Carson Fulmer, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 Draft. If Bukauskas winds up as a reliever, he definitely has closer upside.
When? 2020?.... This isn't the NBA or NFL where top picks go directly to the league. Would be nice to get a starter but future closer with a plus slider would be awesome too. I'm curious to know what @tell
