16 teams didn't think so. Three prep righties and two prep lefties went ahead of Whitley. We know now that the Astros were correct in believing his command and pitch mix were far advanced for his age. Credit to the Astros for doing their homework on the local kid and sheer luck that he lasted to #17.
2017 MLB Draft Profile: Keston Hiura, OF-DH, University of California-Irvine By all accounts, one of the best bats available in the 2017 MLB draft belongs to Keston Hiura of the University of California-Irvine. His hitting draws universal praise, but despite this it is unclear where he’ll go on draft day due to uncertainty about his position and heath status. Let’s take a look. THE BASICS Keston Hiura is from Valencia, California. He got some attention on the showcase circuit but was a top-notch student and destined for college, so nobody drafted him on high school graduation in 2014. He immediately emerged as a regular at UC-Irvine, hitting .330/.392/.520 as a freshman and .358/.436/.539 as a sophomore. He also destroyed college summer ball pitching in ‘15 (.356/.439/.623) and hit .289/.356/.553 in 17 games for Team USA last summer. Hiura has continued mashing in 2017, hitting .402/.546/.668 with 46 walks and 33 strikeouts in 169 at-bats so far. Of particular note: he’s doing this despite an elbow injury serious enough to keep him from playing on the field this year. He’s listed at 6-0, 180, a right-handed hitter and thrower, born August 2, 1996. He doesn’t turn 21 until August, making him one of the youngest college juniors available. STRENGTHS The numbers aren’t lying: Hiura can hit. He draws unanimous praise for his combination of bat speed and refined hitting approach, projecting to hit for high averages and high OBPs with at least moderate power. He’s shown he can handle both fastballs and breaking stuff and is close to major league ready as a hitter right now. WEAKNESSES His current elbow injury is bad enough that he’s been strictly a DH since last summer. Hiura attempted to avoid Tommy John surgery by receiving a plasma platelet injection this past winter, but it is unclear if the procedure worked or merely postponed the inevitable. The good news is that the elbow pain hasn’t impacted his hitting at all. That said, no one is sure where he’ll fit on defense. He has experience at center field, left field, and second base, but scouts obviously haven’t been able to evaluate him recently. His running speed and throwing arm are just average and left field may be his best slot eventually. PROJECTION Hiura’s bat will be ready for the majors quickly, but his timetable is uncertain due to the injury (will he need surgery?) and the glove question. Draft-wise, his exact position will depend on how teams assess his health. He would be a certain first-round pick without the injury and may still be one even with it.
Anyone know Mason House? Ranked #66 on MLB and #85 on Baseball America. Committed to OSU, local product. Just ran into him and his dad at the airport, flying out to KC to work out for the Royals. Really nice kid. Spoke with them for an hour or so. Hope he does well. And got his autograph because why not!
While I'm not thrilled about Peterson, there are worst things than an advanced college lefty in a system with no lefties.
Sam Same here. Of the list of guys who will probably be available at 15, Peterson isn't at the top for me, but still, a good enough floor/ceiling combo for me not to hate the pick.
Hiura sounds like the type of prospect I like minus the injury. Doubtful someone like how he is described by the analysts would be available for Stros without the injury.
1. RHP Shane Baz 2. LHP David Peterson 3. OF/2B Keston Hiura 4. RHP Alex Lange 5. RHP Sam Carlson 6. LHP DL Hall I actually really like Lange. Plus stuff but his soph and junior year weren't as good as his freshman. I think he's someone who could develop and be better in the pros than he was in college.
Beck, Baz, Kendall. Won't be terribly upset with Huira or Peterson but those 3 are who I would pick if available.
Blurb on Shane Baz in Longenhagen's daily prospects notes: I think the era of big talent falling past entire rounds may be drawing to a close. I know we hopped on Daz Cameron a few years ago, but we're getting to the point where big market teams or teams that know they're drafting low for the foreseeable future (Astros) are just gonna snap those guys up. A bunch of team have to be kicking themselves for not just drafting McCullers and trying to sign him.
I agree I think the days of consensus first round talents falling more than a handful of picks are mostly over.
That's correct, the family valued his education over $. They constantly said he was going to college 1st.
http://www.scout.com/mlb/scouting/story/1783939-ward-mock-draft-4-0 Spoiler 15. Houston Astros - Keston Hiura, 2B/LF, UC-Irvine It's going to be a college hitter. The best college hitter in the nation is still on the board, so they scoop him up with no fear of his arm concerns, because... this is the American League, darn it!
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/234660412/2017-draft-buzz-what-callis-mayo-are-hearing/ Another bit of feedback I've gotten since we unveiled the mock draft is that Puerto Rican high school outfielder Heliot Ramos has a good chance to go somewhere in the middle of the first round, with potential candidates including the Astros (No. 15), Giants (No. 19) and Orioles (No. 21). Part of a deep class of prep outfielders, he combines impressive right-handed power potential with solid speed.
