Astros: Draft Picks Agree to Terms

The Astros aren’t wasting time in signing some of their top draft picks from the 2016 MLB Draft.

Per a recent article from Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, the Astros have agreed to terms with six of their top ten draft picks as of Sunday evening. The list includes second-round pick Ronnie Dawson, third-round pick Jake Rogers, fifth-round pick Abraham Toro-Hernandez, eighth-round pick Nick Hernandez, ninth-round pick Ryan Hartman, and tenth-round pick Dustin Hunt.

Our own Eric Huysman spoke with Dawson on the Talking ‘Stros about his quick agreement with the Astros and what is next for his professional baseball career. Spoiler alert: it appears that Dawson will report first to Tri-City.

The financials of the agreements won’t be released until the team officially announces the deals after the physicals have been passed. But the two players carrying the highest slot values are Dawson, an outfielder from Ohio State, at $1.057 million for the 61st overall pick, and Rogers, a catcher from Tulane, comes in with a slot value at $614K for the 97th overall pick.

There are four remaining players within the top ten picks that have yet to agree to deals: first-round pick Forrest Whitley, fourth-round pick Brett Adcock, sixth-round pick Stephen Wrenn, and seventh-round pick Tyler Buffett. You know that the Astros would love to lock up Adcock, Wrenn, and Buffett, all juniors, as soon as possible. It just depends on how receptive they are on agreeing to deals in the near future.

Whitley, on the other hand, may take some time considering that the high school senior finished pitching in the Texas Class 5A playoffs just a few days ago. Angel Verdejo Jr. of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros are planning on taking their time with Whitley, and the team will not rush for the young right-hander to make a quick decision. After all, the Astros have till July 15th to sign any draft pick.

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So far, it appears that the Astros 2016 draft class has already gotten off to a good start. There seems to be plenty of promising players entering the team’s talented minor league system. However, there is plenty of work to be done in the coming weeks as the Astros aim to sign the majority of players drafted last week.

**Financial figures provided by MLB.com and MLB Trade Rumors**