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Astros 2018 draft: High school outfielder Connor Scott a target?

By Eric Huysman

HOUSTON, TX - JULY 31: Jef Luhnow, general manager, of the Houston Astros talks with reporters at Minute Maid Park on July 31, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - JULY 31: Jef Luhnow, general manager, of the Houston Astros talks with reporters at Minute Maid Park on July 31, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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Who will the Astros select with the 28th overall pick? Someone from the same high school as Kyle Tucker?

With the 2018 MLB Draft set to begin on Monday, it’s really hard to project who the Astros will pick with the 28th overall pick. Part of the price of winning the World Series means the Astros will not have the high picks of the past. No need to fret, they had the extra picks last year because of the Cardinals ‘Hack-gate.” As I wrote last night, I believe that they will draft a high school hitter with that pick.

With a stacked farm system, the front office is not looking for a quick fix in the draft. That was what Mark Appel was supposed to be, but that’s a discussion for another day. We could see then chase an outfielder from the high school ranks like they did with Kyle Tucker in 2015. You draft this player and give him the time to develop his talents.

With my limited knowledge of all the eligible prospects in the draft, I will rely on who the experts are predicting the Astros will take. With the 28th slot, they have a pick value of $2,399,400. This is about how much they have to offer to the player. For the first post, I will focus on the mock draft by Jonathan Mayo from MLB Pipeline.

Connor Scott anyone?

As of May 30th, Mayo feels like the Astros may have a bit of deja vu by picking another outfielder from Plant High School in Tampa. That was the same high school that they selected Tucker from. Like Tucker, Connor Scott is a left-handed hitting outfielder. According to MLB Pipeline, he is the 18th overall prospect in this year’s draft.

Like Tucker, Scott has the speed element to his game. He may be faster than Tucker as he gets a 70-speed rating by MLB Pipeline. With the proper development, Scott could turn into a five-tool player. Dues to a hamstring injury, he could drop to the Astros. But the feeling is that his tools will squash any concerns about the injury. He plays great defense and has power potential.

MLB Pipeline: 18th

Baseball America: 22nd

Keith Law: 32nd

Next: Astros Draft 2018: A look at the needs of the farm system

With the Shohei Ohtani experiment out there working, this could make Scott more appealing. He has a 93 mph fastball as a pitcher. Could he be a two-way player? I was talking to Karl Ravech the other day, and he said it takes a special talent to do that. Will the Astros draft Scott? If he is available, I would say yes.

***Stats from MLB Pipeline***

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