Astros’ 2024 mid-round pick gets some early praise from Baseball America

The Houston Astros have managed to continually add prospects from the MLB Draft that have helped the team keep the good times rolling ... but just barely. Between picking near the bottom of each round thanks to playing well, as well as the sanctions placed upon them, the Astros' margin for error has shrunk dramatically. High profile trades for guys like Justin Verlander and Yusei Kikuchi have thinned the returns from the draft out even more.

In the 2024 draft, the Astros placed their big bet on college catcher Walker Janek in the first round. Easily the best prospect they yielded from this year's draft class, Janek has a real chance to be Houston's catcher of the future or, perhaps more realistically, the centerpiece of a significant trade down the line.

Janek had a decent pro debut this year, but a lesser known member of the Astros' 2024 draft class, Joseph Sullivan, is getting some nice early praise from Baseball America after making the transition to the pros.

Joseph Sullivan sure sounds like an Astros prospect worth keeping an eye on

BA's Carlos Collazo has a great eye for draft talent and knows as much about amateur players as anyone, so getting a shoutout from him on the Astros' draft report card shouldn't be discounted. At first glance, Sullivan looks like a relatively tame seventh-round draft pick who signed for almost $240,000. However, Sullivan's price tag and draft position may be a bit misleading.

Sullivan's calling card is his speed and ability to get on base. He walked more than he struck out in his first look at pro ball and is a significant threat on the basepaths, although Sullivan needs to pick his baserunning spots a little better as he advances. Scouts also seem to think that Sullivan should hit for some power as well, but that may require some swing changes, and just how much power that may ultimately be is up for debate.

After a strong pro debut in 2024, it wouldn't be shocking to see Houston challenge Sullivan a bit when 2025 minor league roster assignments come out, given that he was a college draftee. He is far from a sure thing, but it does seem as though the Astros may have found a diamond in the rough yet again.

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