Astros land the biggest steal of 2025 MLB Draft in new mock draft

Given the Houston Astros' dominance over the last decade, it's been quite some time since the Astros found themselves drafting at the top of the first round. That will be the case once again when the 2025 MLB Draft starts on Sunday night. The Astros have pick #21 in the first round, and that should give them a chance to land a prospect who is a worthwhile gamble.

Prospect insiders are beginning to share their final mock drafts ahead of Sunday, and one of the latest comes from Kiley McDaniel of ESPN. McDaniel shares a two round mock draft, and this is a good time to remind everyone that the Astros don't have a second round pick this year after signing Christian Walker last offseason.

Even without a second round pick, McDaniel has the Astros making headlines with their selection. The selection for the Astros, as McDaniel sees it, is Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette. McDaniel also shared insight into the Astros' thought process ahead of the first round.

"Houston is tied to mostly power-over-hit prospects with standout athletic testing here like Xavier Neyens, Tate Southisene and Wehiwa Aloy. Charles Davalan and Slater de Brun are two players who don't fit in that bucket that the Astros are also on."

Jace LaViolette could be Astros’ biggest swing in 2025 MLB Draft

LaViolette certainly checks the box of a "power-over-hit" prospect. When LaViolette makes contact, he hits the ball hard, and it often goes a long way. LaViolette has 68 home runs throughout his 3 collegiate seasons, and following a 2024 season where he hit .305 with 29 homers, many were thinking he would be the No. 1 pick in this year's draft.

The issue, however, is that there has been an increase in the swing-and-miss within LaViolette's profile. This past season with the Aggies, LaViolette struck out 66 times in 262 plate appearances with his batting average dipping to .258. In terms of a boom-or-bust offensive profile, that very much defines LaViolette's projection at the Major League level.

There is risk involved with selecting at LaViolette, but now projected to go in the middle-to-late selections of the first round, it would be a worthwhile gamble for the Astros.

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