Grading the Houston Astros’ last 5 first-round draft picks

While the initial part of the Houston Astros' current run was built on high draft picks like George Springer, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Tucker, they have still done pretty well for themselves in the draft in recent years despite picking pretty low in each round. Houston is going to need to keep that streak rolling when the upcoming 2025 MLB Draft starts.

Most of the attention, at least at first, is going to be on the Astros' first round pick. There has be a wide range of outcomes for Houston with their first picks over the years and who they pick first in 2025 will set the tone for the rest of their draft class. With that in mind, here is a look at how the Astros last five first round picks have gone.

Here are the grades for the Astros last 5 first round picks in the MLB Draft

We took at a pass at grading the Astros' last 5 draft picks last year, but there are a few key differences this go around. First, we have a new name to talk about and we also have more data to upgrade our previous grades. Given that most of these guys are still playing, continuing to go back and look at how they are doing can help us figure out how right or wrong the Astros were in picking them in the first place.

2024 - Walker Janek
Grade: B+ (incomplete)

It is still early, but it sounds like Janek is doing just fine down at high-A for the Astros. He is still highly regarded as a defensive catcher and leader and his bat is back on track after a rough pro debut. One can quibble over picking a catcher instead of a player at a position of greater need, but Janek seems like a solid pick at the moment.

2023 - Brice Matthews (SS)
Grade: A

Whenever you have a prospect that plays a premium defensive position well and is also raking at Triple-A, it is hard to just any grade lower than an A. Things could change once Matthews finally gets his opportunity in the big leagues and we really see what he is capable of, but this looks like a great pick at the moment.

2022 - Drew Gilbert (OF)
Grade: B-

So the Astros traded away Gilbert when his value was higher which gets them points here. However, Gilbert has continued to struggle in the minors as he has ascended the minor league ladder, so Houston gets a slight penalty for seemingly failing to identify a player that could help them had they kept him. Obviously still early and he is the Mets' problem now, but this pick looks a tad worse these days.

2019 - Korey Lee (C)
Grade: C+

Right before two straight years without a first round pick as punishment for the sign stealing scandal, Houston had picked Korey Lee in the first round. As it turns out, he is still around and has seen a bit of time with the White Sox the last three years. Lee has remained a useful depth piece and Houston got value for him (if one can call Kendall Graveman 2.0 actual value), so C+ it is. Not exciting but could be a lot worse.

2018 - Seth Beer (OF)
Grade: D+

Speaking of a lot worse, we have Seth Beer as Houston's 2018 first rounder. Beer was a phenomenon in college blasting homers constantly, but the industry consensus was that he would never hit enough as a pro to get to that power. That proved correct and after bouncing around to different organizations for a while, he is now playing in an independent league. There aren't any players picked around the same area that are much more exciting, so Beer avoids a failing grade and he did at least get close to the majors, but this pick stunk.

More Astros News from Climbing Tal's Hill