The Astros Should Target These Potential Draft Picks

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After winning the 2022 World Series, the Astros will have the last pick in the 2023 MLB draft. Last year the Astros selected Drew Gilbert with their first round pick, their first time holding a first round pick in two seasons.

Now as the Astros look to acquire talents at the trade deadline ahead of the postseason, we continue to hear how depleted the Astros farm system is. They've traded prospects in previous years to acquire top talent via trade, and they also didn't have a first or second round pick for two seasons. The combination of those two things will take a toll.

The Astros now have a chance to continue reloading their farm system.

Let's look at five prospects the Astros should target in the 2023 MLB draft.

#1 Yohandy Morales, 3B, Miami

There appears to be a lot of smoke between the Astros and Yohandy Morales, Miami's third basemen. Morales is #20 on the MLB.com draft prospect ranking, but most mock drafts have him available at the time Houston will pick.

Morales is coming off of monster sophomore and junior seasons. As a sophomore, Morales hit .329 with 18 home runs and a 1.061 OPS. He followed that up by hitting .408 with 20 bombs, 70 RBI and an 1.187 OPS as a junior.

He's an aggressive hitter, and profiles more power than contact, but his future is bright and he's shown a consistent ability to barrel the baseball. His refined mechanics throughout his college career gives hope his contact will continue to improve.

If he's available at 28, there's only one other player I'd rather Houston take above Morales.

#2 Chase Davis, OF, Arizona

Power from the left side is the name of Davis' game. As a junior for the Arizona Wildcats, Davis just hit .362 with 21 home runs and a 1.231 OPS. Davis was a second-team All American and the Pac-12 tournament MVP. He's got slightly above-average speed, and though he's got his fair share of swing and miss in his game, his power to all fields more than makes up for that.

Davis is #22 on the MLB.com prospect rankings, and while I haven't seen him mocked to Houston often, he's projected to go somewhere in the 25-27 range.

The Astros have a logjam in the outfield, but a bat like Davis from the left-side would be tough to pass up if he falls. He profiles mostly as a left-fielder. He'd be a great piece alongside other outfielders of the future in Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford (and don't forget about Jacob Melton), or his power could make him a nice trade piece at deadlines down the road as Houston looks to continue contending for titles.

#3 Sammy Stafura, SS, Walter Panas, NY

Sammy Stafura profiles in a very similar way to another northeast shortstop drafted out of high school in Anthony Volpe. Volpe was a Vanderbilt commit that never set foot on the field for the Commodores. Stafura may follow his footsteps, unlikely to ever play for the Clemson Tigers after committing there.

Stafura is pretty consistently mocked in the 25-28 range, and may be there for the taking for the Astros if New York passes him up at 26.

He's a solid hitter that drives the ball to all fields and can especially fly on the base paths, receiving a 65-grade run. Though he projects as a shortstop, as athletic as he is, he could form a dynamic middle of the infield duo with Jeremy Peña as Jose Altuve ages.

As a senior for Walter Panas High School, Stafura hit .562 with 10 home runs, 37 RBI and 27 stolen bases.

#4 Mac Horvath, 3B, North Carolina

Mac Horvath and the Astros appear to be a match made in heaven. He's been mocked to them with the 28th pick at times, but other boards believe he will be available when their second round pick rolls around.

Horvath is predominately a third basemen, but he's also capable of playing the outfield, and likely projects better as a corner outfielder. Horvath just hit .305 with 24 bombs, 66 RBI and an 1.129 OPS for the Tar Heels. As a result of his strong season, he jumped 38 spots and is now 25th on D1 Baseball's draft prospect rankings. The MLB.com scouts have him at 82nd.

His power and speed both scream big-leaguer, but some mechanical issues in his swing led to contact issues against high velocity and fastballs up.

#5 Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Florida

If Hurston Waldrep miraculously falls to Houston at 28, as this mock has playing out, Waldrep has to be the pick.

Waldrep spent the first two seasons of his career at Southern Mississippi, but transferred to Florida this season. Waldrep went 10-3 with a 4.16 ERA, but struck out 13.8 per nine with his filthy stuff. In an absolutely loaded draft class, Waldrep has some of the best pure stuff. His fastball, split-change and slider all profile as above-average, with the split-change in particular wreaking havoc on opposing hitters.

He's got erratic command, and his below-average strike throwing could end up leaving him as a reliever down the line, but there's plenty of time left to get things figured out. On the merit of his stuff alone, he should be a top pick. MLB.com has him as the #19 prospect on the board, while Baseball America ranks him 18th.

If Waldrep can land his fastball in the zone with consistency, he could be an ace or top-level #2 down the line. If the command struggles never improve, he's a lights out reliever for years to come. If Waldrep is available at 28, he has to be Dana Brown's pick.

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