The Astros Landed A Steal in the Second Round of the 2023 MLB Draft

Both of the Astros picks last night were upside picks. Brice Matthews, their first rounder, is a great athlete up the middle and brings a ton of power at the plate, but questions abound about the swing and miss in his swing and his arm from shortstop.

Their second-round pick has battled some health concerns, but may have some of the top upside in the class.

The Houston Astros stole Alonzo Tredwell in the second round.

Tredwell is a towering pitcher, standing 6'8". But unlike many giants before him, Tredwell doesn't just unleash a 100 mph fastball and hope it lands somewhere near the strike zone. In fact, Tredwell may have some of the best control in the country. In 92.1 innings pitched in his college career, Tredwell walked only 13 batters. He faced 368 batters, meaning he walked one every 20+ batters. His 4.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio should definitely play at the big league level.

George Kirby of the Mariners just earned an All-Star nod on the back of some historic control. He's allowing almost one hit per innings, bu because he walks less than one batter per game, his WHIP sits at 1.04. His ERA is only 3.04. Tredwell easily could fit into a similar mold.

Though he possesses four plus-pitches and remarkable athleticism for such a large pitcher, his durability is a question. Tredwell underwent Tommy John once before in high school, and only started last season at UCLA, spending the 2022 season as the team's closer. Even as a weekend starter for the Bruins last season, Tredwell was limited to only nine starts because of a back injury.

If he can stay healthy, and his repeatable mechanics offer hope of that, then Tredwell very likely becomes a staple of the Astros rotation over the long haul. If not, his mix of stuff and control would allow him to be a very good reliever down the road.

Tredwell would be a good pick for any team. For one as adept at developing pitchers to each their fules potential, he becomes a great one. Alonzo Tredwell could very well become the next great Astros starter.