5th round pick Brandon Wikoff:
"My dad was at the computer and he kind of jumped in the air, and I was like, 'No way!' It was kind of surreal, then my heart got going. Then I got the call and I really knew it had happened. It's pretty exciting. I didn't really know coming into the day what was going to happen. Scouts were telling me that the best case was fourth or fifth rounds or as low as 10-12. It's kind of a thing where you wait and see and then when you see your name pop up on the screen it's pretty exciting. Troy Hoerner, the Astros' scout who has been working with me, gave me a call a couple of days ago and was asking me about signability and whatnot, and he's a guy who talked to me in the clubhouse at Illinois, so I've had some contact with him before."
On signability:
I would say that the chances of me signing are very good. My time at Illinois is probably done. I've had a great time there. I wouldn't trade my three years there for anything. But I think it's definitely time for me to take it to the next level."
Where will he play?
"For the most part, it's shortstop until I prove that I can't, but they know I can play all three infield positions. And that's what a lot of scouts talked to me about: having that versatility. But for the most part I've heard shortstop until I prove otherwise. I know a guy in their system and he said they're pretty low on shortstops. I'm not really too worried about it. I'm just looking forward to playing."
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
