With their 2nd Round pick (58th overall), the Astros select...

...Vincent Velasquez, 6'3" 185lb RHP out of Garey HS (CA).

Baseball Beginnings:
The first thing you would notice about Velasquez is his body. He’s tall and athletic, rangy, with plenty of physical projection. His best tools, for me, are his arm and his glove. Velasquez can flat out throw the baseball. It’s hard to find a big arm on a position player – trust me, I’ve looked...

...The bat is the question. With a frame like this, there should be power there. Put power with arm and defense and you got yourself a third base prospect. From what I have seen, Velasquez needs to hit if he wants to hit later in his career and not go to the mound. I’m not ruling it out, but he’ll need to develop as a college hitter to give himself the best shot to play in the big leagues, if he goes that route out of high school. I can see him as college shortstop very easily, a career path that might make him more desirable to a team coming out of college than in high school. This guy is pure projection.

Alyson Footer:
Once the Red Sox picked right before them, there was definitely elation in the room when they saw Velasquez was going to be available.

Baseball Rumor Mill:
Velasquez is a jack-of-all-trades, as he's a switch-hitter in addition to playing short-stop, pitcher and catcher. As a hitter he has a better left- than right-handed swing. He displays a good changeup, 80-83 mph with good arm speed and some late tailing action. He's touched 93 on his fastballs and is trying to develop a curveball. As a hitter, his left-handed swing is quieter, with better bat speed and more consistency, while his hands are very busy right-handed. He's an average or slightly better runner. He's listed at 6'3", 175, and he's all arms and legs now, so you can really dream on the body.

(Only in baseball can guys get away with saying that about other guys).

MLB Draft Tracker:
In the past, Velasquez had largely been a position player, partially because of an injury, and partially because that's how he viewed himself. He may be forced to change his view because there's no doubt scots see him on the mound after he was throwing a live fastball, a good curve, and a plus change.