Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Astros

Houston Astros Draft Catcher Walker Janek #28 overall

Catcher Walker Janek

With the 28th pick of the 1st Round, the Houston Astros selected catcher Walker Janek.

Janek put together an incredible junior season slashing .364/.476/.709 with 15 2B, 17 HR, 58 RBI, 13 SB in 58 games. Janek was ranked #24 by MLB.com and they had this to say about him:

“After drawing little interest from pro teams or major college programs as a Texas high schooler, Janek has developed into arguably the 2024 Draft’s best catching prospect after three years at Sam Houston. His stock surged at the 2023 Karbach Classic, where he went 5-for-13 with a pair of doubles, squared up a 97-mph fastball from Louisiana State’s Chase Shores and backpicked a runner. He continued to impress in the Cape Cod League last summer and played his way into first-round consideration this spring while winning the Buster Posey Award as college baseball’s top catcher. With impressive bat speed and good strength, Janek creates plus raw power that translates into average game pop with most of his home runs driven to his pull side. While he’s an aggressive right-handed hitter who looks to launch balls and frequently chases pitches out of the strike zone, he’s showing more patience and doing a better job of using the entire field in 2024. Though he has below-average speed, he runs better than most catchers and will steal bases if opponents don’t keep him honest. Conference USA’s 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, Janek is agile behind the plate and does a nice job framing pitches. He can get lackadaisical with his receiving, which grades as merely average until he cleans it up. He controls the running game with his plus arm strength and quick release.”

Walker Janek will instantly be on of the top prospects in the Astros system! Congratulations to Walker for being drafted to th Houston Astros!

Be sure to follow on Twitter, @AstrosFuture, follow me on Instagram, @AstrosFuture and like my Facebook page, facebook.com/AstrosFuture.

You May Also Like

Astros

The Astros farm system has seen its turnover through the years, but there is still some good and underrated talent here. Let’s take a...

Astros

The Astros have set their rosters for opening day of the minor league baseball season. There are a lot of intriguing players at each...

Astros

Prior to 2021, the MLB Draft consisted of 40 rounds. Today, it has been reduced to just 20. Those 20 additional rounds once provided...

Astros

The Astros have been at the forefront of player development for quite some time. This is especially true on the pitching side of things,...

Astros

It’s been a few years since the Astros had a prospect the caliber of Cam Smith in the system. Following the trade of Kyle...

Astros

Injuries are part of the game, but that doesn’t make them any easier to deal with. Former second round pick of the Astros, Andrew...

Astros

This will be your weekly hot list of prospects who are performing well at the plate and on the mound. Here is last week’s...

Astros

The Houston Astros have signed another international prospect, inking infielder Sami Manzueta for a bonus of $850,000. Manzueta is an 16-year-old infielder from Venezuela...

Advertisement https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9802778140493167