The Astros’ most recent draft class had a chance to get their first taste of professional action this year. Here’s a breakdown of how they performed after signing. I’ll be highlighting only the Astros draft picks who saw game action this year.
3rd Round – Ethan Frey, OF
Frey was selected out of Louisiana State University and put together a really strong showing in professional ball this year. He played in 26 games for Fayetteville and hit .330 with a .904 OPS. This included 17 runs batted in, 9 stolen bases and an impressive 20 walks to 25 strikeouts. Good for a 165 wRC+, the best debut of any Astros draftees this year.
4th Round – Nick Monistere, INF
Monistere was drafted out of Southern Mississippi after an impressive junior season. He had some struggles following the draft hitting just .168 with a .502 OPS in 26 games. He had 2 doubles and 2 home runs, but also had just a .208 batting average on balls in play. Hopefully that will turn around next year.
8th Round – Kyle Walker, INF
Walker had a nice college career at Grambling and then Arizona State and he continued to do what he did in college. While he only hit .234, he had 12 walks to 15 strikeouts with 8 stolen bases over 23 games for Fayetteville. While he doesn’t have a lot of power, he can get on bases and steal bases at a good clip.
10th Round – Zach Daudet, INF
Daudet was signed for only $7,500 but he performed well after the draft. In 30 games for the Woodpeckers, he hit .304 with 19 runs batted in, 10 stolen bases and a very impressive 25 walks to 20 strikeouts. He finished with a 139 wRC+ and hopefully next year he will start to show some power.
11th Round – Justin Thomas, OF
Thomas got a later start to his professional career than some of the others, only playing in 14 games. He finished hitting just .204, but had 11 walks to 13 strikeouts and drove in 8 runs. He also added 4 doubles, a triple and 3 stolen bases to go along with his .677 OPS.
16th Round – Chase Call, OF
Call was selected as a 5th year senior and had some solid numbers following the draft. In 30 games for the Woodpeckers, he hit .235 with 22 walks to 27 strikeouts while also adding 8 doubles and 12 stolen bases. All of this was good for a 123 wRC+ with a .752 OPS.
20th Round – Curtis Hebert, RHP
Hebert was the only pitcher to debut following the draft and despite pitching in just a few games, he looked pretty solid. The right-hander pitched in four games and struck out 5 over 4.1 innings allowing just 1 hit and no unearned runs. Good debut for the young right-hander.
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