Major League Baseball’s 2010 First-Year Player Draft began with a bang on Monday evening.
For round one coverage, fans around the globe tuned in to see who their team chose once the clock stopped ticking, and commissioner Bud Selig stepped to the podium to make the announcement.
Three days and 50 rounds later, the Houston Astros made their final selections in this year’s draft on Wednesday.
And for those who missed it, here’s exactly how everything played out over the three days as the team selected a plethora of picks…
DAY ONE, ROUND 1: June 7, 2010
Round 1, No. 8—Delino DeShields Jr., 2B, Woodward Park Academy High School.
Round 1, No. 19—Mike Foltynewicz, RHP, Minooka Community High School.
Round 1, No. 33—Michael Kvasnicka, C, Minnesota (Junior).
DAY TWO, ROUNDS 2-30: June 8, 2010
Round 2, No. 58—Vincent Velasquez, RHP, Garey High School.
Round 3, No. 90—Austin Wates, RF, Virginia Tech (Junior).
Round 4, No. 123—Robert Doran, RHP, Texas Tech (Junior).
Round 5, No. 153—Ben Heath, C, Penn State University (Junior).
Round 6, No. 183—Adam Plutko, RHP, Glendora High School.
Round 7, No. 213—Robert Pena, C, Eloisa Pascual High School.
Round 8, No. 243—Jake Buchanan, RHP, North Carolina State University (Junior).
Round 9, No. 273—Thomas Shirley, LHP, Xavier (Junior).
Round 10, No. 303—Evan Grills, LHP, Sinclair SS High School.
Round 11, No. 333—Kyle Redinger, 3B, Cedar Crest High School.
Round 12, No. 363—James Robinson, RHP, Georgia Tech (Senior).
Round 13, No. 393—Davis Duren, 2B, Oklahoma State University (Junior).
Round 14, No. 423—Jordan Scott, CF, Riverside High School.
Round 15, No. 453—Jamaine Cotton, RHP, Western Oklahoma State [Junior College] (J2).
Round 16, No. 483—Christopher Wallace, C, University of Houston (Senior).
Round 17, No. 513—Tyler Burnett, 3B, Middle Tennessee State (Junior).
Round 18, No. 543—Joshua Magee, CF, Hoover High School.
Round 19, No. 573—Jacoby Jones, SS, Richton High School.
Round 20, No. 603—Daniel Adamson, CF, Jacksonville State University (Senior).
Round 21, No. 633—Aaron Blair, RHP, Spring Valley High School.
Round 22, No. 663—Zachary Dygert, C, Ball State (Senior).
Round 23, No. 693—Adam Bailey, RF, Nebraska (Senior).
Round 24, No. 723—Adam Champion, LHP, University of Arkansas-Little Rock (Senior).
Round 25, No. 753—Rodney Quintero, RHP, Chipola Junior College (J1).
Round 26, No. 783—Alexander Sogard, LHP, North Carolina State University (Senior).
Round 27, No. 813—Jacke Healey, SS, Youngstown State University (Senior).
Round 28, No. 843—Jason Chowning, RHP, University of Oklahoma (Senior).
Round 29, No. 873—Broughan Jantz, CF, Nevada Union High School.
Round 30, No. 903—Kellen Kiilsgaard, RF, Stanford (Junior).
DAY THREE, ROUNDS 31-50: June 9, 2010
Round 31, No. 933—Travis Blankenship, LHP, University of Kansas (Senior).
Round 32, No. 963—William Chrismon, RHP, Menchville High School.
Round 33, No. 993—Michael Ness, RHP, Duke University (Senior).
Round 34, No. 1023—Ryan Cole, RHP, St. Johns University (Senior).
Round 35, No. 1053—Esteban Gomez, 1B, Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School.
Round 36, No. 1083—Ryan Halstead, RHP, Los Osos High School.
Round 37, No. 1113—Brian Streilein, RHP, Villanova University (Senior).
Round 38, No. 1143—Ryan Ford, 1B, Plano West Senior High School.
Round 39, No. 1173—Krishawn Holley, RHP, Mid Carolina High School.
Round 40, No. 1203—Jeremiah Meiners, LHP, Francis Marion University (Senior).
Round 41, No. 1233—Bryce Lane, RF, Gulf Coast Community College (J2).
Round 42, No. 1263—Paul Gerrish, RHP, Texas Christian University (Senior).
Round 43, No. 1293—DeMarcus Henderson, SS, Wayne County High School.
Round 44, No. 1323—Alexis Garza, RHP, McAllen High School.
Round 45, No. 1353—Ian Vazquez, SS, Perkiomen High School.
Round 46, No. 1383—Lawrence Pardo, LHP, Christopher Columbus High School.
Round 47, No. 1413—Joseph Carcone, SS, New Hartford High School.
Round 48, No. 1443—Thomas Pecoraro, RHP, Half Hallow Hills West High School.
Round 49, No. 1473—Kenny Diaz, C, Colegio Angel David High School.
Round 50, No. 1503—David Donald, CF, JL Mann High School.
Grading the Houston Astros in the 2010 MLB Draft: B+
Overall, I’d give Houston a B+ in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft. They did what was necessary. The front office began rebuilding their minor league affiliates and preparing for the future of Astros baseball.
They began, and ended, with pitching.
Of course, everything won’t be said and done until these picks are signed, and begin playing in Houston’s farm system.
But hope—and reason to be optimistic— lies ahead for the Astros.
Position-by-Position Breakdown of Houston’s 2010 Draft Picks
Below is a complete positional breakdown of Houston’s selections in this summer’s MLB Draft—they selected 26 over the three-day marathon—to give fans a quick glimpse of how the Astros transformation process has already begun.
Catchers: 6
First Basemen: 2
Second Basemen: 2
Third Basemen: 2
Shortstops: 5
Outfielders: 9
Right-Handed Pitchers: 19
Left-Handed Pitchers: 7
Once all the dust has settled surrounding this summer’s draft—and once it’s set it stone which players have officially signed with the Astros—be on the lookout for a future piece on Bleacher Report regarding who exactly Houston will be walking away with in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.
Looking Ahead to the Future of Houston Astros Baseball: 2011 and Beyond
So, what’s next?
As fans, it’s just a matter of waiting it out.
First and foremost, front office executives must actually sign the players the Astros drafted—an issue that has caused Houston to lose probable stars in past drafts.
The second big issue is how these picks develop in the team’s farm system.
And finally, how quickly can they make the jump from the minors to the pros?
As stated earlier, and in prior columns, only time will tell.
But at least things are looking up for Houston’s future possibilities after—at least what I would call—a successful 2010 draft.
Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com
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