The Pecan Park Eagle

"Biggio" (Prints Available from artist Opie Otterstad) was the most successful 1st round choice in franchise history (1987), but J.R. Richard (1969), Billy Wagner (1993), Lance Berkman (1997), and Brad Lidge (1998) weren't too shabby either.)

Astros 1st Round Draft Picks: 1965-2010

Year	Name	Position	School (Location)	Pick	Ref
1965	Alex Barrett	Shortstop	Atwater High School (Atwater, California)	4	[10]
1966	Wayne Twitchell	Right-handed pitcher	Wilson High School (Portland, Oregon)	3	[11]
1967	John Mayberry	First baseman	Northwestern High School (Detroit, Michigan)	6	[12]
1968	Martin Cott	Catcher	Hutchinson Technical High School (Buffalo, New York)	3	[13]
1969	J. R. Richard	Right-handed pitcher	Lincoln High School (Ruston, Louisiana)	2	[14]
1970	Randy Scarbery*	Right-handed pitcher	Roosevelt High School (Fresno, California)	7	[15]
1971	Neil Rasmussen	Shortstop	Arcadia High School (Arcadia, California)	12	[16]
1972	Steve Englishbey	Outfielder	South Houston High School (South Houston, Texas)	9	[17]
1973	Calvin Portley	Shortstop	Longview High School (Longview, Texas)	20	[18]
1974	Kevin Drake	Outfielder	Cabrillo High School (Lompoc, California)	15	[19]
1975	Bo McLaughlin	Right-handed pitcher	Lipscomb University (Nashville, Tennessee)	14	[20]
1976	Floyd Bannister	Left-handed pitcher	Arizona State University (Tempe, Arizona)	1	[21]
1977	Ricky Adams	Shortstop	Montclair High School (Montclair, California)	14	[22]
1978	Rod Boxberger	Right-handed pitcher	University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California)	11	[23]
1979	John Mizerock	Catcher	Punxsutawney High School (Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania)	8	[24]
1980	no first-round pick[a]				[3]
1981	no first-round pick[b]				[3]
1982	Steve Swain	Outfielder	Grossmont High School (El Cajon, California)	15	[25]
1983	Robbie Wine	Catcher	Oklahoma State University–Stillwater (Stillwater, Oklahoma)	8	[26]
1984	Don August	Right-handed pitcher	Chapman University (Orange, California)	17	[27]
1985	Cameron Drew	Outfielder	University of New Haven (West Haven, Connecticut)	12	[28]
1986	Ryan Bowen	Right-handed pitcher	Hanford High School (Hanford, California)	13	[29]
1987	Craig Biggio	Catcher	Seton Hall University (South Orange, New Jersey)	22	[30]
1988	Willie Ansley	Outfielder	Plainview High School (Plainview, Texas)	7	[31]
1989	Jeff Juden	Right-handed pitcher	Salem High School (Salem, Massachusetts)	12	[32]
1989	Todd Jones	Right-handed pitcher	Jacksonville State University (Jacksonville, Alabama)	27§[c]	[32]
1990	Tom Nevers	Shortstop	Edina High School (Edina, Minnesota)	21[d]	[33]
1990	Brian Williams	Right-handed pitcher	University of South Carolina (Columbia, South Carolina)	31§[e]	[33]
1991	John Burke*	Right-handed pitcher	University of Florida (Gainesville, Florida)	6	[34]
1991	Shawn Livsey	Shortstop	Simeon Career Academy (Chicago, Illinois)	29§[f]	[34]
1991	Jim Gonzalez	Catcher	East Hartford High School (East Hartford, Connecticut)	40§[g]	[34]
1991	Mike Groppuso	Third baseman	Seton Hall University (South Orange, New Jersey)	44§[h]	[34]
1992	Phil Nevin	Third baseman	California State University, Fullerton (Fullerton, California)	1	[35]
1992	Kendall Rhine	Right-handed pitcher	University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia)	37§[i]	[35]
1993	Billy Wagner	Left-handed pitcher	Ferrum College (Ferrum, Virginia)	12	[36]
1994	Ramón Castro	Catcher	Lino Padron Rivera High School (Vega Baia, Puerto Rico)	17	[37]
1994	Scott Elarton	Right-handed pitcher	Lamar High School (Lamar, Colorado)	25[j]	[37]
1994	Russ Johnson	Shortstop	Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)	30§[k]	[37]
1995	Tony McKnight	Right-handed pitcher	Arkansas High School (Texarkana, Arkansas)	22	[38]
1996	Mark Johnson	Right-handed pitcher	University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (Honolulu, Hawaii)	19	[39]
1997	Lance Berkman	First baseman	Rice University (Houston, Texas)	16	[40]
1998	Brad Lidge	Right-handed pitcher	University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Indiana)	17[l]	[41]
1998	Mike Nannini	Right-handed pitcher	Green Valley High School (Henderson, Nevada)	37§[m]	[41]
1999	Mike Rosamond	Outfielder	University of Mississippi (Oxford, Mississippi)	42§[m]	[42]
2000	Robert Stiehl	Right-handed pitcher	El Camino College (Torrance, California)	27	[43]
2001	Chris Burke	Second baseman	University of Tennessee (Knoxville, Tennessee)	10	[44]
2002	Derick Grigsby	Right-handed pitcher	Northeast Texas Community College (Mount Pleasant, Texas)	29	[45]
2003	no first-round pick[n]				[3]
2004	no first-round pick[o]				[3]
2005	Brian Bogusevic	Left-handed pitcher	Tulane University (New Orleans, Louisiana)	24	[46]
2005	Eli Iorg	Outfielder	University of Tennessee (Knoxville, Tennessee)	38§[p]	[46]
2006	Maxwell Sapp	Catcher	Bishop Moore High School (Orlando, Florida)	23	[47]
2007	no first-round pick[r]				[3]
2008	Jason Castro	Catcher	Stanford University (Stanford, California)	10	[48]
2008	Jordan Lyles	Right-handed pitcher	Hartsville High School (Hartsville, South Carolina)	38§[s]	[48]
2009	Jiovanni Mier	Shortstop	Bonita High School (La Verne, California)	21	[49]
2010	Delino DeShields, Jr.	Outfielder	Woodward Academy (College Park, Georgia)	8	[50]
2010	Mike Foltynewicz	Right-handed pitcher	Minooka High School (Minooka, Illinois)	19[t]	[50]
2010	Michael Kvasnicka	Catcher	University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minnesota)	33§[u]	[50]

We will have to wait and see how some recent picks like Jason Castro (2008), Jordan Lyles (2008), Delino DeShields, Jr. (2010), and brand new pick George Springer (2011) turn out in the long run, but there is some evidence on the board that the club, indeed, has successfully picked some pretty nice nuggets from the always larger larger pile of Fool’s Gold choices every now and then over time.

The list of actual Astros picks itself hardly reads like the walls of the Hall of Fame, but I’m guessing something similar would be the same pattern we saw with just about any major league club. With all the weight we place today on scouts with strong player evaluation skills, experts remain fallible, and the draft remains governed by many factors other than accurate talent assessment.

Signability of the individual player, a player’s failure to develop and mature, poor instruction and guidance by the club, the random occurrence of career altering or ending injuries, and “luck” all seem to get into the act in one form or another. I have a personal hunch that one big influence upon the development of a successful major leaguer is the presence of a significant positive mentor in the young player’s developmental years. He may be a  manager, a coach, a special instructor, or maybe even a veteran teammate, – but he’s somebody who helps the younger player develop a skill, correct a problem, or simply be the fellow who somehow guides the youngster into believing in himself and taking responsibility for his own behavior. He’s the impact guy, the mentor, the gatekeeper/teacher/big brother who turns out to be the difference-maker in a young draftee’s future.

Maybe I’m making too much of the mentor factor, but I don’t think so. These young kids are going to learn something from several somebodies along the way – and what they learn is going to shape their careers, for better or worse.

Back to the breakdown on Astros picks: The club has chosen 55 players in the first round through 2011. This year’s 2011 choice, outfielder George Springer, is not shown on the chart. Of the total #1 picks, 24 have been pitchers, the highest number for any position; 21 of these pitchers were right-handed; 3 were left-handed. Nine catchers have been selected, while eight shortstops, nine outfielders, two first basemen, and two third basemen were taken also. The Astros also have selected one player at second base. Thirteen of the players came from high schools or universities in the state of California, while Texas with five players and Tennessee with three players, follow in second and third place. Houston also has drafted one player from outside the United States: Ramon Castro from Puerto Rico was chosen in 1994.

Tags: 1st Round Draft History, Houston Astros

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