MLB Draft: Houston Astros select Brady Aiken no. 1 overall
By Hayden Kane
The 2014 MLB Draft is officially underway, and the Houston Astros did what most people expected them to do with the no. 1 overall pick.
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The Astros selected high school pitcher Brady Aiken out of San Diego, CA. He is a 6’4″, 205 pound left-handed pitcher. At just 17 years old, he looks like and pitches like a professional.
What has impressed people the most about Aiken is his command of three pitches. He has a good feel for the strike zone and good poise on the mound. Some scouts feel that he is as close to the big leagues as some of the college arms in this draft, despite the fact he is only 17 years old. Then again, high school pitchers tend to scare teams generally speaking, so it should be interesting to see how the Astros handle his development.
The Astros have time to let Aiken grow up in their system. They do not need to rush him to the big leagues. Rather, they can let him develop and work his way to a role with the big leagues.
Aiken is poised now, but he is also a guy with a high, high ceiling if he is developed correctly. That combination explains why the Astros looked to have no hesitation about selecting him no. 1 overall.
You can follow this link to find a draft video of Aiken, courtesy of Baseball Prospectus (subscription required).
Here is the selection being made Thursday night:
This is the third straight year that the Astros have selected with the no. 1 overall pick. It is the second straight year that they have taken a pitcher with that selection. They took college pitcher Mark Appel in that spot last year. If their plan starts to take hold in 2014, the Astros will hope to pick somewhere else next year.