After writing the post that the Houston Astros should go after a catcher in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft, I read that Keith Law is hearing that the Astros may be after a prep school type of pitcher in the first round. Here is a quote from Law’s MLB Mock Draft 3.0 on whom the Astros will pick, “I’ve heard the Astros linked to prep arms (Whitley in particular) and college arms, so I guess you could say they’re looking for a pitcher.”
Let’s take a look at the pitching picks by the Houston Astros in recent drafts in the first round, and it hasn’t been too promising outside of probably Lance McCullers late in the 1st round of the 2012 MLB Draft, the recent first round pitching selections have been misses for the Astros.