If there’s a worse time to be without a first and second-round pick in the MLB Draft, this might have been the year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 MLB draft was reduced from 40 rounds to five limiting the Astros even more. However, they made the most of their picks on Thursday night.
The Astros got started in the second compensatory round with a pitcher in Alex Santos II out of Mount St. Michael Academy in New York. Santos didn’t see time on the mound due to COVID-19 shortening the high school baseball season in the Empire State made it hard to grade him out, but appears destined for a starting role thanks to his impressive athleticism and recent physical maturation.
Another pitcher was drafted in the third round in Vanderbilt’s Tyler Brown. The Ohio native was second in program history with 21 saves, trailing Brian Miller, who set the record with 26 saves from 2012-2014.
In the fourth round, Houston went back to the Volunteer State, picking Zach Daniels with the 131st overall pick. Daniels was rated by D1Baseball as the 48th overall draft prospect after having a solid 2020 campaign despite the season being cut short slashing a .357/.750/.478.
The final pick of the 2020 draft went to the Astros and they chose Shay Whitcomb out of UC San Diego. The Newbury Park native was a key cog in the Tritons’ success over the last three seasons, slashing a career .315/.516/.423.