The final day of this year’s MLB Draft is in the books for the Houston Astros, highlighted by four pitchers and a pair of shortstops.
11th Round (328th Overall) Chad Stevens, SS, University of Portland
The first pick from the final day for the Houston Astros was a shortstop from the west coast. Stevens had a great season with the University of Portland, batting .333 and blasting eight home runs. He also was efficient defensively with a .933 fielding percentage.
12th Round (358th Overall) Rhett Kouba, RHP, Dallas Baptist University
Kouba is coming off of a big 2021 season, going 6-2 with a 2.77 ERA. He was limited to start the season, but eventually was able to put together some quality starts, including hurling seven shutout innings over Southern Illinois.
13th Round (338th Overall) Kobe Kato, 2B, Arizona
The Wildcats second baseman got some extended playing time this past season, posting a very good .350 batting average with 58 runs driven in. He had a big performance to help Arizona punch their ticket to the College World Series, going three-for-five with two RBIs in the game three win over Ole Miss.
14th Round (418th Overall) Bryant Salgado, RHP, Oregon State
A solid hand in the bullpen, Salgado pitched in 23 games in 2021, recording a 3-0 record and 1.01 earned run average. The righty struck out 27 in 26 2/3 innings and limited opponents to a .182 batting average.
15th Round (448th Overall) Adrian Chaldez, RHP, UCLA
An All-Pac 12 pitcher, Chaidez was solid in the bullpen last season, putting up a 3-0 record, 2.20 ERA, and 48 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings. He was even more impressive against Pac-12 opponents, having an exceptionally low 0.52 ERA.
16th Round (478th Overall) Nic Swanson, RHP, Northeastern State University
An Oklahoma native, Swanson led the nation most of the season in ERA and finished with an impressive 1.55 ERA.
17th Round (508th Overall) Justin Williams, 3B, Penn State
Justin Williams is coming off of a solid 2021 season, batting .302 including 12 doubles and five homers.
18th Round (538th Overall) Will Wagner, 2B, Liberty University
The son of former Astros ace Billy Wagner had a solid 2021 season, batting .333 and launching seven home runs to help get Liberty to a 41-16 record.
19th Round (568th Overall) Hector G. Nieves, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy
A commitment to Northwest Florida State, made waves with Team Mizuno Puerto Rico and landed just outside of the top 50 shortstops according to PerfectGame.
20th Round (598th Overall) Jackson Linn, OF, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School
One of the top outfielders in the country according to Perfect Game, he’s currently committed to the Tulane Green Wave and has great bat speed for his age.