Houston Astros: Who could be the team’s first draft pick?

The Houston Astros have a late pick in the first round, so they will be unable to select one of the major top prospects. However, there are still more than a handful of valuable players that should be available for them. Now the question is which player will they take?

The Houston Astros once again are in place to make a deep run in October and compete for a second World Series title. But that doesn’t mean general manager Jeff Luhnow forgot about his organization’s farm system.

With the MLB draft just days away, the reigning champions, like every team, have a prime opportunity. Of course, whether the front office makes the right selections isn’t known for possibly two or three years from now.

And the first pick in the draft claims the center of attention, even if it is just one of several picks.

Teams handed Houston a gift last season when they allowed J.B. Bukauskas to slide to the club in the 15th spot. A similar occurrence may happen this season, though the Astros own the 28th spot in the draft.

So far, some writers, such as MLB.com‘s Brian McTaggart, believe Houston is taking the “best player available route.” But that is debatable, considering that the Athletic’s Jake Kaplan claims Luhnow is targeting a starting pitcher.

Multiple sites and draft “analysts” have the Astros taking an outfielder. Nevertheless, predictions only go so far.

For example, those draft “analysts” had Bukauskas as high as sixth in last year’s draft and as low as 11th. But front offices change plans so haphazardly that results are always volatile.

Houston’s selection in Call to the Pen’s mock drafts differed every week, exemplifying the changing nature of the event. Moreover, one pick at any point in the first round can change one team’s decision immediately.

It’s reasonable to foretell which 35 players will go in the first round. Yet to which team and at what pick – that’s nearly unpredictable.

With that in mind, the Astros have plenty of valuable options to reap.