Latest news with #Astros
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Yikes, ESPN...
Follow live as hundreds of prospects will be selected today in rounds 4-20 of the 2025 MLB Draft Getty Images The 2005 White Sox had a 20th anniversary reunion this past weekend and during media availability on Friday, we spent a lot of time asking guys if the team gets enough respect, with the context that ESPN and other national outlets consistently forget about that team's success. The players agreed it was kind of a joke, especially given they went 11-1 in the playoffs. And then, lo and behold, on the MLB Draft, ESPN anointed the Houston Astros, who were swept in four games, as the winners of that World Series. Getty Images The Rockies end up with the top player on my board, and I would say if he's the, uh, plurality vote for #1, in a year when we had nothing close to consensus on who the best guy was. Ethan is a power-hitting shortstop with excellent hands and a strong arm; if he doesn't stay at shortstop because he outgrows it, he could be a Scott Rolen-esque third baseman. He has shown some propensity to swing and miss, much more than Jackson ever did as an amateur, although I think there are some mechanical issues the Rockies can iron out once they get their hands on him. Rockies fans have had a rough year, but this is fantastic news for the organization. Getty Images Full circle for the Holliday family! A full 27 years after the Rockies selected Matt Holliday in the seventh round of the 1998 MLB Draft, the former Colorado star's younger son joins the same team. Getty Images The Mariners got the guy most people, myself included, thought would go 1-1, LSU's ace lefty Kade Anderson, who led Division 1 in strikeouts and led the Tigers to the College World Series title. He's very polished and probably has the most complete arsenal of any of the top pitchers in the class. There's some disagreement over what his ultimate ceiling might be, whether he's more of a good #2 or more of a dependable mid-rotation guy. He seems like he's very close to big-league ready, though, and that also fits the Mariners' desire to contend next year and beyond. Getty Images There it is — the star of the Tigers' run to a second College World Series in three years goes third overall to Seattle. Pick #2 is the first shocker of the night, as the Angels take Tyler Bremner — who pretty clearly had no idea they were taking him — betting that the UCSB right-hander's late-season surge is more indicative of who he'll be as a pitcher than the guy many of us saw get knocked around earlier in the spring. He's got an easy plus changeup and can hit 97, with the four-seamer playing up thanks to the presence of the change, while his slider has been inconsistent and is hindered by his delivery. He's a big strike-thrower, though, and came into the year as the top college right-hander in the class. He lost his mother just a month ago to cancer, which many people who know Tyler thought was affecting him during the season, as it would affect just about anybody. If recent history is an indicator, it's pretty likely that Tyler Bremner will be wearing red and white in Orange County, Calif. before too long. The Angels have fast-tracked several prospects to the big leagues in recent years — at least one Angel has been among the three fastest draftees to reach the big leagues in each of the past five draft classes, including all three fastest in the 2022 draft class (Zach Neto, Ben Joyce and Victor Medros). Woah, a stunner! Bremner was all the way down at No. 16 on Keith Law's top 100. The Angels are clearly fond of the polished right-hander, who won't have to travel far down the California coast. Getty Images The Angels have long followed a draft pattern under GM Perry Minasian. A ready-made college player has been taken every first round, and has almost always signed for under slot value. This draft, and the No. 2 overall pick, present a fascinating conundrum for the front office. Stick with that approach, and get a college player that could debut possibly this season. Or take a high schooler that might take years to develop, in a system that has been famously poor at player development. Minasian has drafted for big league need in years past, and might do so again in 2025. Taking a high school player of any kind might be the smart thing to do, but it would also be very anomalous. There are people in the organization with differing viewpoints, and it will fascinating to see where they land. The Nationals take one of the youngest players in the draft class in shortstop Eli Willits, son of former big leaguer Reggie Willits, and a darling of analytical models because of his age, position, and propensity for making contact. He's a plus defender at short already and might end up better than that, while his swing is short and compact, aimed at putting the ball in play, without much loft or impact right now. He won't turn 18 until December, so he has more time to fill out than just about any other player in the draft, and scouts had a wide range of opinions on how much power he might ultimately get to. His contact skills and overall feel for the game are separating tools. He wasn't first or second on my board but he does have the upside of a potential star who anchors the infield for years. Woah, that's a bit of a shocker! Instead of a top college pitcher, Washington goes with the talented but young high school shortstop out of Oklahoma. Manfred's example of how teams build through the draft: "35 years ago, the Braves selected a high school infielder from Florida named Chipper Jones." The mention of the Braves legend draws a cheer from the crowd in Atlanta. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is at the podium to open the draft. We're almost set for the 2025 MLB Draft! Remember, you can get involved in our coverage tonight by sending us an email: live@ Getty Images One thing to watch during tonight's broadcast — are any of the draft picks actually in the building? MLB didn't send around a list of attendees this year and they haven't shown any players there in the pre-draft show thus far. They moved the draft from June to July to try to give this event more national hype even though no one in the industry likes that move as it cuts into scouting for the next year's class, runs into the trade deadline and makes it hard for players (especially pitchers) to jump into pro ball with such a long break between the end of their seasons and the draft. But if they aren't going to have players at the draft, what is the point of moving it to All-Star weekend? Getty Images Round 1, Pick 10: White Sox take Tennessee LHP Liam Doyle Pretty sure this would be a dream scenario for the White Sox. I've heard them with Seth Hernandez, Steele Hall, Kruz Schoolcraft and JoJo Parker too. Getty Images Round 1, Pick 9: Reds take Florida State LHP Jamie Arnold I don't know for sure if the Reds would take Arnold or Liam Doyle here in this very weird scenario where two of the best college pitchers in the draft fall to picks nine and 10. Round 1, Pick 8: Blue Jays take Purvis HS (Miss.) SS JoJo Parker The Blue Jays will either take a high school shortstop or college pitcher. In this scenario, I think they'd be debating between Parker and Liam Doyle.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Astros buck precedent and draft prep infielder Xavier Neyens with No. 21 pick
HOUSTON — The Houston Astros strayed from precedent to pluck one of the most tantalizing prep power hitters available in the MLB Draft. After selecting a college position player with their past five first-round picks, the Astros chose Mount Vernon (Wash.) High School infielder Xavier Neyens with the 21st pick Sunday, supplying the organization with a left-handed bat it believes can one day play in the middle of a major-league order. Advertisement 'It's that type of potential,' Astros amateur scouting director Cam Pendino said. 'Obviously, it's a high school bat, but we think with our hitting development, we're really excited to give this ball of clay in Xavier over to them, and it has a chance to be a special offensive package.' The Athletic's Keith Law wrote Neyens, 18, 'has some of the best raw power of anyone in the high school class this year.' Law ranked Neyens No. 17 in his pre-draft ranking of the Top 100 prospects. Baseball America ranked Neyens No. 19, and pegged him No. 25. Neyens is committed to play college baseball at Oregon State, but teams rarely draft players in the first round without assurances they will forgo their commitments to sign professional contracts. Slot value for Neyens' pick is $4,122,500. Neyens pitched and played infield in high school, but his professional future is just as a position player. Though his defensive future is fluid, almost all of Neyens' value is tied to an offensive profile with plus raw power and pristine plate discipline. 'His feel for the (strike) zone and his ability to spit on bad pitches and have an understanding of what he's trying to do at the plate and what he's trying to hunt, that's really stood out over the past year,' Pendino said. 'It's a skill that we're projecting on, but it gives him a chance to be a really special hitter.' The Astros had not selected a high school position player with their first-round pick since taking Kyle Tucker fifth in 2015. Neyens is the first high school infielder taken by Houston in the first round since Carlos Correa went first in 2012. Comparing any amateur player to Correa is silly, but based on size alone, the similarities between him and Neyens are difficult to ignore. Correa stands 6-3, weighs 220 pounds and patrols the left side of the infield. Neyens is listed at 6-4, 210 pounds and will begin his professional career at shortstop. Advertisement 'We'll give him every opportunity to play shortstop, we see it as a strong potential there, but if not, third base would be an obvious fallback,' Pendino said. 'We think he would be a really, really good third baseman because of the actions and the arm. We're going to give him every chance to stick at shortstop until he proves us wrong because we think he is a shortstop and we're excited about that potential.' Welcome to H-Town, Xavier!#BuiltForThis x #MLBDraft — Houston Astros (@astros) July 13, 2025 Before picking Neyens on Sunday, the Astros' past six first-round selections had been college players, unsurprising due to the smaller bonus pools with which they operated. The 21st pick Houston made Sunday was its highest since it selected pitcher J.B. Bukauskas with the 17th choice in the 2017 draft. The Astros started scouting Neyens as an underclassman before following him along the showcase circuit. Tim Costic, the club's senior scouting supervisor on the West Coast, took the initial lead before bringing on other members of the team's amateur scouting infrastructure. Regional cross-checker Jamie Lehman, senior director of amateur scouting Deric Ladnier and assistant general manager Charles Cook all scouted Neyens in person during a trip to the Pacific Northwest, Pendino said. Neyens attended the Astros' pre-draft workout at Daikin Park, where he met general manager Dana Brown, who makes it an annual priority to see Houston's first-round pick before their selection. 'He put on a show,' Pendino said of Neyens' visit to Daikin Park. 'He did his thing. It was pretty impressive what he was able to do.'
2 days ago
- Sport
Semien's 250th career homer highlights Rangers' 5-1 victory over AL West-leading Astros
HOUSTON -- Marcus Semien hit his 250th career home run and Adolis García also went deep to back up a strong start by Nathan Eovaldi and give the Texas Rangers a 5-1, series clinching victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday. Eovaldi (7-3) limited Houston to five hits and a run with eight strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings for his third straight win. Houston starter Hunter Brown (9-4) allowed five hits and four runs while striking out eight in five innings as the AL West leaders lost for the fifth time in six games. It was the second straight tough outing for the All-Star, who gave up a season-high six runs in his last start against Cleveland. Wyatt Langford walked to open the second and the Rangers made it 1-0 when he scored on a triple by Evan Carter. There were two outs in the inning when Carter scored on a ground-rule double by Ezequiel Duran to push the lead to 2-0. García's third homer in the last four games put Texas ahead 3-0 with two outs in the third inning. Carter doubled to start the fourth and Kyle Higashioka singled before Carter scored on a sacrifice fly by Alejandro Osuna to make it 4-0. The Astros cut it to 4-1 on a home run by Zack Short with no outs in the sixth inning. Semien's shot with one out in the eighth inning was his second of the series and gave him 250 in his 13-year career. Texas jumping on Brown for two runs in the second inning to take the lead for good. García's 20 home runs against the Astros since 2021 are the most of any player in that span. The Astros open the second half of the season Friday night at Seattle, and the Rangers host Detroit on the same night.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS MLB icon pulls out of All-Star Game amid mysterious 'family matter' in major blow
Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes has dropped out of next week's All-Star Game to attend to as yet unspecified family matter. Paredes was added to the roster on Wednesday after Cleveland's José Ramírez opted out to rest a nagging Achilles tendon injury. Paredes was in the Astros' lineup at designated hitter Sunday for the finale of a series against the Texas Rangers and manager Joe Espada said he wouldn't miss any time after the break because of the issue. 'Oh yeah, he'll be back,' Espada said. 'He just needs to go and spend some time and take care of some family matters, but... he's fine.' It was the second straight season Paredes had been named an All-Star, and the Astros posted an emotional video of the moment he found out in the clubhouse earlier in the week. Speaking to his teammates, he said: 'Thanks to everyone for the support. I think when I got here, I was a little timid. Roll out the red carpet! See ya in ATL, Isaac. — Houston Astros (@astros) July 9, 2025 'I knew I was coming to a winning organization and well, ever since I got here at Spring Training, they welcomed me like family. 'I'm grateful to the whole team and the entire staff.' In response, his manager told him: 'We love you man. You're a great player but you're a great human.' The 26-year-old is in his first season with the Astros after a trade from the Cubs. He entered Sunday hitting .254 with 19 homers and 49 RBIs.
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Former Astros' GM regrets trading for Blue Jays reliever Roberto Osuna in lookback at controversial deal
If Jeff Luhnow could go back in time, the former Houston Astros general manager said he wouldn't have dealt for controversial Blue Jays reliever Roberto Osuna in 2018. Osuna was serving a 75-game suspension for violating MLB's domestic violence policy — he was accused of punching the mother of his child — when the Astros acquired the reliever from Toronto, which received pitchers Ken Giles, Héctor Pérez and David Paulino in return. The trade caused an uproar among the Astros fans who questioned their front office for bringing in a player with questionable behaviour. Osuna was charged with assault by Toronto police but it was withdrawn when the pitcher agreed to a peace bond. Osuna was greeted with loud boos by Blue Jays fans when he returned to Rogers Centre after the trade. Luhnow, discussing his MLB trade deadline experiences during an appearance on the 'Crush City Territory' podcast posted Friday, said the deal was one of the most challenging acts of his front-office career. 'It's a tough one. I learned a lot from that experience, and I think I would do things differently today than I did then,' he told co-hosts Chandler Rome and Tyler Stafford. No one disputed that Osuna had the talent to help the Astros, who were coming off their first World Series win and needed to add a closer on their roster. 'At that time Osuna was the most successful closer of his age in the history of the game. Really incredible what he'd done,' Luhnow said. He knew there would be a difference of opinion on the trade, but he didn't want it to be solely based on what transpired off the field. Luhnow and the Astros did their research in to Osuna's domestic violence case. They talked to his lawyer, agent and teammates about his behaviour to assess whether this had been 'a one-time event' that he regretted and felt remorseful about, or whether it reflected a pattern that could bring problems to his new team. 'I didn't take into account, as much as I should have, the impact it would have on our fans, especially our female fans and how they would feel. And that was a mistake,' said Luhnow, who added that he also consulted female friends and family. Giving Osuna 'a second chance' felt like the right thing to do at the time, Luhnow said, but he now believes the trade wasn't the right move to make. The Astros did return to the World Series the following season with Osuna but fell to the Washington Nationals in a seven-game series. 'Did he help us accomplish our goals on the field? To a certain extent he did, I still think he could have been better,' said Luhnow. After two seasons, Osuna suffered an elbow injury and the Astros later released him. Now 30 years old, Osuna has been playing baseball in Japan since 2020, first with the Chiba Lotte Marines and now with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks . Osuna was an all-star in 2017 and recorded 104 total saves in four seasons with the Jays. He led the American League with 38 in 2019 with the Astros. Luhnow was fired by the Astros in 2020 following the league's sanctions against the team over the sign-stealing scandal during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He's since purchased ownership in two soccer clubs, one in Mexico and another in Spain .
