Might as well start it now.

Who I hope for:

Josh Sale

Mike Foltynewicz (he looks like Jordan Lyles and comes from an area like Tanner Bushue's...what could be better?)

Zach Alvord (random, but I really like him)

'Bama shortstop Josh Rutledge

What I hope for:

Somebody to pick Delino DeShields, Jr. between #8 and #19

What are y'alls hopes, dreams, dare I say lusts?

Let's use this thread while the draft is going on too. 

Murder is a really good way to become a prospect bust: http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/12236985. That's awkward. 

What effect does this have on the Giants? Who becomes their #1 Position prospect now? I mean it's fair to assume Angel Villalona will never pick up a baseball bat again except if they let them play in prison. This is very bizarre. My apologies Giants fan, but I guess maybe someone should've told him that killing people is bad? 

MILWAUKEE — The Astros signed undrafted right-handed pitcher Ruben (RJ) Alaniz for $160,000 on Saturday. He pitched at Juarez-Lincoln High School in La Joya and was discovered by scout Rusty Pendergrass in a tryout camp after the draft.

Alaniz, 18, slipped through the cracks as teams prepared for the draft, but pitched well enough in showcase games this summer that the Astros had to outbid at least two other teams to sign him. His fastball was clocked at 89-95 mph and could more consistent as he fills out physically.

Owner Drayton McLane and scouting director Bobby Heck were effusive in their praise of Pendergrass for getting the deal done.

"Rusty does four or five of these tryout camps, and he got rewarded," Heck said. "Scouting is about identifying talent, but it’s also about building relationships. Rusty did both in this case."

Alaniz got noticed by other teams after pitching a perfect game in an Atlanta showcase game. He’d planned on attending a junior college, but Pendergrass got him signed before Monday’s deadline.

A little snippet from Richard Justice's article, found here.  Sounds pretty good to me. Also Heck drops that they're still negotiating with three picks from the draft. 

According to MLBTraderumors, Astros signed a Korean infielder named Chan-jong Moon for 350 G's.  Cool beans?

Just throwing this out there, but every time this kid hits a home run, it should be called a Moonshot. Maybe he'll "choose" an American name and it'll be Warren. And then Warren Moon could play for the Astros. Or even better, the Astros could go to China or Taiwan or something and pick up an infielder with the last name Sun. Great double play - Sun to Moon, Moon to Sun, etc. Ok, now I'm just bumbling about. 

From Danny Knobler (CBS Sportsline)'s blog:

Also claimed, according to sources, was Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada. The claiming team isn't known, but also isn't important, because the Astros have already pulled Tejada back and now can't trade him. Tejada is making $13 million this year, on the final year of his contract.

The Rays aren't believed to be the team that blocked Tejada, but sources said that Tampa Bay has been active in claiming any low-salary players, effectively blocking them from being traded to the Yankees or Red Sox.

So while this might seem fatalistic or defeastist...the following theory might put the Astros in position to better themselves for the future.

Waivers in August, an interesting idea. Put a player on waivers, pull him back if claimed, or perhaps work out a trade with the claiming team. Here's my idea: put Valverde, Hawkins, and Tejada on waivers. See what happens. Tejada will easily clear waivers considering his salary is obese, Hawkins might have a chance of clearing, but I would expect a legit closer like Valverde to be claimed in a second by a team like the Rays, perhaps.

If Tejada clears, the Astros can trade him just like pre-Deadline. Why not give it a shot? Gauge the interest level? I could see a team like the Giants - a team that actually has more offensive woes than the Astros - pursuing Tejada to play 3rd. Perhaps the Red Sox, hoping to bolster a ridiculous lineup with a strong bat like Tejada, would chase. For the right price, Tejada could be moved in August. Another thing to take into consideration is offering Tejada arbitration this winter - if the Astros plan to offer it to Tejada, perhaps they'd rather take a draft pick over whatever other teams might offer. But, if the Astros don't want to, trading Tejada and at least getting SOMETHING for him might be the best option. 

Hawkins is an interesting case. I doubt the 'Stros offer him arb, considering he will be one expensive setup man regardless of who wins the case. So, I say that if some team claims him, try to work out a deal to flip him for SOMETHING, rather than lose him with no return. Any contending team would have interest in a strong late-innings reliever. 

Valverde will also be berry berry expensive come arbitration this winter. I mentioned the Rays with Valverde earlier because they really don't have an actual closer, and have a loaded farm system. If they really think they can contend in the ridiculous AL East, they're gonna need a true shut-down closer, a la Valverde. I say, why not?

How do y'all feel bout this? 

Jay Austin, the Astros 2nd Round Draftee from the 2008 Draft, really struggled last year at Greeneville (R) (he hit .198 in 212 abs...ouch). His struggles continued this year, as he hit only .191 in April and .247 in May for Lexington. However, he's really begun to pick it up in June and July. Here's a quick look at his progression.

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From Zach Levine's Chron.com blog: 

Rd.	Pick	Player	Pos.	School	Minors
2	69	Tanner Bushue	RHP	South Central HS (Ill.)	GCL
3	99	Telvin Nash	LF	Griffin HS (Ga.)	GCL
3s	110	Jonathan Meyer	3B	Simi Valley HS (Calif.)	Greeneville
4	130	Bralion Hyatt	RHP	South Carolina	Greeneville
5	160	Brandon Wikoff	SS	Illinois	Tri-City
8	250	Brandt Walker	RHP	Stanford	Tri-City
9	280	Ben Orloff	SS	UC Irvine	Tri-City
11	340	Bubby Williams	C	Crowder College (Mo.)	Greeneville
13	400	Jacob Goebbert	OF	Northwestern	Tri-City
14	430	David Berner	LHP	San Jose State	Tri-City
15	460	Ryan Humphrey	CF	St. Louis CC at Meramec (Mo.)	Greeneville
16	490	Ronald Sanchez	1B	Manuela Toro HS (P.R.)	GCL
17	520	Justin Harper	RHP	Oklahoma City University	Tri-City
18	550	James Macdonald	RHP	Boston College	Tri-City
19	580	Brian Kemp	CF	St. John's	Tri-City
20	610	Julio Martinez	RF	Nova Southeastern (Fla.)	Greeneville
21	640	Barry Butera	2B	Boston College	Tri-City
22	670	Mark Jones	RHP	Manheim Township HS (Pa.)	GCL
23	700	Robert Donovan	RHP	Stetson	Tri-City
24	730	Mike Modica	LHP	George Mason	Tri-City
25	760	Nick Stanley	1B	Florida Southern	Tri-City
27	820	Aaron Bray	3B	Charlotte	Greeneville
31	940	Travis Smink	LHP	VMI	Greeneville
33	1000	Brenden Stines	RHP	Ball State	Tri-City
34	1030	Scott Migl	RHP	Texas A&M	Greeneville
35	1060	Grant Hogue	CF	Mississippi State	Greeneville
38	1150	Sean Barksdale	OF	Temple	Tri-City
40	1210	Daniel Sarisky	RHP	Oglethorpe University (Ga.)	Greeneville

The Tri-City ValleyCats are a short-season single-A team based out of Troy, NY, and play in the New York-Penn League.

The Greeneville Astros are a rookie league team based out of Greeneville, TN, and play in the Appalachian League.

The Gulf Coast League (GCL) Astros are a rookie league team based out of Kissimmee, FL and play in the Gulf Coast League. 

This really isn't about the team itself, but rather two members of it: Jon Gaston and T.J. Steele. And they are tearing apart California League pitching.

Steele: .383 avg., 6 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 25 RBI, .442 OBP, 1.123 OPS....in 24 games and 94 at bats!

Gaston: .321 avg., 20 2B, 9 3B, 17 HR, 52 RBI, .405 OBP, 1.083 OPS...in 68 games and 249 at bats! (thats 46 XBH)

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From Senor McTaggart's Blog:

The Astros signed three players selected in the First-Year Player Draft, including third-round supplemental selection Jonathan Meyer, a third baseman out of Simi Valley High School in California. He's a switch-hitter who will report to the Greeneville Astros of the Rookie Level Appalachian League.

Also signing Friday were right-hander Brandt Walker out of Stanford and outfielder Jacob Gobbert out of Northwestern. Walker, 21, is a Texas native picked in the eighth round, and Goebbert was taken in the 13th round.

Astros assistant general manager in charge of scouting Bobby Heck said talks are still progressing with No. 1 pick Jiovanni Mier. Don't be surprised if a deal is reached soon.

The Astros have signed a total of 33 players from the 50 they selected in the draft.

On Thursday, Houston annonced the signing of eight more picks: shorstop Enrique Hernandez (sixth round out of American Military Academy), third baseman Erik Castro (10th round out of San Diego State), left-hander David Berner (14th round out of San Jose State), center fielder Garen Wright (29th round out of Putnam City High School), outfielder Sean Barksdale (38th round out of Temple University), right-hander Daniel Sariska (40th round out of Oglethorpe University), righthander Michael Schurz (44th round out of University of Iowa) and left-hander Spencer Hylander (50th round out of Oklahoma Baptist).

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