I wanted to put a list together of some college prospects I like and some guys I think the Astros could target on day two and day three of the 2024 draft. While information is limited on them, it is still fun to see how they performed in college.
HITTERS:
Cole Messina, C, South Carolina
Out of the guys I listed on here, Messina will be the highest ranked. Baseball America had the 21-year-old catcher ranked #72 on their recent big board. Messina is a big bodied catcher, standing at 6’0″ and 230 lbs. After a solid sophom*ore year, he turned in a monster junior season hitting .326 with 19 doubles, 21 homers in 59 games for South Carolina. He has an above-average arm and a quick pop behind the plate.
Derek Bender, C/1B, Coastal Carolina
Bender is a first base/catcher prospect, who had a standout career at Coastal Carolina. The 21-year-old hit .320 with 11 homers this year, following up a sophom*ore year where he hit .341 with 19 homers. He also performed really well in the Cape Cod League hitting .374 in 31 games. He is ranked #178 by Baseball America.
Jon Jon Gazdar, SS, Austin Peay
Gazdar is a very intriguing prospect. The 22-year-old is ranked #246 by Baseball America. In 56 games for Austin Peay, he hit .405 with 27 BB/14 SO and 21 doubles, 13 homers. Like a few of the others, he has had success in the Cape Cod League, hitting .338 in 38 games.
Zach Ehrhard, OF, Oklahoma State
Ehrhard, who was drafted by the Red Sox out of HS, went to Oklahoma State and had a good career there capping it with a monster junior season as he hit .331 with 25 doubles, 14 homers, and 54 BB/36 SO. He also performed well in the Cape Cod League hitting .297. He is ranked #399 by Baseball America.
Jackson Appel, C, Texas A&M
Appel has had an interesting route here. He played four season at the University of Pennsylvania before transferring to Texas A&M. Despite this, he is still only 22 years old. In 65 games for the Aggies, he hit .331 with 10 homers, 41 runs batted in, 16 stolen bases and 34 BB/33 SO. He could be an interesting mid-round pick.
David Mershon, SS, Miss. St.
Merson is a shortstop prospect from Mississippi State. The 5’8″ infielder doesn’t have a ton of pop, but he gets on base and has solid speed. In 58 games this year, he hit .347 with a .454 OBP and stole 27 bases. High-contact, more walks than strikeouts, steals bases. Can never have too many of these guys in the system.
PITCHERS:
Brian Holiday, RHP, Oklahoma State
Holiday had a great season for the Cowboys posting a 2.95 ERA and 19 BB/128 K in 113 innings this year. He sits in the low-90s but the pitch angle helps the fastball play up, similar to a few of the prospects the Astros have drafted recently. BA noted his strike-throwing ability and competitiveness on the mound. He is #156 by Baseball America.
Brandon Neely, RHP, Florida
Neely, who just turned 21, has some very intriguing peripherals despite a higher ERA. This year for the Gators, the right-hander struck out 108 in 79 innings, though his ERA was 5.13. He sh*ts mid-90s and can run it up to 97. Mixing in the slider and changeup, I could see the Astros liking the upside here. He is #212 by Baseball America.
Dalton Pence, LHP, UNC
Seems like there is always a lefty thrown in there. Pence, who is 6’2″ and 215 lbs, had a solid junior year for UNC posting a 2.45 ERA with 74 K in 58.2 innings. He also had 28 K in 20 innings in the Cape Cod League in 2023. While he has mainly pitched in relief, the Astros have taken relievers and moved them to starters in the past. He is #340 by Baseball America.
SENIOR SIGNS:
Every year, teams try and target some seniors to add some quick talent to the system and get some prospects in at under-slot prices. Here are some seniors who performed well and I would like to see in the system.
Bryce Madron, OF, Oklahoma
Madron only stands at 5’8″ and 175 lbs, and is already 23 years old, but had a good career at Oklahoma State where he hit .319 with 102 BB/64 K and 24 homers, 29 stolen bases in 115 career games. He played a lot of corner outfield in college and while he is smaller, he showed some pop.
Brady Day, 2B, Kansas State
Day has experience all over the infield, but played primarily second base the last couple of seasons. His last year, the lefty-hitter batted .318 with 15 doubles 9 homers, 16 stolen bases and 44 BB/39 SO in 61 games. His 2023 season was even better, hitting .356 with 49 BB/22 SO.
Eddie Micheletti, OF, Virginia Tech
Michelletti is most likely stuck to the corner outfield spots, but he showed some nice bat to ball skills in college. While he homered 12 times this year, he also had 48 BB/32 SO in 54 games and hit .311. That followed up 28 BB/19 SO in 55 games the year before.
Michael Snyder, OF, Oklahoma
Snyder had a breakout season for the Sooners in 2024. He hit .354 with 26 doubles, 11 homers, 16 stolen bases in 61 games. He is a corner infield prospect listed at 6’3″ and 230 lbs. He is 23-years-old so he won’t have much leverage but could be an intriguing target.
Jacob Ference, C, Virginia
Always need more catchers in the system. Ference, who just turned 23, put together a strong season in 2024 hitting .350 with 17 homers, 43 runs batted in, and 12 stolen bases in 54 games for Virginia. Might be a nice target as an underslot catcher in the mid rounds.
Ryley Johnson, OF, East Carolina
Johnson, who patrolled center field for the East Carolina Pirates, played in 192 games in college. His best year was his senior season where he hit .339 with 9 doubles, 4 homers and 23 stolen bases in 63 games. He also had more walks than strikeouts.
Ben McLaughlin, 1B, Arkansas
McLaughlin had some dominant numbers at Hutchinson Community College before transferring to Arkansas. As a Razorback, he hit .314 with 61 BB/41 SO and 11 homers in 89 games. While he didn’t show a ton of power, he is a big body and could develop some more down the road.
Connor Hujsak, OF, Miss. State
Hujsak started his career at Virginia Commonwealth before transferring to Mississippi State for his junior and senior season. He had his best season in 2024 hitting .325 with 9 homers, 8 stolen bases including a walk-off homer in the SEC tournament. He has played shortstop and outfield at the collegiate level.
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