Every now and then, the Astros will hold one of these "open tryouts" for players around the state. They just had one in Bryan a few months ago that I would have been all over if it weren't at 9 a.m. Still, these tryouts are critical for those late-draft selections and undrafted free agent signings.
↵That's how Astros scout Rusty Pendergrass found Ruben Alaniz last year. Alaniz had over half his high school baseball schedule canceled his senior year because of an outbreak of swine flu in the district. Thus, a guy with an intriguing arm went undrafted and later signed with the Astros for a nice chunk of change.
↵Why do I bring this up now? This article in the Waller County News says that the open tryout recently in Conroe gave the Hempstead baseball team plenty of opportunity to impress scouts. Obie Wilder impressed with his athleticism, so he's a good bet to be drafted by the Astros. After all, we know how much they like athletes in the draft.
↵Baseball really does have an unusual way for finding talent. Tryouts like this are a big reason why the MLB draft will never take off like the NFL's. How in the world would you be able to keep up with every one of these?
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