Rumor came down on Saturday that the Astros were engaged in negotiations with Stanford left-hander Chris Reed as a possibility at No. 11 overall in the 2011 MLB Draft. The Astros quickly denied the rumor, but Frankie Piliere of Fox Spots had locked in on who the Astros were interested in last draft, and David Coleman of The Crawfish Boxes worries that this could be the real deal:
The Reed rumor? Like I said, it's got all the earmarks of what's happened in the past. The Astros narrow in on a guy from Stanford, where they've drafted at least three other players in the past few seasons. It's also an area of the country the Astros hit hard (California). It fits the quirky draft board of one Bobby Heck. It also fits into the kowtowing to these imaginary "recommendations" for slot prices.
That tells me the rumor has legs and should be believed more than the quick denials. Of course, I also got to see Chris Reed pitch Saturday night, as he closed out Cal State Fullerton. I just about pulled my hair out, seeing him in action. This guy? This low 90's throwing closer? Sure, he was heady, getting a big pickoff with one out, but his stuff wasn't impressive. I know I need to see him more, but I think I'm off the Heck bandwagon if they go through with this. Crane can clean house with this front office if he wants. I joked on the podcast that I'd go on the warpath on this site if the Astros took Francisco Lindor, but Reed may do it too.
If Houston does go with Reed, they'll be continuing a long-time fad of theirs: overdrafting players in the first round to save money. Drayton McLane is still the owner, and of course, fans don't really care all that much about the MLB Draft, but it would not be a good start for the Jim Crane era if the Astros went cheap on their first rounder here.