A busy news day for the Houston Astros was wrapped up with the front office signing their first and third picks before the deadline. Springer signed for $2.525m and Armstrong for $750,000. The deals meant that the Astros locked up their first 13 picks right up to Horace Stubblefield, who did not look likely to sign.
↵Armstrong, 21, has been talked about as a first-round talent, but injuries during his last year at Vanderbilt meant he dropped far in the draft. Listed as 6' 7'' and 225 lbs, reports have Armstrong's fastball velocity as touching 95 sitting in the 90-94 mph range. If he can stay healthy, he should be a steal from the draft. If not it was a chance worth taking. Here is David's post draft writeup of Armstrong, with quotes from various sources at the bottom worth reading.
↵Springer is the real prize and the one that had to get done. He, Jonathan Singleton and Jarred Cosart make up the top tier of Astros prospects, light years above the rest. Being 22 in a months time, Springer, like Armstrong will probably report to the Tri-City Valleycats, and from there could be on a fast-track to the majors. Forget comparisons for the moment, he has all the tools to be the cornerstone to help this franchise rise from the ashes and might be in a big league uniform by mid-2013.
↵I'm sure we'll have more to follow on both.
↵