In sports, we've seen plenty of teams strike it rich with the No. 1 overall pick in a given league's draft. Phenoms, whose ability is unquestioned, is selected by their respective teams and provide glory for the supporters for the next 12-15 years.
Unless you get the pick wrong.
The Houston Astros have the delightful consequence of having the No. 1 overall selection in the 2012 MLB draft, and general manager Jeff Lunhow realizes that as the organization shifts to the American League, the draft also represents a new shift in direction for a team whose found themselves in the cellar of the NL central in recent years.
Lunhow took questions from the media during a Friday afternoon press conference at Minute Maid Park to update the direction of the Astros for next week's First-Year Player Draft. Luhnow gave some interesting quotes and made note to not ask him about which player his team is going to select with the No. 1 pick.
"We're still gathering more information, and I think we won't really have our final order until Sunday night." - Lunhow
On the future direction of the Astros:
"We will be making a significant investment in this Draft. The Astros were not major players in free agency last year and it's unclear how much we'll play a factor this year. This will be one of the most significant investments we make in our future over the course of [those] three days as we draft and select players and hopefully sign them to become future Astros." - Lunhow
On the type of players the Astros will target in the draft:
"All things being equal, if a player were to get to the big leagues two years sooner than other players, we would give that player the edge. If we feel like there's a younger player who has a higher probability of generating more Major League value, we will not stay away from that player in order to get something that will come here quicker." - Lunhow
Asst. general manager Bobby Heck on the history of the draft:
"You look back at the history of the Draft, and the first guy is not always the best player. As we walked through the process this spring, the number of players we circled with more intensity got smaller as the year went on. As a group, we've had 20 guys that are flying or driving around the country and convening the other night when we had a workout. It's fun for all of us to sit still for a few days and hear the excitement and talk about the players in great depth." - Heck
This is the Astros first time picking No. 1 overall in 20 years, and the draft comes to you next week.
For more on the Astros, be sure to check out the Crawfish Boxes. For more on the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft, head over to Minor League Ball.