MLB Draft Expert Projects Shortstop For Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are picking 28th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, and even more so than the top ten, the back end of the first round is always a crapshoot. In MLB Pipeline's newest mock draft on Thursday, Jim Callis has the Astros selecting Tyson Lewis, a high school shortstop out of Millard West High School in Omaha, Nebraska.
Lewis is becoming something of a riser, according to Callis, who says "... Lewis is riding some helium into the first round with talk that he could soar as high as the teens."
The shortstop, 18, is currently ranked as the 46th best prospect in the draft and the sixth best high school shortstop. Over the course of his season, Lewis has made strides in both game power and exit velocity, with his "quick left-handed stroke." According to his scouting report, he can get a little pull happy, but that is something that can be worked on in pro ball.
His best tool is his ability to run, given a 60 grade on the 20-80 scale by Pipeline. His speed allows him to swipe some bags and allows him more range at short.
That being said, he has "inconsistent hands and action" on the diamond, so it's a possibility that he moves off of the position. At 6'2", 195 lbs it wouldn't be that surprising to see him move off of short anyways. He's going to get bigger and stronger, and switching to third is always a possibility for high school shortstops.
Overall, the University of Arkansas commit has solid tools all around, with at least 50 grades across the board.
Should he be taken by the Astros, he would slide in highly in their prospect rankings. Houston's system is an older one, with only two prospects 20 or younger ranked in their top 20 by Pipeline. This is largely due to most of their prospects graduating over the last couple of years and even trades like the one they made for Justin Verlander last season.
It will take some time for them to rebuild the farm system after so much success with prospects over the last decade, but a player like Lewis could be a good start considering they are picking so late in the first round.
If Callis' information about Lewis is to be believed, however, then Lewis might not even be available that late. After all, teams like to draft prep bats a little higher in hopes to save some of their draft pool money.
SEAN O'LEARY