Tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET the 2014 MLB Draft will get underway with the Houston Astros picking first for the third consecutive season, the first time in MLB history that dubios feat has ever been achieved. Fans can watch the draft on television on MLB Network, or live stream it free by clicking this link.
The Astros took a shortstop, Carolos Correa, in 2012 and a pitcher last season in Mark Appel. For much of the year North Carolina State pitcher Carlos Rodon seemed to be the frontrunner to be taken first overall, but ESPN.com's Keith Law now projects the Astros to take another big left-hander, Brady Aiken, with the top pick. If Aiken goes first overall, he'd be the first high-school hurler to be taken first since the Yankees snapped up Brien Taylor in 1991.
If Rodon doesn't get picked by Houston, he's likely to go second to the Marlins. Law wrote that they're infatuated with the burly lefty, and he slapped an 80 grade on his slider going forward, meaning it has the potential to be the best slider offering in all of baseball.
The first non-pitching prospect off the board in Law's mock draft is Oregon State outfielder Michael Conforto, an offense-first player with questionable potential with the leather. Another position player, Alex Jackson, is among the more intriguing names in this class.
He could go as high as No. 1 to Houston; Law has him projected as a corner outfielder in the big leagues, but he currently plays catcher. The catcher position at the MLB level is somewhat starved for elite bats, as studs like Joe Mauer and Carlos Santana have abandoned it entirely while other players such as Brian McCann and Buster Posey spend a fair bit of time at first base.
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