2011 MLB Draft: Houston Astros Hit It Big with George Springer

In the days leading up to tonight's 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft, I found that most of the mainstream media’s scarce coverage seemed to focus on big-name pitchers like UCLA’s Gerrit Cole, who was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Dylan Bundy, a high school star out of Oklahoma who was taken at No. 4 by the Baltimore Orioles.

So much of the focus, as always, is on the potentially dominant upper-echelon pitching prospects that it seems to steal away some of the attention from the tremendous position prospects in this year’s talent pool.

George Springer, an outfielder out of Connecticut, is one of this year’s top position prospects who really deserves praise.  

Springer was selected No. 11 by the Houston Astros in the first round of tonight’s draft, and it could end up being a move that pays huge future dividends for the struggling Houston organization.

The Connecticut native has the chance to be a true star down in the Lone Star State, and right now, the Astros could use all the future reinforcements they can get their hands on.

The term “five-tool player” is saved only for the most worthy of prospects, but if you’ve read some of the scouting reports on Springer, you know that he’s one of the most highly regarded players in this draft.

The 6’3’’ 200 lb. outfielder has all the tools it takes to be a standout.

The 21-year-old has the speed-arm combination to one day develop into a premier defensive center fielder in the major leagues.

He’s not too shabby at the plate either.

After passing up the opportunity to sign with the Minnesota Twins after the 2008 draft, Springer went on to have a breakout freshman campaign in Storrs, crushing 16 home runs and knocking in 57 runs on his way to becoming the Big East Rookie of the Year.

As a sophomore in 2010, Springer finished with a .337 average and 18 home runs and really solidified his status as a prospect on the rise.

Considering Houston has the worst record in the NL right now, it’s not a stretch to say that Astros fans probably aren’t in a very jolly, celebratory type of mood these days. But getting a potential star player such as Springer is a huge step in the right direction for this team going forward.

Houston has to start bringing in young, likable talent over these next few years, and George Springer is definitely the type of player who fits the mold.

The MLB draft is such a crapshoot that it’s hard to really get very excited about a lot of these players just yet, but sometimes a prospect just has that successful look, and George Springer is certainly that kind of young player.