The Astros have narrowed their candidates for the No. 1 overall pick in this week's MLB Draft down to six players, according to the Houston Chronicle: Carlos Rodon, Tyler Kolek, Brady Aiken, Alex Jackson and Nick Gordon.
Realistically, though, the choice is likely to come down to N.C. State's Rodon and California high schooler Aiken, both left-handed pitchers. And more and more, the expert consensus is that Houston will pick the hard-throwing Aiken, whose stock has skyrocketed in recent months while Rodon's has crashed.
Congrats to @CCHSDONS @bradyaiken10 for his 18U Performance of the Year Award presented @USABaseball #rolldons pic.twitter.com/8eRegQxHLn
— CCHS Athletics (@CCHSAthletics) February 20, 2014MLB DRAFT: TV schedule | Each team's biggest miss
Baseball America's John Manuel, MLB.com's Jim Callis, ESPN.com's Keith Law and MLB Draft Insider's Chris Crawford all have the Astros taking Aiken in their latest mock drafts. Aiken pitched for Cathedral Catholic High School.
"He’s the best player on my board, and though I haven’t heard anyone with Astros say it, I think they feel the same way," Crawford writes. "The fact that they might be able to cut an under-slot deal and attack with their other day one picks isn’t a bad little bonus, either."
Rodon entered the 2014 season as the clear-cut favorite to be the No. 1 pick the draft. But an inconsistent year for the Wolfpack lefty (including a drop in velocity) has left many questions whether he projects as a starter long term.
Aiken, meanwhile, has moved to the top of most draft boards thanks to a significant increase in velocity.
"Aiken has the weapons — fastball up to 95 mph, curveball, changeup, even a cutter he plays around with — the frame and the polish to project as No. 1 starter," Law writes.
The draft begins at 7 p.m. ET Thursday.