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For their first pick in the 2009 Draft, the Astros have selected Jiovanni Mier, a shortstop from Bonita High School in La Verne, CA. The MLB scouting report on Mier is:
“Mier looks like a young Nomar Garciaparra on the field. He’s a free swinger that should generate a little pop as he matures. Defensively, he’s very smooth and makes up for below-average speed with excellent instincts that should allow him to remain at shortstop. He has a quiet confidence on the field and his intangibles are off the charts. He should be one of the better high school shortstops in this year’s Draft class.”
>> Read a more in-depth analysis on Jiovanni Mier
BaseballBeginnings.com has some good info on Mier as well: interview, scouting report and a scouting video. (They also have some great info on the other picks that have been taken so far.)
Mier hit .394 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in his final year at high school. Solid numbers for the right-handed infielder.
It looks like Jiovanni has great defensive skills, below-average speed and a so-so bat. He’s an old 18-year-old, so plenty of time to work on his hitting, but it still concerns me that we took another high schooler as our first pick. I know, I know… sometimes those ARE the best picks in the draft, but I have a hard time believing that a senior in high school would be better than a guy who has played 4 years in college. Of course, a natural on the field is hard to come by and all signs point to Mier having great instincts at shortstop.
The Astros were thrilled that Mier was still available at 21. I get the feeling the were expecting him to already be gone by that point.
“We thought he was the best baseball player in this Draft,” scouting director Bobby Heck said. “This is a true shortstop who stays at shortstop and has defensive ability and some offensive ability as well, and we think he’s going to grow into some power.”
“We were elated he was still there,” Heck said. “Picking where we did, you had to wait for some stuff to fall to us, but it was an excited room when he did.”
I find that statement hard to believe. It sounds like he is a good player, but I think Heck was being kind when he said he was the best player in the draft.
Now we’ll see if the Astros can sign him. Jiovanni was pegged to play for USC next year, but with a first round pick, most people think he will sign a contract and head to the rookie leagues to be groomed as Tejada’s replacement.
As for the four players I mentioned earlier today that were listed in mock drafts as a potential pick for the Astros, three of them were also taken in the first round (Hobgood to Baltimore at #5, Trout to Anaheim at #25 and Wheeler to Colorado at #32.) The fourth, Rex Brothers, was taken at #34 by Colorado as a compensatory pick.
As of 9:49 pm on Tuesday night, the Astros have picked three more players: Tanner Bushue (RHP) South Central HS, IL, Telvin Nash (LF) Griffin HS, GA and Jonathan Meyer (3B) Simi Valley HS, CA. I’ll talk more about them on Wednesday.
