Draft Picks 1-5

1. Mark Appel - RHP - Stanford - 6'4" 195 lbs

Appel was selected 8th overall by the Pirates last year, but opted not to sign and finish out school. Equipped with a plus fastball, hard slider and above-average change-up, he has the ability to throw all three pitches for strikes. Appel, Stanford's all time leader in strikeouts with 372, profiles as a top of the rotation guy who can touch the upper 90s and could be in Houston next year.

SEASON	ERA	W-L	APP-GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	2B	3B	HR	AB	B/AVG	WP	HBP	BK	SFA	SHA
2010	5.92	2 - 1	24 - 3	0	0	2	38.0	44	28	25	19	26	9	0	3	149	.295	4	2	0	2	3
2011	3.02	6 - 7	17 - 17	2	0	0	110.1	114	44	37	29	86	20	4	2	411	.277	8	8	0	5	13
2012	2.56	10 - 2	16 - 16	5	1	0	123.0	97	39	35	30	130	18	2	3	455	.213	6	10	0	2	10
2013	2.12	10 - 4	14 - 14	4	2	0	106.1	80	37	25	23	130	13	2	2	395	.203	11	11	0	5	7
TOTAL	2.91	28 - 14	71 - 50	11	3	2	377.2	335	148	122	101	372	60	8	10	1410	.238	29	31	0	14	33

2. Andrew Thurman - RHP - UC Irvine - 6'3" 200 lbs

A big, durable pitcher with 4 pitches in his repertoire, Thurman has great command and projects to be a middle-of-the-rotation type starter. Thurman's velocity generally lives in the low 90s, and he has a great feel for pitching. Thurman posted a 2.66 ERA in 98 innings as a sophomore and a 3.23 ERA in 100 1/3 innings as a junior walking just 19 hitters against 91 strikeouts. In his 3 year career with UCI, Thurman went 18-10 with a 3.17 ERA, and 224 strikeouts to go with just 63 walks.


3. Kent Emanuel - LHP - North Carolina - 6'4" 215 lbs

Emanuel made it three straight collegiate pitchers for the Astros and added another lefty to an organization hurting for lefty pitching prospects. Emanuel leads the 56-9 Tarheels in wins with 11, innings with 122 1/3, strikeouts with 89, and complete games with 5. Like Thurman, his command and his polish as a pitcher were his calling cards more than having elite stuff. He's most likely a back-of-the-rotation guy, but his durability could keep him around a long time.


4. Conrad Gregor - 1B - Vanderbilt - 6'3" 220 lbs

Gregor was a bit of a surprise here because as a first baseman, he doesn't hit for much power. That said, he has tremendous plate discipline, as evidenced by his 54 walks against just 27 strikeouts this season. He's also got a good build and has the potential to develop into more of a power hitter. He's played some outfield, but first base or DH is likely where he'll end up.

SEASON	AVG	GP-GS	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	SLG%	BB	HBP	SO	GDP	OB%	SF	SH	SB-ATT
2011	.353	58 - 49	170	33	60	11	0	3	32	80	.471	32	2	30	2	.456	2	3	2 - 4
2012	.328	63 - 63	229	37	75	20	1	3	35	106	.463	41	6	41	6	.439	2	1	10 - 10
2013	.313	64 - 64	224	47	70	14	0	3	48	93	.415	54	6	27	6	.442	10	1	21 - 24
TOTAL	.329	185 - 176	623	117	205	45	1	9	115	279	.448	127	14	98	14	.445	14	5	33 - 38

5. Tony Kemp - 2B - Vanderbilt - 5'7" 165 lbs

Kemp hit a ton this year batting close to .400 for the Commodores. His small frame will keep him from ever hitting for much power, but he shouldn't need to if he continues to hit the way he does. The SEC Player of the Year has decent power to the gaps, and can punish teams with his legs. In 2013, Kemp stole 33 bases and notched 6 triples. A good middle infielder, Kemp also can play some outfield where he's got good range and takes good routes.

SEASON	AVG	GP-GS	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	SLG%	BB	HBP	SO	GDP	OB%	SF	SH	SB-ATT
2011	.329	65 - 64	252	58	83	8	7	0	34	105	.417	37	12	32	3	.434	3	6	17 - 22
2012	.261	63 - 63	241	55	63	11	8	1	31	93	.386	39	13	42	2	.392	0	4	21 - 25
2013	.395	65 - 65	261	64	103	13	6	0	33	128	.490	35	9	31	4	.476	4	3	33 - 46
TOTAL	.330	193 - 192	754	177	249	32	21	1	98	326	.432	111	34	105	9	.435	7	13	71 - 93