The Astros signed 29 out of the 50 draft picks. Twenty of those were in the top 23 picks. As of the middle of May, 2009, only 10 of the 29 drafted players are still active. Here is a breakdown of where they are on the ladder to the big leagues as of May 19, 2009.

MLB – 0

Round Rock (AAA) – 2 (7%)

Corpus Christi (AA) – 4 (14%)

Lancaster (A+) – 3 (10%)

Lexington (A) – 0

Extended Spring Training – 0

DL – 1 (3%)

Released – 19 (66%)

Now for the grades:

1st Round:  Maxwell “Max” Sapp; C; L/R; 6′2″, 220; DOB 2/21/1988; Bishop Moore High School, Florida.

Sapp has been a major disappointment thus far. He started off at Tri Cities where he was too young for the competition and predictably struggled. Baseball America took his age into account and listed him as one of the top 20 prospects in the NYPenn League that season and the #9 prospect in the Astros organization. He was promoted to Lexington to start the 2007 season. At that time, he had put on significant weight but his numbers climbed slightly. 2008 saw him back in Lexington, in better shape but the numbers declined. This off season, he spent significant time in ICU dealing with viral meningitis. This had some connection to a chronic sinus infection he carried for most of last season. He suffered significant memory loss due to a drug induced coma he was placed in. He was beginning to get back into baseball shape when he had another seizure during spring training. It is unlikely he will play baseball this season. The fact that he is alive gives him an A but on the value of the pick, at this point in time, it is a failed pick.

Grade F

2nd Round:  Sergio Perez; RHP; R/R; 6’3”, 230; DOB 12/05/1984; University of Tampa.

Perez started his pro ball career in Lexington out of the pen. He was very solid in his 11 brief outings. He moved up to Salem the next year where his battle with injuries started. The culprit was a recurring groin injury that limited his effectiveness. Last season, his groin flared up again in April and then in May, his finger was broken and his missed a good hunk of the season. When he returned in August, he was solid and based on his solid performance in the Arizona Fall League, hopes were high for a healthy and successful 2009. Those results have been mixed thus far. Perez has had 3 good starts and 3 bad starts to begin the 2009 campaign. There are high expectations for Perez, if he comes close to meeting them, his grade could change dramatically.

Grade C

3rd Round:  Nick Moresi; CF; R/R; 6’4”, 190; DOB 11/22/1984; Fresno State University.

Moresi started his career in Tri Cities where he made 5 errors in the outfield and hit just .180 in 57 games. He moved to Lexington the next season and improved his fielding making just 4 errors in 108 games in center. His hitting improved up to a .235 average. He split the next season between Lexington and Salem. His defense continued to improve but his hitting did not. In 2009, Moresi got off to a slow start in April hitting just .163 but through May 15^th, he was hitting .333 for May. If his offense catches up to his defense, he could be promising but that is a big if at this point.

Grade – D

4th Round:  Christopher Johnson; 3B; R/R; 6’2”, 180; DOB 10/01/1984; Stetson University.

Johnson started his pro career in Tri Cities and only hit .212. His adjustments continued as he climbed two rungs in 2007. He started in Lexington and was promoted to Salem half way through the year. His combined average over the two stops jumped to .261 and his slugging percentage jumped over .130 points to .401. He spent the first ¾ of the 208 season in Corpus Christi and had his best year at the plate yet. He hit .324 with the Hooks before his late season promotion to Round Rock. At Round Rock, he was over matched. He was selected to go to the Arizona Fall League where he put up solid numbers. He hit .296 but made 8 errors in 25 games. He was then named a non roster invitee to big league spring training. Johnson did all the right things a young prospect should do at big league camp. He kept quiet, soaked it in and made a positive impression. The buzz coming out of spring training was that he would be up sooner rather than later. He reported to Round Rock and was injured after only 3 games. He rehabbed in Lancaster for four games (.438) before rejoining the Express. Johnson is one of the top prospects in the org and has shown positive development thus far.

Grade – A

5th Round:  Casey Hudspeth; RHP; R/R; 6’0”, 185; DOB 10/01/1984; University of South Florida.

Hudspeth started his pro career in Tri Cities. He then split the next two season between two levels. In 07 it was Lex than Salem. In 08, it was Salem then Corpus Christi. A starter for all but 4 appearances, his numbers don’t jump out at you as one to watch. In fact, it appears he has reached the level that might do him in.

Grade – C

6th Round:  David “Bud” Norris; RHP; R/R; 6’0”, 195, DOB 3/02/1985; California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Norris is the pitching prospect closest to making it to Minute Maid Park in the organization. He started his pro career in Tri Cities and struck out 46 in 36 innings. He spent all but one start of 2007 in Lexington where he only went 2-8 but struck out 117 batters in 96 2/3 innings. His one start at Salem to end 07 would be his only start at High A ball. He started 08 in Corpus Christi where his win loss record was less than impressive (3-8) but he continued to strike batters out (84 in 80 IP). He was selected to attend the Arizona Fall League and worked solely out of the bullpen. The hard throwing Norris thrived in the bullpen role striking out 20 in 19 IP and finished his 12 appearances with an ERA of 1.89. He also was invited to spring training as a non roster invitee. He is currently pitching in Round Rock and is doing well in the starting rotation. He has 44 Ks in his first 41 1/3 IP. He is being looked at as a potential late inning reliever in the Houston and should at least get a September call up.

Grade – A

7th Round:  David Qualben; LHP; L/L; 6’3”, 210; DOB 7/29/1985; Pace University.

The soft tossing lefty with an outstanding pick off move made up to Salem before being released during spring training this season. He picked off 30 runners in 2007 and that allowed him to escape the fact that he was allowing too many base runners. He started 08 in Lexington before being quickly moved up to Salem. There he was moved from starter to reliever and began his slide to oblivion. He was released out of spring training this season.

Grade – D

8th Round:  James Van Ostrand; RF; R/R; 6’4”, 220; DOB 8/07/1984; California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Van Ostrand, like Johnson wasn’t impressive in his debut in Tri Cities. He hit just .215 for the ValleyCats. In 2007 and 2008, he played in 98 games each for Lexington and Salem. During those years, he put up consistent numbers of batting in the low .290s, on base percentage in the mid .300s and slugging in the mid .400s. The Canadian has gotten a few chances to play international baseball during his tenure with the Astros. He was on the Canadian Olympic team and spent some time in China during 2008.

Van Ostrand’s speed makes it likely he will be a first baseman more than an outfielder in the future. He has shown more pop in his bat in 2009 at Corpus Christi. He has already hit 6 homeruns in his first 25 games at the AA level.

Grade – A

9th Round:  Gregory Buchanan; 2B; S/R; 5’11”, 180; DOB 11/16/1983; Rice University.

Buchanan had a decent start in Tri Cities hitting .272. He hit .240 in his next two seasons in Lexington & Salem respectively. He was released during the off season last year.

Grade – D

10th Round: Nathan Karns; RHP; R/R; 6’5”, 230; DOB 11/25/1987; James Martin Senior High School, Texas.

Attend North Carolina State University and had an impressive first year. He then transferred to Texas Tech and was not as impressive as a sophomore. He has shown some improvement as a junior striking out more than a batter an inning.

No grade

11th Round: Thomas Vessella; LHP; R/L; 6’6”, 205; DOB 10/12/1985; Whittier College.

Vessella was the highest draft pick to being his pro career in Greeneville in 2006. The tall lefty made it as high as Lexington before being released during spring training this year.

Grade – D

12th Round: Bryan Hallberg; RHP; R/R; 6’0”, 205; DOB 4/23/1985; Pace University.

Hallberg started his pro career as a starter in Tri Cities. Since that solid season, he has been a staple in bullpens in Lexington, Salem and now Lancaster. In 2008, he appeared in 49 games out of the pen in Salem and finished 24 of those games earning 6 saves. He is repeating the High A level this year in Lancaster and has finished 8 of the 11 games he has appeared in and has earned 2 saves thus far.

Grade – C

13th Round: Christopher Salamida; LHP; L/L; 6’0”, 180; DOB 5/07/1984; State University of New York at Oneonta.

Salamida had a strong start to his pro career going 10 -1 with a 1.06 ERA in 2006 in Tri Cities. Since then, his ERA for the year has not been below 5.00. He jumped to Salem in 2007 and split 2008 between Salem and Corpus Christi. He has started 2009 in Corpus Christi and is off to a rough start with a 13.50 ERA in April. So far in his first 4 outings in May, he has a 2.84 ERA. He has not walked a batter in his first 13 2/3 IP this season.

Grade – B

14th Round: Justin Tellam; C; R/R; 6’3”, 190; DOB 11/20/1984; Pepperdine University.

Tellam started out in Tri Cities in 06 and put up a respectable .248 average. He was jumped to Salem but only appeared in 44 games in 2007. In 2008, after just 26 games, he retired from the Astros system. He has resurfaced in Indy Ball. He finished 08 in the Frontier League and is playing in the American Association this season.

Grade – D

15th Round: Kevin Fox; LHP; L/L; 6’1”, 180; DOB 8/24/1985; Biola University.

Fox spent 06 in Greeneville and then 07 in Tri Cities before being released.

Grade – D

16th Round: Andrew “Drew” Holder; CF; R/R; 6’0”, 210; DOB 10/02/1983; Dallas Baptist University.

Drew played for Tri Cities in 06 and had a decent season in Lexington in 07. He was released prior to the O8 season and was last seen playing Indy ball in the American Association.

Grade – D

17th Round: Justin Stiver; RHP; R/R; 6’2”, 195; DOB 8/07/1984; Florida Gulf Coast University.

Appeared in 4 games in Tri Cities before being released after the 06 season.

Grade F

18th Round: Colt Adams; RHP; R/R; 6’5”, 220; DOB 5/23/1985; Dixie State College of Utah.

Adams was drafted with hopes that his big frame could produce a good power pitcher. He spent 06 at Greeneville and was hit hard but the strike out numbers were promising. He was moved to a starter in 07 in Tri Cities. He showed overall improvement and was promoted to Lexington for 08. There he started 7 games and didn’t show any ability to handle hitters at the A ball level. He was released prior to the 2009 season.

Grade – D

19th Round: Orlando Rosales; CF; R/R; 5’8”, 180; DOB 4/09/1984; University of Tampa.

Rosales started his career in Greeneville and was moved up to Tri Cities for the last few weeks of the season. He then jumped to Salem where he hit .283 in 07. He returned to Salem to start the 08 campaign but struggled in the first half of the season. Despite the struggles, he was promoted to Corpus to fill a need. He couldn’t produce when he was sent back to Salem so he was released after the 08 season.

Grade – C

20th Round: Robert “Mark” Sobolewski; SS; R/R; 6’0”, 190; DOB 12/24/1986; Sarasota High School, Florida.

Attended University of Miami and had two solid seasons before being drafted in 2007 by the Blue Jays in the 4^th round as a draft eligible sophomore. He hit .256 in the NYPenn League after the draft and this year is hitting .291 in Lansing of the Low A Midwest League.

No Grade

21st Round: Antony Bello; LHP; L/L; 6’2”, 200; DOB 10/09/1985; Nova Southeastern University.

Bello got off to a solid start in Greeneville posting a 1.90 ERA in his pro debut. He went to Tri Cities where he didn’t have the same success in 07. In 08, he made 23 starts for Lexington and finished with a 7-7 record and a 4.17 ERA. He was released prior to the start of the 09 season.

Grade – C

22nd Round: Chad Wagler; RHP; R/R; 6’1”, 185; DOB 9/11/1983; Kent State University.

Wagler began his career in the Tri Cities bullpen and continued to work out of the Lexington bully in 07. He made one spot start in 07 and then found himself making 10 starts in Salem in 08. His season was cut short by injuries but showed promise. He pitched adequately to begin the season in Corpus Christi in 2009 but was demoted to Lancaster to make room for a prospect (C. J. Lo).

Grade – B

23rd Round: Tim Torres; SS; S/R; 6’2”, 190; DOB 11/12/1983; Oral Roberts University.

Torres was drafted as a shortstop but played all over the place. In his 3 years of pro ball, he played 7 different fielding positions. He never played catcher or right field. He had an impressive 2007 in Lexington but could not quite get over the hump in Salem. He was released during the off season.

Grade – C

24th Round: Jonathan Wiedenbauer; LHP; L/L; 6’3”, 185; DOB 1/16/1988; Seabreeze High School, Florida.

The son of Tom Wiedenbauer (Astros minor league field coordinator 2002-2005) decided to attend the University of Tampa. Took a medical redshirt his freshman year. Last year, he was 4-0 with a 4.30 in his redshirt freshman year.

No grade

25th Round: Jamaal Hollis; RHP; R/R; 6’2”, ; DOB 12/03/1987; Whitney-Young High School, Illinois.

Hollis, has attended Miami of Ohio where he has worked out of the pen in 24 of 25 outings. He appears to have control issues giving up 22 walks in 26 innings pitched in 2008. In 2009, the light bulb has gone on. He has appeared in 22 games (25 1/3 IP) and has an ERA of 2.13 with 20 K to 9 BB.

No Grade

26th Round: Lenell McGee; 3B; R/R; 6’2”, 185; DOB 8/10/1988; Mount Carmel High School, Illinois.

Attended Oakton Community College in Illinois and was not signed as a DFE. He was then drafted by the Dodgers in 2008 in the 13^th round. He hit .222 in the Gulf Coast League last season. He is not with a full season team as of the writing of this article.

No Grade

27th Round: Cirilo Cruz; 1B; R/R; 6’1”, 215; DOB 2/13/1985; Cumberland University.

Cirilo, who also went by Alberto, signed and reported to Greeneville in 2006. He had pop but that was about it. He hit 7 HR in his first year while hitting .220. In 2007, he was sent to Tri Cities where his average and power took a dip (6 HR, .206). He was released after extended spring training in 2008.

Grade – C

28th Round: Brandon Caipen; 3B; R/R; 6’0”, 180; DOB 8/04/1983; Youngstown State University.

Caipen started in Greeneville in 2006. He was too old for the league and was not that impressive, hitting only .265 with very little pop. In 2007, he started in extended spring and was sent to Tri Cities. After a brief stay, he was promoted to Lexington. They toyed with him as a catcher appearing in 3 games. He was released prior to spring training in 2008.

Grade – C

29th Round: Rafeal Parks; RF; R/R; 6’2”, 180; DOB 2/15/1988; Greenbrier High School, Georgia.

Parks was a DFE who signed after attending a junior college that didn’t even have a baseball team. He played 2007 in Greeneville and was unimpressive. He was released out of extended spring training in 2008

Grade – F

30th Round: Eric Taylor; 3B; R/R; 6’1”, 195; DOB 7/29/1985; University of California at Los Angeles.

Though drafted as a 3^rd baseman, he has spent his entire career across the diamond at 1^st. He spent 2006 in Tri Cities where he hit a solid .315. He was promoted to Lexington for 2007 where he put up adequate numbers with 13 homers. In 2008, he repeated in Lexington and most of his numbers decreased. The notable exception was stolen bases. In his first season and a half, he was 17 out of 23. In 2008, he was 27 out of 30. He started the 09 season in Salem before he was released in early May.

Grade – C+

31st Round: Kyle DeYoung; RHP; R/R; 6’0”, 190; DOB 8/15/1984; Florida Southern College.

DeYoung signed with the Astros and was sent to Tri Cities in 2006. He made 20 appearances all in relief and was not that impressive. He spent 2007 in Lexington and showed some improvement but it wasn’t enough. He was released out of spring training in 2008.

Grade – C-

32nd Round: Adam Hale; RHP; L/R; 6’4”, 215; DOB 3/07/1985; Texas A&M University.

Adam signed with the Astros and played in Greeneville in 2006. He was effective in 16 outings with a 2.22 ERA. He was out of baseball in 2007.

Grade – D

33rd Round: Codi Harshman; CF; R/R; 6’2”, 180; DOB 11/14/1987; Sabino High School, Arizona.

Didn’t sign with the Astros. Played Junior College ball before landing at Arizona University. This season, he has played in 22 games but only started 7.

No Grade

34th Round: John Anderson; RHP; R/R; 6’2”, 195; DOB 2/06/1988; Captain Shreve High School, Louisiana.

He received a baseball scholarship to Bossier Parish Community College where he played for 2 years before transferring to La. Tech. This season, he went 6-3 with 2 saves in 17 appearances (7 starts).

No Grade

35th Round: Patrick Allen; RF; R/R; 6’4”, 215; DOB 5/20/1986; Everett Community College, Washington.

Didn’t sign with Astros. He played one more year of Everett but no info on him after that.

No Grade

36th Round: Johnathan Moore; C; R/R; 6’0”, 180; DOB 3/24/1988; Arlington Lamar High School, Texas.

Jackie’s boy attended Temple Junior College and played for former MLB pitcher Craig McMurtry. He hit .326 last season..

No Grade

37th Round: Trent Henderson; SS; R/R; 6’3”, 210; DOB 2/10/1988; Newport High School, Washington.

Dave’s son attended Skagit Valley Community College in Washington State. He hit .343 with 0 homers last season. He was listed as a 3^rd baseman on the roster.

No Grade

38th Round: Casey Anderson; C; R/R; 6’2”, 195; DOB 3/31/1987; West Ouacita High School, Louisiana.

Was supposed to attend LSU- Eunice but doesn’t show up on any stats or rosters.

No Grade

39th Round: William Kline; RHP; R/R; 6’2”, 215; DOB 9/10/1984; University of Mississippi.

Returned to University of Mississippi for a senior season and saw his draft status take off. He was drafted in the second round (65^th overall) of the 2007 draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He started 9 games in Low A ball in 2007 but then was sidelined all of 2008 with a torn labrum that required surgery. This is his second serious surgery. He had Tommy John surgery as a High School junior. He is still rehabbing as of the writing of this article.

No Grade

40th Round: Steven Detwiler; SS; R/R; 6’1”, 200; DOB 12/31/1987; San Rafael High School, California.

Attended Fresno State University and was the hero of their 2008 NCAA World Series win over Georgia. He went 4-4 with 2 HR and a double and also snagged the game winning catch. He hit just .215 in the regular season with the bulldogs this year.

No Grade

41st Round: Axel Gonzalez; CF; R/R; 5’11”, 165; DOB 6/02/1988; Rosalina C. Martinez School, Puerto Rico.

Attended Wabash Valley (Ill.) Junior College and then signed with the Astros. He played for Greeneville to start the 2007 season hitting a measly .215. He was promoted to Tri Cities where he hit .200. He was released before the start of the 2008 season.

Grade – D

42nd Round: Kevin Sullivan; C; L/R; 6’3”, 200; DOB 4/24/1988; York Community High School, Illinois.

Attended Oakton Community College for one year and hit .290. Then transferred to Bradley University where he won the starting catching job before breaking a bone in his hand. He hit only .167 before the injury. In 2009, he hit .277 with no power at Bradley.

No Grade

43rd Round: Greg Joseph; LF; L/L; 6’2”, 220; DOB 11/09/1985; Mount San Jacinto Junior College, California.

No current info available on his life in baseball.

No Grade

44th Round: Adam Pilate; CF; R/R; 6’2”, 180; DOB 9/12/1987; Sylacauga High School, Alabama.

Played at Bevill State Community College in Alabama for two years. Career average was .238.

No Grade

45th Round: Cody Madison; CF; R/R; 6’0”, 205; DOB 12/17/1987; Vista Del Lago High School, California.

Attended Riverside Community College. After hitting .329 for Riverside as an infielder, Madison signed with Division II Cal State San Bernardino and is listed on their roster as an outfielder.

No Grade

46th Round: Joey Wong; SS; L/R; 5’9”, 165; DOB 4/12/1988; Sprague High School, Oregon.

Attended Oregon State University. He had an impressive Freshman year making it on the All College World Series team. He dipped a little in his sophomore year only hitting .244. He played in the Cape Cod league last summer and hit .256 with 15 RBI. He finished his Jr. year hitting .264 and making only 6 errors and earning a .973 fielding percentage.

No grade

47th Round: Michael Pericht; C; R/R; 6’5”, 225; DOB 5/23/1988; Providence Catholic High School, Illinois.

Attended St. Joseph’s College where he is still on the roster. He hit .299 last year with 10 HR. He hit .337 with 12 HR in 2009.

No Grade

48th Round: Jerry Quinones; LHP; L/L; 6’1”, 180; DOB 9/29/1985; Compton Community College, California.

No info was found about what Jerry Quinones ended up doing.

No Grade

49th Round: Andy Launier; 1B; R/R; 6’3”, 220; DOB 4/10/1987; Sierra Junior College, California.

Andy was a DFE who signed with the Astros and was assigned to Greeneville. He played a decent 1^st base and hit .256 with Greeneville. He was released out of spring training and signed on with the independent Northern League where he played in 5 games for Joliet Jackhammers before being released.

Grade D

50th Round: Paul Tyler Henley; CF; L/L; 5’10”, 205; DOB 6/10/1985; Rice University.

Hit .313 upon his return to Rice. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the 8^th round in 2007. Hit .280 in the Florida State League last season. He was promoted to AA Springfield this season and is hitting .310 through May 19^th .

No Grade

Overall Performance:

The draft has some promise in Chris Johnson, and Bud Norris. It appears that with the notable exception of Sapp, most of the top draft picks are living up to the level they were picked. Seven of the top eight picks are still in the organization. After that, there are only 3 players left from the draft (12, Hallberg, 13, Salamida, and 22, Wagler. Justifying this production from this draft would be like a workaholic parent preaching the virtues of quality time over quantity of time. This draft has some quality but very little quantity. Overall, I would give it a D. For this grade to improve, Norris, Johnson & Van Ostrand need to continue the developmental track they are on. Sergio Perez needs to stay healthy and be able to work on his development. Nick Moresi needs to take his hitting to the next level and Casey Hudspeth needs to break through the ceiling he appears to have bumped up against. Brian Hallberg, Chris Salamida and Chad Wagler need to continue to scrap, adjust and exceed expectations. As for Max Sapp, he just needs to get healthy so that he can have a normal life with or without baseball. The battle he is fighting in coming back from his off season illness is much more important than anything that could ever happen on the baseball diamond.

Draft of 2006 Mid Term Grade: D+. Its not passing but it is not quite average in the production you expect out of 50 draft picks.