I couldn't remember what pick the Astros had in the 2010 Draft, so I looked it up. #8, where they took DeShields, and #19, where they took Folty. Obviously those two picks look pretty good now, but at the time, I remember most if not all pundits thought the Astros over-reached for DDS at 8th overall - word was, they originally liked him at #19, but were worried he wouldn't last 'til then.
Here is the list of picks taken from #8 to #19:
8. Astros: DDS
9. Padres: Karsten Whitson (didn't sign)
10. Athletics: Michael Choice
11. Blue Jays: Deck McGuire
12. Reds: Yasmani Grandal
13. White Sox: Chris Sale
14. Brewers: Dylan Covey
15. Rangers: Jake Skole
16. Cubs: Hayden Simpson
17. Rays: Josh Sale
18. Angels: Kaleb Cowart
19. Astros: Folty
Obviously, the standout career so far belongs to Chris Sale, who has had two excellent seasons for Chicago. So you could fault Bobby Heck for passing on Sale, but then again, so did 11 other teams (also notable, the Mets took Matt Harvey with the 7th pick; would Heck have taken him if the Mets hadn't?). Otherwise, the list looks very poor. Grandal had a great 60 games for the Padres in 2012, then got a PED suspension, and had a lost 2013. Choice is a fairly well-regarded prospect, yet the A's just traded him for a 4th OF, so they clearly didn't think he was all that. I think if there were a do-over right now, most teams would take Sale, then Folty, then DDS.
It will still be 4-5 years before we get a clearer idea of what kind of MLB players most of these guys will be, but so far, Heck's decisions in the 1st round in 2010 seem wise. Now, his pick in the supplemental round, Kvasnicka, is another matter... other players taken later in that round include Aaron Sanchez (current Blue Jays #1 prospect), Noah Snydergaard (Mets #1), Nick Castellanos (Tigers #1), and Taijuan Walker (Mariners #1 and one of the top pitching prospects in all MLB). Oops.
Also, relevant to the discussion going on in another thread about DeShields, here is BA's pre-draft scouting report from 2010:
In 2005, the most recent year Baseball America conducted its Baseball for the Ages survey, DeShields ranked as the nation's top 12-year-old, beating out Bryce Harper and A.J. Cole, among others. He had just finished seventh grade. The son of the former big leaguer and 1987 first-round pick of the same name, DeShields has had an up-and-down high school career that included a modest showing at the East Coast Pro Showcase last summer. His loud tools have helped him leap past his peers and jumped him, for some scouts, to the top of a deep crop of Georgia prep talent. His best tool is his explosive speed, which has jumped up a grade to earn 80s on the 20-80 scale. Like many big league progeny, DeShields doesn't play with a ton of energy, and he got off to a slow start, which scared off some clubs. When the weather heated up, DeShields' bat did likewise. He showcased electric bat speed and present strength, leading to projections of average power in his future. His swing needs some fine-tuning and his defense in center field is raw. He has enough arm for center, though it's below-average. Some scouts also had makeup concerns after DeShields changed his mind about his college choice, eventually settling on Louisiana State.
