Say hello to the newest Houston Astro, George Springer

The Houston Astros were rumored to already have been working out a deal with Stanford lefty Chris Reed on draft day 2011. When that didn't pan out, it still seemed that picking a pitcher was a given. Bobby Heck surprised everyone again, opting to go with his fourth position player for the first round pick in as many years. I won't lie, I was rather disappointed that the team didn't select Taylor Jungmann, mostly because I attend UT Austin, but also because I've seen him pitch multiple times this year, and I can tell you that all they hype surrounding him is certainly merited. That Jungmann went to the division rival Milwuakee Brewers on the very next pick only made it worse. However, the more I read about the Astros' first pick, George Springer, the more excited I get about seeing this guy come to Houston.

Springer has had an incredible career at the University of Connecticut at every level; many say that he is by far the best player to ever come out of the program. Indeed, his freshman and sophomore years alone are a testament to how well the guy can hit. He batted .347 with 34 homers, 119 RBIs, and 30 doubles, in a total of just 120 games. In 2010 he had an OBP of .491. Yeah, those were his numbers as an underclassman. The dude can rake, and while some contend that his stats are inflated because of the less-than-stellar pitching in the Big East, Springer has played well in all levels of ball, setting record after record at his high school. Many big college programs wanted him, but opting to stay in his home state shows a certain amount of loyalty, a quality that would be appreciated by a club that has often failed to sign and develop its first rounders.

Springer is said to be a five-tool guy. He hits for a high average, his power is impressive, and he's speedy on the basepaths, as evidenced by his 45 steals in '09-'10. He's a rangy center fielder who has great defensive ability, and the asset that has been the most widely acclaimed is his cannon of an arm. It will be interesting to see whether the Astros choose to keep Springer in center field, as his gun might tempt them to move him over to right, seeing as he could throw out a lot more guys from over there. Scouts have said that he has the highest ceiling in the draft, and many have stated that he's the best athlete on the board. In fact, the player that MLB Network compared him to when showing his skills was none other than Hunter Pence. Could Springer one day be beside Pence, roaming the outfield at Minute Maid Park? Astros fans sure hope so, though it's not outlandish to think that the club might have been acquiring the UConn product to replace Pence, when or if he is traded or signs somewhere else.

The only problem that I've read about Springer lies in his swing mechanics. Mechanics are something that are never, ever missed by scouts when they're checking out a player. That the reports dropped Springer pretty quickly on their board due to his supposed swing flaws is worrying, but it's also something that is not impossible to fix. Springer is said to have a dip in his swing, one that has become more pronounced this year than in the past. Guys who have a dip or a lift in their swings are solved pretty fast by crafty pitchers, and all it takes is a couple scouting reports for the opposing hurlers to start throwing high to Springer all game long. However, Springer shouldn't reach the majors anytime within the next three years, if that, so he'll be getting a lot of time to sort things out in the minors. It's a bit disheartening, but if he's placed in a low league and his kinks are worked out, scouts say the potential is there for George Springer to be a middle of the order hitter for many years to come.

And the Astros sure would like that.