Astros select Elijah Farley in the twelfth round - 6’4", 180 lb. OF from Navarro HS. It’s behind a paywall but Five Tool Baseball had him as a late mover high up their Top 55 list.
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I got nothin on him. I think the only scouting report we’re gonna get on him is if one of yall central TX folks happens to have seen him at a game.
He had committed to Hill College (Juco). That is all I have.
13th round Aubrey Smith UNC Wilmington (NC)
Was redshirted after his freshman year so a draft eligible sophomore. Apparently added some velo to his FB during his redshirt year.
14th Round Josh Wakefield - Grand Canyon Univ. He has committed to transfer to Oregon State just about a week ago. Might be a tough sign.
Eephustosser reports on Smith and Wakefield:
- Aubrey Smith, RHP, UNC Wilmington. After not pitching in 2024, Smith was a bit of a swingman this year for UNCW. Profiles as a refined bullpen arm, but I think you try him as a starter first, as he’s shown a propensity to go multiple innings and hold velocity. Could thrive with a defined role.
- Josh Wakefield, RF, Grand Canyon. Massive presence atop the GCU lineup Team high AVG, OBP, and SB. Strong bat-to-ball skills, low-whiff approach, cannon in the OF. Standout at Iowa Western, made a name as GCU’s leadoff man. Plug-and-play top-of-the-order bat with real table-setting upside.
Round 15: two-way player DJ Newman, Bowling Green (report from FSS)
Newman is a tremendous two-way talent who missed the date cutoff for the 2024 Draft by just two weeks. He swings a heavy barrel with loud exit velocities. It’s more barrel awareness rather than sheer raw power mostly due to a smaller frame, but Newman can bang. His sophomore campaign was cut short at just 34 games but he’d already posted a 10 homer, 10 stolen base campaign with a .371/.455/.664 slash line. Newman is plenty capable and accomplished as an outfielder, but his time in the field has been cut short by nagging ailments. It’s not a foregone conclusion he’s a hitter either. Newman boasts an exceptional fastball with considerable ride late through the zone. He’s been up to 93 mph and possesses above average control. He’s still working to develop a go-to secondary with both his slider and changeup flashing at times. There are a ton of avenues for Newman to travel to reach his big league ceiling, but durability will be the primary emphasis in 2025.
He is set to transfer to Tennessee in 2026 if he goes undrafted.
Astros called his name as a two-way player, so lots of questions there between that and the Vols commit.
Astros draft two way player DJ Newman out of Bowling Green - 6’0" RHP/OF who hit .419 with nine doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI in 25 games. Also had a 3.77 ERA in 14.1 innings of work last year. Committed to Tennessee in the transfer portal, so might be a tougher sign.
Of course @moriarty beat me to it with a more extensive write up.
Navarro High out of Seguin or Navarro High in Austin?
ETA: Looked it up, from the Navarro ISD just north of Seguin out of the little town of Geronimo. Small school, growing very rapidly.
ETA: Elijah Farley is a senior at Navarro High School and a standout athlete in baseball. He has been a key player for the Navarro Panthers, contributing significantly to their success. On March 11, 2025, Farley hit a two-run home run against Pearsall, helping the Panthers secure an 18-1 victory.
Later, on March 21, 2025, he hit another two-run home run in a 20-1 run-rule win against Gonzales.
Farley’s performance has not gone unnoticed, and he has committed to Hill College to play baseball with the Rebels. In addition to his baseball achievements, Farley has also been involved in basketball and track, showcasing his versatility as a multi-sport athlete.
His contributions to the team have been recognized, and he has been a crucial part of the Panthers’ success in both the non-district and district seasons.
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I laughed when I read that his 2-run homers secured those blowouts.
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That’s a draft. Here’s the full list of picks, link to a video for each.
1-21. Xavier Neyens, SS/3B, Mt. Vernon HS (WA)
3-95. Ethan Frey, OF, LSU
4-126. Nick Monistere, 2B, Southern Miss
5-156. Nick Potter, RHP, Wichita State
6-186. Gabel Pentecost, RHP, Taylor U
7-216. Jase Mitchell, C, Cape Henlopen HS (DE)
8-246. Kyle Walker, 2B, Arizona State (lol, his face)
9-276. Kellan Oakes, RHP, Oregon State
10-306. Zach Daudet, SS, Cal Poly
11-336. Justin Thomas, OF, Arkansas
12-366. Elijah Farley, OF, Navarro HS (TX)
13-396. Aubrey Smith, RHP, UNC Wilmington
14-426. Josh Wakefield, OF, Grand Canyon
15-456. DJ Newman, TWP, Bowling Green
16-486. Chase Call, OF, UC Irvine
17-516. Grayson Saunier, RHP, Texas
18-546. Landon Arroyos, SS, Grayson HS (GA)
19-576. Joey McLaughlin, OF, Harrah HS (OK)
20-606. Curtis Hebert, SS, Portland
Checking in on the trends:
- First pick on a hitter - check
- No LHP - check
- No HS pitchers - check
- College lean - less extreme this year, with a whole 5(!) preps
- Small schools - nope. Lots of majors here
The high schoolers are interesting. Aside from Neyens and Mitchell, they seem to have been off the radar of the big online publications. Good athletes, maybe one of them ends up on campus, hard to imagine they’d burn more than one pick on a non-signer. Signing deadline is July 28.
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You are the man Sir. Thank you for your service!
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Yes, I’m too lazy to look it up, does anyone know how the kid that we drafted out of the junior college last year has done this year up to this point?
Caden Powell, hurt since late May but hitting .264/.331/.442 in Fayetteville with a boatload of strikeouts. But he’s impressing someone—the ESPN prospect guy heard enough good things about him to rank him third in the system, dramatically higher than consensus.
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I keep searching for injury news on him, but never found anything. Do you know what his injury is?
I don’t, but in looking, I saw his status just updated today and he’s now on a rehab assignment at the complex league.
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“Prospect discomfort”
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He’s fitting right in around here.
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UDFAs already rolling in. Astros have inked four pitchers so far, not surprising given how hitter-heavy their draft was. Just five pitchers across their nineteen picks, six depending on whether two-way draftee DJ Newman signs and takes the mound.
- Jackson Wells, RHP, Little Rock
- Brandon Cassedy, RHP, George Mason
- Charlie Weber, RHP, Saint Louis
- Coleman MacRae, RHP, Central Arkansas
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So…is it always seniors that get signed via UDFAs or can Juniors also take this path if so inclined?
There is no rule preventing it. There is a cap on how much you can sign a NDFA for. The cap is $150K. If you go over $150K, it goes against your draft bonus pool. So if you have money laying around after signings, you might throw some at a NDFA if you really, really like him.