SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) — The Houston Astros have selected 17-year-old shortstop Carlos Correa with the No. 1 pick in the baseball draft, making him the highest selection ever to come from Puerto Rico.
Correa has an incredibly strong arm and terrific instincts defensively, and the Astros might have found their shortstop of the future. He bested catcher Ramon Castro, who went No. 17 to Houston in 1994, as the highest-drafted Puerto Rican player.
It was the first time Houston had the top pick in the draft since 1992, when the Astros selected Phil Nevin — passing on Derek Jeter, who went five spots later to the Yankees.
While recent previous drafts lacked intrigue with the first pick, it was unclear even an hour before their selection who the Astros would take.
