Logan Hughes’ first trip to Daikin Park as an Astros Draft prospect came with a story he couldn’t wait to share.
The Houston first-round pick told Jeff Bagwell that the two had actually met years ago, back when the Astros were still holding Spring Training at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, Fla. Hughes was a toddler then, tagging along while his mother, Melissa, sang the national anthem before Grapefruit League games. In those days, there are photos of Logan with Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Lance Berkman and other Astros players - a family keepsake from a moment neither side could have known would circle back like this.
“I was a baby running around,” Logan said. “I got pictures with Biggio, Berkman.
We had one with Bagwell and we can’t find it, which sucks. We have pictures with all those guys.
I idolized Bagwell growing up and now getting to work with him is amazing. I’m excited for it.”
The Astros made Hughes the 17th overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft out of Texas Tech, and for Melissa Hughes, it landed as the kind of full-circle moment that doesn’t come around often. She’s been an Astros fan her whole life, and later this week she, Logan and his parents will be in Houston for the contract signing.
“I think deep down I was hoping the Astros were going to pick him, but we were kind of unsure,” she said. “It was pretty exciting for me, not just for him getting drafted but just being drafted by the Astros because I had a personal relationship with the team and was a fan growing up.”
Melissa’s path to those ballparks started with her father, who worked for the parks and recreation department and would volunteer her to sing at different sporting events. While in high school, she was asked to sing at the Mascot Games at Stetson University, where someone from Osceola County Stadium heard her.
From there, the connection stuck. She sang in church choir and the Stetson University Children’s Choir growing up, but never turned it into a professional career.
“I sang there and the right person heard me, and it just kind of went from there,” said Melissa, who sang in the church choir and Stetson University Children’s Choir growing up. “I never sang professionally. I just volunteered mostly in our community.”
For the Astros, Hughes was more than a sentimental fit. The left-handed hitter put together a strong season at Texas Tech, batting .375 with 18 home runs and 71 RBIs, while also drawing 50 walks against just 33 strikeouts. He can handle the corner outfield spots and first base, and Houston liked what it saw when he came in for that pre-Draft workout.
“The bat is the big [tool],” Hughes said. “I had more power than they realized in the workout, putting balls in the second deck.
They were impressed by that. The GM came out when I was at Baylor and I went lefty-lefty [homer] into the river [the Brazos River sits behind right field at Baylor’s ballpark].
They liked it when I played first base and showed off some first-base skills there. Maybe they thought I was a little bit better defensively than they realized.”
Astros amateur scouting director Cam Pendino said the club saw Hughes as one of the Draft’s best bats, praising the mix of contact and strike-zone control that helped him stand out. Houston also believes he could move quickly through its system.
And if the timing works out the way this family has already seen it do once, Melissa might even get another chance to sing with her son on the field.
“I would never say never,” she said. “I think it would be pretty emotional with my son on the field. I’d have to get back to practicing and see if I can still do it.”
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