Logan Hughes didn’t take long to make the Astros feel good about the pick.
Houston had been on him for a while - from his sophomore year at Texas Tech to his run in the Cape Cod League - and by the time he showed up for a pre-Draft workout at Daikin Park, the organization had seen enough to put him near the top of its board. The workout only strengthened that feeling. Astros Midwest senior scouting supervisor Jim Stevenson said Hughes stood out in every part of the visit, especially during a batting practice session that sent balls into the second deck.
"I think he really impressed and opened a lot of people's eyes," Stevenson said. "This guy's super comfortable in his own skin, super comfortable in the cage and super comfortable in a big league ballpark."
That visit helped push Hughes, MLB’s No. 42 Draft prospect, to Houston with the 17th overall pick.
"This is definitely a consideration at 17 and a definite if we get to our next pick with him," Stevenson said. "Then the Draft starts and the chips start falling, and we thought he was the next best player on the board."
The left-handed hitter has done plenty to back up that belief in his first taste of pro ball. Through 21 games with Single-A Fayetteville, Hughes has put together a .333/.443/.605 line, and he’s picked up at least one hit in all but one of those games. His August stretch was especially loud: an 18-game hitting streak, a 1.073 OPS, 12 extra-base hits, 25 RBIs and eight stolen bases.
The production has come with Hughes missing time since Thursday because of a lower-body injury, but the early numbers still jump off the page. MLB Pipeline grades his power at 50, and the Astros see more coming. The organization’s No. 3 prospect has earned that status by showing both bat-to-ball skill and the kind of strength that can keep growing.
At 5-feet-11 and 197 pounds, Hughes has drawn questions about whether he’ll have enough pop to hold down left field or first base. Stevenson doesn’t sound concerned. He pointed to a broader trend of hitters who don’t fit the classic big-bodied slugger mold but still drive the ball out.
"The floor is really high and there's still a very high ceiling here," he said. "He's a short-arm guy, high-contact bat, with less room for swing-and-miss error."
Houston has also liked the way Hughes handles adversity. After starting the month 0-for-4, he bounced right back, showing both power and a better approach at the plate. Stevenson said the response stood out just as much as the results.
"This guy walked back to the dugout positive," Stevenson said. "There was never poor body language.
He just waited his time. He's gonna get his pitch sooner or later, and that's what I think this guy really brings to the table.
… I just think that this guy has that gift where in the big moments he's going to bring something special to the team and to the organization at whatever level he's at."
The Astros also believe the public scouting reports on Hughes miss part of the picture. While outside evaluations have pegged him as a below-average defender and thrower, Stevenson said the club sees a better glove. Hughes has played multiple positions, with most of his pro starts coming at first base, where he has nine.
"His jumps are good. His reads are good.
He catches everything. He gets in the gaps," Stevenson said.
"The defense at first base is really good. It's as good as you'll find in a college guy.
… We feel that way as an organization."
"It's allowed him to find some comfort," Astros Minor League field coordinator Micheal Thomas added about Hughes playing first base. "The biggest thing for us was it allowed us to get him into more games earlier and not overexpand the dynamic of what the workload looks like early on in his career."
Thomas also came away impressed with the person behind the numbers. After seeing several players make their pro debuts with the Woodpeckers, he said Hughes brought a constant energy and a smile that showed up "90 percent" of the time.
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