Freeman one of three Astros draftees to sign
DENVER -- The Astros announced the signings of three more selections from last week's Draft on Thursday: left-handed pitcher Michael Freeman, a seventh-round pick; catcher Garrett Stubbs, an eighth-round pick; and right-hander Ralph Garza, a 26th-round pick.
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The signing bonuses weren't disclosed.
Freeman, 23, signed his contract a week ago and will report to Class A Quad Cities, a full-season club. The 6-foot-8 Freeman was named the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year at Oklahoma State after finishing his senior season with a 10-3 record, 1.31 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 109 2/3 innings.
"This is every kid's dream, to get the opportunity to play professional baseball, the opportunity to compete for, eventually, a job at the big league level," Freeman said last week. "I'm really thankful that the Astros have that faith in me and really believe in me and want me to be a part of their organization."
Stubbs, 22, set career highs in almost every offensive category in his senior season at USC, batting .346 with 15 doubles, 25 RBIs, 27 walks and an .869 on-base plus slugging percentage. He was named a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award, given to the nation's top college catcher. He threw out 52.8 percent of would-be basestealers. He'll report to Class A Short-Season Tri-City.
"It's been an unbelievable experience, going through the Draft and seeing my name pop up on the board," Stubbs said last week. "The Astros are an organization that's building, and that's fun to be a part of."
The Astros also signed two non-drafted free agents, coming to terms with Texas A&M Corpus Christi right-hander Jacob Dorris and Stanford right-hander David Schmidt.
Houston has signed 21 of its 42 selections from the Draft.