HOUSTON, TX - The Houston Astros have completed their selections tonight by picking third baseman Joe Perez, right-handed pitcher Corbin Martin and second baseman J.J. Matijevic in Day 1 of the June 2017 First-Year Player Draft. Perez and Martin were selected in the second round (#53 and #56, respectively) and Matijevic was selected in the Competitive Balance Round B (#75 overall).
Perez, 17, hit .526 (40x76) with 14 doubles, nine home runs, three triples and a 1.726 OPS (.581 OBP/1.145 SLG) during his senior year at Archbishop McCarthy HS in Southwest Ranches, Fla. Among all players, Perez entered the draft ranked by Baseball America as the No. 98 prospect available and the No. 92 prospect by MLB.com. The right-handed hitting infielder was named a 2017 Rawlings-Perfect Game 1st Team All-American, as well as a 2016 Underclass 1st Team and 2015 Underclass 2nd Team selection by Perfect Game.
Martin, 21, has pitched in 23 games (12 starts) for the Texas A&M Aggies this season as a junior. He owns a 3.35 ERA (32ER/86IP) with 94 strikeouts and 37 walks in his 86.0 innings of work. He made two appearances out of the bullpen in the 2017 Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic, and is currently with the Aggies as they recently advanced to the College World Series. Martin is a native of Cypress, Texas, where he attended Cy-Ranch High School.
Matijevic, 21, led the Arizona Wildcats offense in his junior season batting .383 (92x250) with 30 doubles, 10 homers, 65 RBI and a 1.069 OPS (.436 OBP/.633 SLG) in 59 games. He owned a .996 fielding percentage, committing only two errors in 474 total chances. He led the Pac-12 this season in batting average, doubles, slugging, hits, RBI and total bases. He is a native of North Huntingdon, Pa., where he attended Norwin HS.
The Martin and Matijevic picks were awarded to Houston from St. Louis in the Cardinals-Astros arbitration case in January 2017.
Earlier tonight, the Astros drafted RHP J.B. Bukauskas in the first round (#15 overall). Bukauskus, 20, was drafted out of UNC where he was a three-year starter for the Tar Heels. He went 9-1 with a 2.53 ERA (26ER/92.2IP) in 15 starts in this season, his junior year. He struck out 116 batters and walked just 37, while holding opposing hitters to a .188 (62x329) batting average.
After tonight, the draft will resume tomorrow (rounds 3-10) and Wednesday (rounds 11-40), with tomorrow's selections starting at noon CT and Wednesday's commencing at 11 a.m. CT. MLB.com will stream all 40 rounds of the 2017 Draft.
Astros Assistant General Manager, Scouting and Player Development Mike Elias will be made available after the Astros final selections tomorrow (approx. 5:30 p.m.) and on Wednesday (5:45 p.m.) in the press box lobby at Minute Maid Park.
-ASTROS-