Houston’s first day of the 2026 MLB Draft didn’t end after its two first-round selections. Once Logan Hughes and Jack Radel were off the board, the Astros used their next four picks to add a college left-hander, a pair of shortstops and a power-armed high school bat, rounding out a six-man haul on day one.
The Astros’ first move after the first round came in the second, where they went back to the college ranks and selected left-hander Wes Mendes out of Florida State. Mendes took over as the Seminoles’ top starter this spring, leading the staff in innings while going 9-3 with an ERA in the high 2s and holding hitters below a .210 average. At 6-foot-1, Mendes works from the left side with a five-pitch mix, topping out at 96 mph with a fastball, and evaluators consider his changeup his best secondary offering. Astros amateur scouting director Cam Pendino praised the combination of strike-throwing and pitch quality, saying the club believes Mendes has a chance to be a rotation piece who could move relatively quickly through the system.
In the third round, Houston pivoted to the prep ranks for the first time, taking shortstop Keon Johnson out of First Presbyterian High School in Macon, Georgia. A Vanderbilt commit, Johnson doesn’t have one loud, standout tool, but scouts like that his game is short on weaknesses across the board. He’s a right-handed hitter with a simple, quiet swing who profiles as a hit-first shortstop with room to grow into more power as he physically matures. Pendino praised his plate discipline and contact skills as advanced for his age, calling it a rare blend for an 18-year-old.
Houston stayed on the infield in the fourth round, taking Missouri shortstop Kam Durnin, a transfer from Wichita State who broke out with the Tigers this spring. Durnin hit .329 with a .570 slugging percentage and 11 stolen bases in his lone season at Missouri, building on a standout 2025 summer in the Appalachian League where he was voted the league’s top player. Pendino said the front office was surprised Durnin lasted into the fourth round, adding that the team views him as a legitimate shortstop, like a real major league shortstop, and that the Astros hold a high internal bar for grading players at the position.
Houston closed out day one with a compensation pick acquired after Framber Valdez departed in free agency, using it on Kansas high school third baseman Beau Peterson. Peterson, out of Mill Valley High School in Shawnee, won the MLB High School Home Run Derby and has drawn comparisons as the state’s best position-player prospect since Bubba Starling. He’s a 6-foot-3 left-handed hitter whose raw power shows up without any extra effort in his mechanics, and he’s drawn crowds of scouts to his workouts. KCTV5 reported that Strickland, who coaches Peterson, pointed to his work ethic as much as his tools, saying not one player on the team outworks him. Peterson also pitches, running his fastball up to 94 mph. He’s committed to Texas and is expected to require an overslot deal to sign, along with Johnson.
After opening with Logan Hughes and Jack Radel, the Astros leaned heavily on college performers while still taking swings on high-upside prep talent in Johnson and Peterson—a mix the front office hopes balances certainty with ceiling as the system tries to restock.
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