MLB Draft 2021: Houston Astros Take Tyler Whitaker

HOUSTON, TX — The Houston Astros had to wait until the third round, but they grabbed a power-hitting corner outfielder with their first pick in the 2021 MLB Draft on Monday.

The Astros selected Tyler Whitaker out of Las Vegas' Bishop Gorman High School with the 87th pick of the draft. The last player to sign out of Bishop Gorman was another power-hitting outfielder — Texas Rangers' Joey Gallo.

Whitaker is the 37th-ranked prospect in the nation, according to MLB Pipeline.

Whitaker, who fields and bats right-handed, initially played shortstop and third base but switched to the outfield for his senior season, and that's where he likely will play during his professional career, according to his scouting report on MLB.com.

Whitaker, who has a big frame at 6 feet, 4 inches and 190 pounds, adjusted his batting stance to be more upright in 2021, which helped him unlock his power, according to MLB.com. It helped the Arizona commit earn 2021 Gatorade Player of the Year honors for Nevada.

The Astros didn't have first- or second-round picks because of penalties levied against them from the sign-stealing scandal that came to light following the 2019 season.

In the fourth round, Houston selected shortstop Alex Ulloa out of Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with the 117th overall pick.

Ulloa is the 165th-ranked prospect in the draft by MLB Pipeline. The Oklahoma State commit's greatest strengths are his contact abilities as well as his speed, according to his scouting report on MLB.com. There are questions about his ability to stay at shortstop, with some scouts believing he is better suited for second base.

Houston added Ball State pitcher Chayce McDermott with its compensatory pick at the end of the fourth round, the 132nd overall pick in the draft. McDermott is the 126th-ranked prospect in MLB Pipeline's rankings, and his best pitch is a fastball that sits in the mid 90s and reached 98 mph this spring.

McDermott is the brother of Memphis Grizzlies small forward Sean McDermott.

In the fifth round, the Astros picked Wright State outfielder Quincy Hamilton with the 148th overall selection.

Here are the Astros' remaining selections.

• 6th round, No. 178: Spencer Arrighetti, RHP, Louisiana-Lafayette
• 7th round, No. 208: Joey Loperfido, OF, Duke
• 8th round, No. 238: Colton Gordon, LHP, Central Florida
• 9th round, No. 268: Aaron Brown, RHP, Middle Tennessee State
• 10th round, No. 298: Michael Sandle, OF, South Alabama
• 11th round, No. 328: Chad Stevens, SS, University of Portland
• 12th round, No. 358: Rhett Kouba, RHP, Dallas Baptist
• 13th round, No. 388: Kobe Kato, 2B, University of Arizona
• 14th round, No. 418: Bryant Salgado, RHP, Oregon State
• 15th round, No. 448: Adrian Chaidez, RHP, UCLA
• 16th round, No. 478: Nic Swanson, RHP, Northeastern State (Oklahoma)
• 17th round, No. 508: Justin Williams, 3B, Penn State
• 18th round, No. 538: Will Wagner, 2B, Liberty University
• 19th round, No. 568: Hector G. Nieves, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy
• 20th round, No. 598: Jackson Linn, OF, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (Massachusetts)