http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/joe-strauss/strauss-how-much-great-starting-pitching-is-too-much/article_d709fdfc-6fad-5a6c-92ae-f5f8532e56e3.html

Great pitching at what cost?

5 hours ago  •  BY JOE STRAUSS • jstrauss@post-dispatch.com

Evaluating pitching remains part science, part art.

The scientist interprets numbers that may be as advanced as fielding-independent earned run average or as simple as pitches thrown and innings worked. The artist contemplates opponent, mechanics, weather and stress to determine a given day’s workload.

Through 40 games, numbers scream the Cardinals’ rotation has accomplished more than any fivesome in either league. It has worked more innings, sculpted a lower ERA and won more decisions to offset a fractious bullpen and cushion an offense yet to match its gaudy reputation. Despite Thursday afternoon’s 5-2 loss to the struggling New York Mets, the starting pitchers have done more to propel the Cardinals to a National League-best 26-14 record than any other facet of the club.

Yet can there be too much of a good thing from an eclectic group averaging almost 6 2/3 innings per appearance, a 2.37 ERA and that last week dealt one-hit and two-hit shutouts on consecutive days?

The Cardinals have endured only one start of less than five innings. The starters have surrendered 13 measly home runs in 261 innings.

Since a three-inning start in Philadelphia April 19, the rotation has constructed 17 outings of at least six innings with no more than three earned runs allowed – the so-called “quality start.” The Cardinals are 12-5 in those games.

Rookie Shelby Miller last Friday allowed a broken-bat leadoff single before answering with 27 consecutive outs. As if to improve upon near-perfection, Adam Wainwright on Saturday took a no-hitter into the eighth inning.

A starting pitcher has walked more than one hitter in only one of the last 12 games. The rotation has amassed 73 strikeouts during the span.

“They’re doing exactly what they’re supposed to do,” says pitching coach Derek Lilliquist, who has instilled an attitude of constant aggression in his guys.

All this success plus the bullpen’s initial queasiness leaves the rotation averaging more than 101 pitches per game. No team in either league comes close. Ten times a Cards starter has reached 110 pitches, beginning with Jake Westbrook’s 116 tosses while securing 20 outs against the San Francisco Giants April 5 at AT&T Park. Westbrook walked six and surrendered six hits that day yet somehow avoided an earned run while combating awkward mechanics. The outing could accurately be labeled high-stress.

Now sporting a 1.40 ERA, Miller threw 113 pitches during last Friday’s one-hitter. Thirteen strikeouts elevated his pitch count more than a parade of extended at-bats.

On Monday Lance Lynn threw 124 pitches in seven innings at the Mets. It marked the highest pitch count by a Cardinals pitcher since 2011 and the highest anywhere in the game this season. The rotation threw 453 pitches in a four-day span that included Westbrook landing on the disabled list with an inflamed elbow and a muscle strain.

Maybe we worry too much. After all, finding innings from a rotation that lost Kyle Lohse to free agency and Chris Carpenter to returning shoulder weakness was supposed to be the issue. Instead, the question focuses on excess.

“We watch them on a day-to-day basis,” manager Mike Matheny says. “If we see something we don’t like we take them out. ... You can take any angle on it you want. There are people who don’t like how far we’re riding our starters. But there were days that it was kind of a necessity. Early in the season we had a hard time figuring out our bullpen. Now guys are doing a nice job. We’re not going to put a guy in harm’s way.”

The Cardinals rotation is on pace to work 1,057 innings. Last season’s starters compiled 989 1/3 innings, the 2011 starters shouldered 999 innings. The 2005 staff that led the National League in ERA received 1,048 innings from a veteran bunch.

Cooler weather, more frequent off days and the starters’ efficiency has allowed them to amass innings. As the schedule tightens and summer arrives, wear becomes a greater concern.

Jaime Garcia has never thrown more than 195 innings in a regular season and is coming off last year’s double dose of shoulder concern. Miller, 22 until October, has never worked more than 151 innings in four professional seasons. One-fourth of the way through the schedule, Miller is more than one-third to the total and on pace for more than 200 innings.

“We’re obviously going to be careful moving forward with Shelby,” Lilliquist said. “But when he’s doing what he’s doing, there is opportunity early in the year to take advantage of it.”

To their credit, the Cardinals typically have already thought about a topic when approached. This is no exception. They have plans, even if they don’t want you or me to know them.

No matter how strong he appears or how well he pitches, Miller is very unlikely to near 200 innings this season. If necessary, the club may use the softer part of the schedule – the weeks leading up to the All-Star break – to decrease Miller’s innings or skip his turn entirely.

This is different from the Washington Nationals’ controversial approach with Stephen Strasburg last September. Citing his proximity to Tommy John surgery, the Nats shut down Strasburg for the year, including a postseason blemished by their five-game elimination by the Cardinals in the NLDS. The Cardinals’ intent is to re-ignite a freshened Miller for the stretch drive and postseason.

Well aware of the stir that accompanied Strasburg’s shutdown, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak sees no use divulging his contingencies.

“I really see no benefit in discussing what our plans may be. I’m not going to do it,” he said Thursday. “I’ve seen the kind of ridicule other organizations have received simply for doing what they believe is right.”

Lilliquist insisted “it’s way too early” to unwrap possibilities for late June, July or beyond.

“I would never get caught up at this stage of the game thinking about what it’s going to be at the end of the season. His focus is to prepare and get ready every fifth day,” Lilliquist said. “If it’s three innings it’s three innings. If it’s more, it’s more. At the end of the year we’ll see where we’re at.”

Barring complications, Carpenter would be deep into a rehab assignment that increasingly appears designed to open the door to starting.

Matheny made clear at Wednesday’s post-game that protecting his staff is paramount. Five days after Miller’s near perfecto, Matheny lifted the rookie with a 2-0 lead after 96 pitches in 5 2/3 innings. Miller seemed to labor at times. How he looked proved more motivating than pitch count.

The Cardinals are watching. They understand the question because they are asking it themselves. We’ll know the answers when we see them.

10 Best Strength Exercises for Baseball Players

By: Joe Lopez | February 24, 2012

 As a baseball athlete, you need to consider two important aspects of your training: total body strength and explosive power.

But first, consider the muscle imbalances caused naturally by the sport. For example, you swing the bat from one side. You run around the bases in one direction. You plant with the same foot over and over to throw. This means strength imbalances in your quads, hamstrings, forearms, chest, shoulders and back—all the key baseball muscles—naturally develop and must be corrected during training.

As for the importance of explosive power, consider that all action in baseball occurs in short bursts. Each athletic movement takes place for less than a second (swinging a bat) to about 10 seconds (catching a fly ball).

Below are 10 exercises that will correct muscle imbalances, address the key baseball muscles and ensure you have the explosive power necessary to dominate your opponents.

1. Farmer's Walk

Strong forearm muscles allow you to whip the bat through the zone, just like the powerhouse hitters of yore.

• Grab heavy pair of dumbbells

• Lock shoulder blades into place

• Keep knees slightly flexed and walk around gym until grip starts slipping

• Safely set dumbbells on the floor

Sets/Time: 3x max duration; perform at end of workout, twice per week

2. Plyo Push-Ups

Plyo Push-Ups are preferable to the Bench Press, because they take the shoulder through a larger range of motion without the stress of heavy weight. Plus, this exercise develops chest explosiveness that baseball players need for powerful hitting.

• Assume push-up position, then lower body until chest almost touches ground

• Explosively drive body up by fully extending arms

• Land with hands shoulder-width apart; immediately perform next rep

• Perform continuously for specified reps

Sets/Reps: 5x8

Watch Captain Brandon Godsey of the Ohio Army National Guard perform Plyo Push-Ups.

3. Rotational Med Ball Throws

This classic abdominal exercise involves the internal and external obliques; its rotation closely imitates the swing in baseball. Work on both sides to correct imbalances.

• Stand facing wall, with feet shoulder-width apart

• Using both hands, bring med ball to right side of body

• Rotate torso and throw ball toward wall

• Catch ball off wall and repeat for prescribed reps

• Perform on opposite side

Sets/Reps: 5x8 each side

4. Single-Leg RDL

Your hamstrings create speed by allowing the knee to flex and the hip to extend. By training hip extension, you can steal more bases and reach peak speed even more quickly. Exercises such as a Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift work the hamstring while stretching the muscle.

• Balance on one leg, holding dumbbells at sides

• With balancing leg slightly bent and back flat, bend forward at waist until dumbbells are just above floor

• Return to start; repeat for specified reps

• Perform set on opposite side

Sets/Reps: 5x8

Watch Cy Young award-winning pitcher Justin Verlander perform a Flamingo/Single-Leg RDL Combo.

5. Band Face Pulls

For baseball players, the muscles that need particular work stretch from the upper back to the shoulder blades. If these often-overlooked muscles are weak, then injury to the rotator cuff is more likely to occur.

• Hold rubber tubing with arms extended out in front of face

• Point thumbs up

• Pinch shoulder blades and pull hands to face

Sets/Reps: 3x8

6. Plank

Planks are a great way to develop core stability and strength. (And remember, your core is not another word for your abs—it's a series of muscles, including your glutes and lower back, that stabilize the spine.) A strong core allows you to react to a ball hit in the gap or explosively drive a ball down the line.

• Lie on stomach with elbows bent underneath

• Raise body until only elbows and toes touch ground

• Keep body rigid and flat by tightening abs and butt

Sets/Duration: 3x30 seconds

Check out Willis McGahee's Plank to see how the two-time Pro Bowl running back incorporates the movement into his workout.

7. Deadlift

This is the king of all exercises. Baseball players will directly benefit by doing Deadlifts because they target the glutes, one of the largest muscles in the body. To swing the bat powerfully, your glutes need to fire to create a strong rotation at the hips.

Learn how to perform the exercise: Master the Deadlift, Part 1: The Conventional Deadlift

Sets/Reps: 5x8

8. Barbell Lunges

Strong quads help you transition power from one foot to the other, like making a pivot on a cutoff throw. But Squats often have negative effects for baseball players, creating overstretched shoulder joints. However, you need to strengthen your legs, so I recommend performing Barbell Lunges instead.

• Begin with bar on back in standing position

• Step forward into lunge position, keeping front knee behind toes

• Lower until back knee almost touches ground

• Push back into standing position without changing torso angle

Sets/Reps: 5x8 each leg

Watch Miami Marlins pitcher Steve Cishek perform Safety-Squat Bar Forward Lunges.

9. Side-Lying External Rotations

Keeping the rotator cuff muscles healthy is important for baseball players. You are training for muscular endurance with this exercise, so don't try to increase the weight beyond your limit. Throwing a baseball also works these same muscles, so you might want to use this exercise only during the off-season.

• Lie on side, holding light dumbbell in front near mid-torso with elbow bent at 90-degree angle and palm facing in

• Keeping elbow pinned to side, rotate hand away from body until forearm is parallel to floor

• Return to start; repeat for specified reps

• Perform set with opposite arm

Sets/Reps: 3x15

10. Foam Rolling

When you work out, your body's soft tissue contracts and can develop tight spots. (Baseball players particularly have tight hips, hamstrings, biceps and rotator cuffs.) Foam rolling will cut your chance of injury; it acts as a massage for the soft tissue. This same type of procedure can be followed for the quads, IT bands, shoulders, upper back and lower back.

• Place foam roller under muscle group

• Roll slowly back and forth for one minute

• Roll on muscle; avoid bone

Watch NBA All-Star Luol Deng Foam Roll.

Photo:  traininganddevelopmentguru.com.au

Joe Lopez, CSCS, works with many different athletes at Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta, N.J. His expertise is in track and field, baseball and golf. He has worked as a personal trainer for more than seven years. Follow him online at jerseystrong.wordpress.com or on Twitter.

Finding the pitching-development droughts for all 30 teams 

By Grant Brisbee on May 15 2013

Matt Harvey has a chance to be the first ace developed by the Mets since Dwight Gooden. How do other teams stack up?

Matt Harvey is a Sports Illustrated cover star now. Part of me thinks it's a little too soon, and the other part of me is too busy checking in with alt.binaries.pictures.matt-harvey to see if any new GIFs are up. It's hard to complain about Harvey getting too much attention now because he almost didn't get any as a prospect. After years of breathlessly waiting for Fernando Martinez or Alex Ochoa to be the next Darryl Strawberry, the Mets slipped us an under-the-radar prospect. So strange.

That's not the strangest thing about him, though. The strangest thing might be that he's a homegrown Mets pitcher who looks like he's approaching stardom.Tom Verducci took a look at the dearth of homegrown Mets pitchers, and found that since Dwight Gooden, there's been a whole lot of nothing. Good pitchers have come and gone (Johan Santana, Al Leiter, R.A. Dickey), but there haven't been any great homegrown pitchers developed by the Mets. Mike Pelfrey had a good season once. There's that.

So how does that compare with other droughts around the league? I guess the first thing to do is define what constitutes a good pitcher or "an ace." Baseball Reference has a handy guide on every player's page to what wins above replacement usually hint at:

8+ MVP, 5+ A-S, 2+ Starter, 0-2 Sub, < 0 Repl

It's probably a little too unrealistic to look for MVP-level homegrown pitchers, so let's stick with the five-win starters. Every team has developed one in their history, so let's find the last one.

Still on the team

Giants - Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain (Last season with 5+ WAR: 2009)
Mariners - Felix Hernandez (2010)
Red Sox - Jon Lester (2010)
Angels - Jered Weaver (2011)
Phillies - Cole Hamels (2011)
Blue Jays - Ricky Romero (2011)
White Sox - Chris Sale (2012)
Tigers - Justin Verlander (2012) 
Rays - David Price (2012)
Reds - Johnny Cueto (2012)
Dodgers - Clayton Kershaw (2012)

Romero kind of makes me sad, and if you think the courts should throw it out, note that Roy Halladay did it with the Jays for six straight years. The Giants are known for their homegrown pitching right now, but before Lincecum and Cain, their last All-Star-quality homegrown pitcher was Ed Halicki in 1977.

Of course, between Jack Morris and Justin Verlander, there was Justin Thompson and only Justin Thompson.

Recent past

Cubs - Carlos Zambrano (2006)
Padres - Jake Peavy (2007)
Orioles - Erik Bedard (2007)
Indians - CC Sabathia (2007)
Astros - Roy Oswalt (2007)
Yankees - Chien-Ming Wang (2007)
Diamondbacks - Brandon Webb (2008)
Royals - Zack Greinke (2009)
Marlins - Josh Johnson (2010)
Rockies - Ubaldo Jimenez (2010)

I was hoping the Rockies wouldn't have one, if only so there would be onefreak team. But not only did I forget about Ubaldo, there was also Jason Jennings. More important, the second-best pitching year in Rockies history according to WAR? Pedro Astacio, 1999. His ERA was 5.04.

The Yankees featured just one five-win pitcher in the '80s, and he (Ron Guidry) was developed in the '70s, so that sort of explains the kind of lost decade that will waste Rickey Henderson's best years.

Not-so-recent past

Braves - Kevin Millwood (1999)
Rangers - Kenny Rogers (2002) 
Nationals - Javier Vazquez (2003)
Pirates - Kris Benson (2004) 
Brewers - Ben Sheets (2004)
Twins - Brad Radke (2004)
Athletics - Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson (2003)

Ryan Drese wasn't homegrown, and neither is Matt Harrison. C.J. Wilson came close to five wins, but never went over. And Kenny Rogers' 2002 season came on his second tour with the Rangers, so I'm not sure if it counts. Luckily, it was Rogers who did it in the first place.

Benson was at five wins exactly, which makes me want to write Baseball-Reference.com and see if there's some sort of auditing process that could bump him down to 4.9 just for symmetry's sake. But before that is Francisco Cordova in 1998, so it's not like the adjustment would make that much of a difference.

And for all the young pitching the A's seem to have at any given moment, most of it isn't coming from the draft or the international market.

Distant, distant past

Mets - Dwight Gooden (1985)

So it's not just an interesting factoid to throw into a Matt Harvey feature -- the Mets have really had an unusual time developing their own pitchers. Verducci's column limited the search to drafted players only, but opening the floor to international free agents doesn't help things any. The last 20 Mets pitchers with a three-win season:

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used

I cut the list off at 20 because #21 was Armando Benitez, and no one wants to see that.

But the Mets don't have the worst drought when it comes to homegrown starters performing at an All-Star level. That one gets its own category …

Wait, what?

Cardinals - John Denny (1978)

Since Denny's season, the Cardinals have won six N.L. pennants and three World Series. But they've done it with poached players, whether via trades or free agency.

They've had good seasons from homegrown starters, don't get me wrong. The last three-win season came from Rick Ankiel, and there was Matt Morris and Alan Benes before that. Or Andy Benes. One of the Beni. But other than those pitchers, the real success has come mostly from other organizations.

There you have it: the Cardinals are your beacon of incompetence. If only other teams could fail so magnificently. (Or succeed without rubbing everyone else's noses in it.)

It figures. The Cardinals have always known that there's more than one way to skin a Kaat.

http://www.baseballnation.com/2013/5/15/4311000/baseball-scouting-reports-accurate-nailed-it

Eight scouting reports that really nailed it

By Rob Neyer on May 15 2013

I've now spent a few hours with the scouting reports published by the Hall of Fame in conjunction with the Hall's new Diamond Mines exhibit. As I've mentioned once or twice already, this is a truly wonderful service to the public. If you're writing about Greg Maddux, don't you just have to know what the scouts were writing about him in the minors? And there are literally thousands of these things. You could get lost in there, and I have.

Somebody's going to write a great book, based largely on those reports. What I find most interesting is the phenomenal diversity of the report. Every team seems to have their own distinctive forms, with many scouts treating the various spaces on the forms as guidelines. At best. It's also sort of a kick to decipher various styles of cursive handwriting.

Or maybe that's just me.

When I first saw the reports, my instinct was to come up with a list of scouting reports that were dead wrong ... but those are actually pretty hard to find, and so I went looking instead for scouting reports that were dead right. Of course, that's not difficult at all, because everybody was saying the same things about Ken Griffey, Jr. and Alex Rodriguez, and everybody was right. So I generally tried to find some guys who weren't quite so obvious, or reports that seem especially insightful in retrospect.

Which wasn't all that easy, either, for a variety of reasons. But thanks to a helpful tip, I got a nice start with David Eckstein and was able to muddle along from there ...

Here's Red Sox scout Luke Wrenn on Eckstein, during Eckstein's last season at the University of Florida:

Gutty gamer type that will steal a base or get a hit to beat you... This guy has the work ethic and attitude you love to see. Overachiever type that I would like to have. Will hang around for a long time in Pro ball because managers are going to love him.

So, so prescient. Just a 19th-round draft choice, Eckstein hung around in pro ball for 14 seasons, 10 of those in the major leagues. I'll bet Luke Wrenn was annoyed when the Red Sox waived Eckstein less than a year before he took over as the Angels' starting shortstop.

Next, Rangers scout Joe Branzell on high-school hitter Gary Sheffield's weaknesses:

HEAVY LOWER HALF OF BODY MAY MOVE HIM TO 3B??? LETS GROUNDBALLS GET IN ON HIM LETS BALL PLAY HIM ... APPEARED TO ME TO BE LACKADAISCAL OR NOT A HUSTLER. HAD A LITTLE HOTDOG IN HIM. DID NOT APPEAR TO WANT TO "REALLY GO AT ‘EM"?? HE HAS A GOOD STRONG ATHLETIC BODY WITH VERY GOOD TOOLS

Sheffield did reach the majors as a shortstop, but didn't last long. He did move to third base, then the outfield. As for the rest of it, Sheffield's reputation as a non-hustler dogged him for years; he would also sort of admit to hating the Brewers so much that he intentionally made some errors so they would trade him. Which is, if you'll pardon an editorial comment, something that should be seriously considered by Hall of Fame voters.

On the other hand, this is Padres scout Leo Labossiere on Jeff Bagwell in 1989, a couple of months before the Red Sox took Bagwell in the fourth round of the draft:

Is the best everyday player in New England. His bat is what everyone likes because he can hit for ave. and power. He also stands in good and can hit CB which many people can't do. Very coachable with excellent work habits. I've liked this kid since he was a Freshman. He has improved every year. He told me he wants to sign a Pro contract, and begin his career this year.

Here's another report on Bagwell, from Angels scout Jon Niederer a month before the draft:

This fellow is the best looking hitter on the east coast and I think he's got a chance to hit .300 with power in any league, right up to the majors. Reminds me of Al Oliver - Everything he hits is hard. His defense would bother me more if we were an Astroturf club, but I don't think he's hopeless at third. Has no fear and his work habits are good. Would like to see us get him.

One of the biggest "misses" in recorded scouting history came in the middle 1980s, when nobody really had any idea that Mike Piazza would become a Hall of Fame-quality hitter. But at least the Major League Scouting Bureau's Brad Kohler had an inkling, writing this in April of '86 when Piazza was still in high school:

GREAT SIZE PLUS YOUTH TO GO WITH POT ABOVE AVG LONG BALL POP. AVG STUDENT IN CLASS. NO SOLID COLL OFFERS. A LONG WAY TO COME WITH OVERALL ABILITY BUT WORTH SELECTION ON BAT & PWR.

Now, Kohler obviously had no idea that Piazza would someday win a batting title; on the 2-8 scale, he rated Piazza a 2 for hitting ability, and projected 4. But even before Piazza went to college -- where he was just fair -- Kohler's recommending that someone draft Piazza. Two years later, Piazza wasdrafted, but (famously) at the very end of the draft as a favor to family friend Tommy Lasorda.

Here's Astros scout Gordon Lakey on USC first baseman Mark McGwire in the spring of '84, just a few months before the A's grabbed McGwire with the third overall pick in the draft:

A true firstbaseman who will be a good defensive one. Must hit to play but will drive the ball to all fields. Must make some adjustments to ball away from him but has the basic bat speed and is a disciplined hitter. Very fluid player especially for the type of body he has. Could become an exciting major league power hitter but not a high percentage hitter.

That says it pretty well, don't you think?

Shifting to pitchers, here's what White Sox scout Larry Monroe about Rangers prospect Bobby Witt, then pitching in the fall instructional league:

He only needs better command of slider and forkball to be a big winner, but needs 2 years. Good loose arm at about 92 MPH, average ML slider. Good tight one but tends to drop elbow and lose all command. He has quickly developed a good forkball and has decent command. 3 ML pitches + he will be a good one if they don't rush him.

We'll never know how "right" Monroe was. But the Rangers did rush Witt; he joined the Rangers' pitching rotation the next spring, and proceeded to lead the American League in walks in each of his first two seasons. Witt always had the big arm and pitched in the majors for a long time, but he won more than 14 games just twice and was never an All-Star. It's impossible to know if he would have developed into a better pitcher with more time in the minors. But I'll bet Larry Monroe dispensed the occasional "I told you so" over the years.

And finally, from White Sox scout Warren Hughes' report on Southern Mississippi's Chad Bradford:

ABOVE AVERAGE FASTBALL LIFE AND GOOD VELOCITY FROM THIS SIDE-ARM SLOT (86-88). GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO PITCH FROM THIS SLOT ...

SIDE ARMER THAT HAS PLUS FASTBALL LIFE AND GOOD COMMAND. SEE HIM BEING A MIDDLE TO SET-UP TYPE IN THE ML. BELIEVE THAT THERE IS STILL MORE VELOCITY THERE, PITCHES WELL WITHIN HIMSELF.

Peter Brand would approve! Seriously, this really isn't the pitcher that Bradford would become in the major leagues, except that he developed a good understanding of how to pitch from another slot, submarining so low that his knuckles would occasionally scrape the dirt on the mound.

I'm sure there are many, many more of these, just waiting for researchers to discover such pearls of wisdom.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130516&content_id=47711686&vkey=news_hou&c_id=hou

5/16/2013

Elias won't name names, but there are believed to be six leading candidates to go first: Stanford right-hander Mark Appel, San Diego third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant, Georgia high school outfielder Clint Frazier, Oklahoma right-hander Jonathan Gray, Indiana State lefty Sean Manaea and Georgia high school outfielder Austin Meadows.

University of North Carolina third baseman Colin Moran is being scouted carefully, but he's more of a dark-horse candidate right now.

Elias, national crosschecker David Post, general manager Jeff Luhnow and other members of the front office have been scouting players for months, but the Astros want to get as much information as possible. All the scouts will convene in Houston in the days leading up to the Draft to narrow the field for No. 1.

Among the factors the Astros will take into consideration beyond getting a firsthand look at players are video, statistics, medical information and, of course, signability.

"We'll trim the list, eventually," Elias said. "When exactly that will happen, I don't know. It could be as late as Draft day -- and last year was as late as Draft day. We don't feel any particular rush to make a decision. Time is on our side. There's still baseball being played during those meetings. We're basically letting all the information percolate and allowing ourselves to analyze it and feel good about our decision before moving forward with it."

The Astros can spend up to $11,698,800 on picks in the first 10 rounds, as per the rules instituted prior to last year's Draft. That's an increase of their pool of $521,100 from 2012, when they took 17-year-old Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa with the No. 1 pick.

Luhnow and his staff got creative last year and were able to sign Correa for $2.4 million less than the signing bonus value Major League Baseball gave to the top spot. That flexibility helped Houston sign high-end talent like Lance McCullers Jr. and Rio Ruiz later on.

"It fell into place last year," Elias said. "I think that's something, if it happens, it's kind of a bonus, but it's not necessarily something you plan or take into account beforehand. I think it's possible that happens, sure, but I can't say I expect it at this point."

Luhnow has personally seen about seven or eight players the Astros are considering to take high in the Draft, and Elias and Post have seen numerous players as many as six times each. The team will hold four regional workouts leading up to the Draft get a closer look at possible picks.

Complicating matters this year is the fact that there are so many talented college pitchers, which makes it difficult to get to see them all in a 13-week season when they throw only on Fridays or Saturdays. If Gray, Manaea and Appel are pitching on a Friday, other college players may not get as many looks.

"It prevents you from seeing other college pitchers in the Draft class as much as you would like, because we have to spend so much on that one pick," Elias said. "If you're looking at a second- or third-rounder and he also throws on Friday or Saturday night, we have to make decisions on which of those guys to prioritize or we're not going to be able to see them all."

This year's Draft is heavy on left-handed pitching, which is a weakness in the Astros' improving farm system. But Houston is going to pick the best player available, Elias said.

"It seems like everybody's looking for more lefties in their system," he said. "I don't know if that means we'll get one, because you always want to take the best player available to you no matter the need, but we wouldn't complain if we came away with one of the lefties."

If the Astros learned anything from last year's Draft, it's that they're spending more time scouting a larger group of players and not trimming the list as rapidly. Instead of concentrating their looks on a few guys, they're trying to see as many players as they can for as long as possible.

"Other than that, we're pretty much using the same process as last year," Elias said. "We're getting a lot of opinions and waiting to combine them all in the same room. If you look historically at the Draft, certainly there are years where there's a very, very obvious No. 1 pick and everyone can see who it's going to be a year or so in advance, like with [Stephen] Strasburg and [Bryce] Harper.

"But when you don't have that, you're going to have different opinions in the room from the scouts and various other people who get involved. It's unavoidable. We make sure that we hear all those opinions and weigh them properly to make the best decision."