Club signs first-round pick to contract, assigns righthander to Gulf Coast League.
15th overall draft pick signs for $3.6 million, heads to Gulf Coast League
Walking into a loaded Astros farm system, J.B. Bukauskas knows he doesn’t have to be on a fast track to the majors.
It doesn’t mean the former University of North Carolina righthander and 15th overall pick can’t start on the path immediately. He’ll be on a plane to West Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday morning to join the rookie affiliate Gulf Coast League Astros after his signing was made official by the Astros on Friday.
“Any time you get to be a part of a team that’s this good, you kind of just do whatever you’re told,” Bukauskas said. “So, I just hope to fit in any way I possibly can and try my best to have a good career and wherever they see fit for me is where I’ll go and pitch my best.”
Assistant general manager of scouting and player development Mike Elias said that Bukauskas’ longterm career is the focus. It won’t exclude him from seeing innings on one of the team’s minor-league affiliates this summer.
“He’s had a bit of a layoff after a very long season where he threw almost 100 innings,” Elias said. “So, we’re going to build him towards game competition speed as safely as possibly.”
Starting potential
The Astros see a potential starter in the 6-foot, 195-pound Bukauskas, who signed for a slightly above slot value $3.6 million bonus.
Bukauskas, garnering comparisons to current Astros pitcher Lance McCullers, has been proving size doesn’t matter on the mound with dynamic pitching in tow. He was one of the shortest pitchers drafted in the first round this year.
Elias raved about Bukauskas’ fastball, which reaches 98 mph and hovers around 94-95. Astros scouts say his plus-slider is almost major-league ready but it’s his changeup that could make him an impact player in the majors. He didn’t throw it much at North Carolina, but the Astros plan to get more use out of it.
Good college career
They like the body of work, too. He comes from a renowned college program where he was the ACC Pitcher of the Year after going 9-1 with a 2.53 ERA, 116 strikeouts and a .188 opponent batting average as a junior this season. His 2016 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team credentials are a plus as well.
Bukauskas said there is no secret to landing where he’s landed.
“Hard work,” Bukauskas said. “Not being the biggest guy in the world, you’ve got to work a little extra. I think all the work that I’ve put in is starting to pay off and I’m just going to keep it up and hope that it keep benefitting me.”
His parents, Ken and Lynn Bukauskas, were in attendance Friday. J.B.’s ascent since his freshman season in high school told them all they needed to know about where their son was headed.
“Maybe after his sophomore year, he really started to focus on his body more,” Ken said. “Strength training, a lot of lower half and back. That’s when somebody would be like, ‘I think we just saw a triple digit.’ I looked down from the press box and it was there.