Draft Notes: Astros, Moran, Gray

Although it has been rumored that the Astros may draft North Carolina third baseman Colin Moran with the No. 1 overall pick, it's an unlikely scenario, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.  While Moran could be signed to an under-slot deal as the Astros did last year with top selection Carlos Correa, Moran lacks the legitimate No.1 talent of Correa.  Callis argues that although skimping on their first round pick would allow the club to spend more in other parts of the draft, he does not think the talent in later rounds is worthy of large bonuses.  Here is a look at some more news from June’s amateur draft..

• Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle tweets that Jonathan Gray tops the Astros draft board with fellow right-hander Mark Appel a close second.  Sluggers Kris Bryant and Moran round out their current top four according to Smith.
• Front office personnel have to adapt to changes in the draft process, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.  General Manager Jack Zduriencik of the Mariners and Rays Executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman have adjusted to new rules concerning spending, the ability to trade picks, and may soon have to navigate an international draft as well.  Although an international draft will not place until at least 2015, Friedman is ready for that type of event, which in his opinion would alter “the game theory of the draft.”
• Gonzaga left-hander Marco Gonzales is a likely first-rounder, reports Terry Frei of the Denver Post. The Colorado native was selected by the Rockies in the 29th round in 2010, but has significantly improved his draft stock since then, likely falling somewhere between the Rockies' first two picks at No. 3 and No. 42.

Max Fogle contributed to this post.