HOUSTON — Walker Janek’s grandfather, William, loved the Houston Astros. The family is from a suburb of Corpus Christi, home of Houston’s Double-A affiliate for the past 19 years. Janek watched “quite a few” games at Whataburger Field, where the franchise’s future sometimes met its present.
In 2016, Evan Gattis made a rehab appearance and hit an “absolute bomb” with Janek in attendance. He watched Alex Bregman make a mockery of the Texas League and, earlier in his childhood, may have seen Jose Altuve play a game or two. Janek couldn’t remember for certain, a casualty of the chaos consuming his mind late Sunday night.
“I had zero idea who was going to take me. I was kind of stressing out on the couch there,” Janek explained on a video call from his home.
“Once it finally happened, it was a surreal moment. I really think it hasn’t hit me yet. I feel like I’m still in awe.”
Janek’s home-state Houston Astros selected him in the first round of Sunday’s draft, finishing a full-circle moment for the heralded Sam Houston product and reigning Buster Posey Award recipient as college baseball’s top catcher.
Houston had Janek near the top of its draft board after an extensive evaluation that involved area scout Brian Sheffler, general manager Dana Brown watching at least one of his college games, and a pre-draft workout at Minute Maid Park in front of the club’s entire scouting staff.
The Athletic’s Keith Law said Janek “could end up a 20-homer guy with strong on-base skills and plus defense at a critical position.” He ranked Janek No. 23 in his final list of the draft’s top 100 prospects. The Astros nabbed him with pick No. 28.
Welcome to H-Town, Walker!#Relentless x #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/gLGBXGyvNF
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 15, 2024
“He was the top guy on our board for like nine or 10 picks there,” Astros amateur scouting director Cam Pendino said. “We were really, really excited to get him. We did not think he was going to be there, frankly. For him to get all the way down there, we were pumped.”
Slot value for Janek’s selection at No. 28 is $3,132,500. Houston has the sport’s smallest bonus pool after forfeiting its second-round pick by signing Josh Hader this winter. The team won’t make another pick until No. 101 on Monday afternoon.
Team officials lauded Janek for athleticism that allowed him to steal 29 bases across three collegiate seasons and an arm that threw out 31 percent of the runners who tried to steal against him. Senior director of amateur scouting Deric Ladnier called him the best catcher available in the draft.
“His arm (and) his accuracy is as good as I’ve seen in a long time,” Ladnier said. “I don’t want to say he’s the best of all time or anything like that, but his ability, his exchange, his accuracy with his arm, the combination of that with his bat — because he is an offensive-oriented catcher with those traits — he’s someone that I think can get through our organization quickly and help us at the major-league level sooner than later.”
“It’s kind of the perfect storm for us where you get a chance to get a young man who we wanted, who happens to be relatively local to the organization. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
Janek slashed .326/.430/.580 across three collegiate seasons. Last summer, he sported an .838 OPS during 130 plate appearances in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League. Janek struck out just 24 times in 130 plate appearances on the Cape and 138 times in 628 career collegiate at-bats. He slugged 17 home runs as a junior after hitting 20 during his first two seasons combined.
“He always had power and always had some bat-to-ball skills, but the ability for him to shrink the strike zone and know what he handles and be able to look for it was the biggest thing,” Sam Houston coach Jay Sirianni said. “He kind of made the move late last year as a sophomore and then continued all the way throughout the year.”
Offense is appreciated, but the Astros are far more obsessed with their catchers controlling the running game and commanding a pitching staff. Janek threw out 35 of the 148 runners who tried to steal against him in three collegiate seasons.
As a junior, Janek allowed just 14 stolen bases on 31 attempts. His arm became so lethal that Sirianni called just 15 pickoff throws to first base all season, almost daring opponents to take off against Janek’s arm.
“More times than not, when I’d call a pick, it was because I was caught in between pitches. It really was,” said Sirianni, who joked Janek allowed him to call pitches “just to make sure I was staying involved in the game.”
“We never had to worry about the running game. Him being able to get in the same spot with his feet and his hands and be accurate was as good and as easy as I’ve seen it in a long time.”
Pendino said Janek will become “one of the most athletic catchers in professional baseball” once he passes a physical and begins his career. Both Pendino and Ladnier projected the 21-year-old as a rapid mover through the team’s depleted farm system, perhaps shaking up the future of the Astros’ catching situation.
Baseball drafts are not based on organizational needs, but Houston’s choosing a college catcher during Yainer Diaz’s first season as an everyday regular is curious. The team spent all winter hailing Diaz as its catcher of the future and has treated him as such across its first 96 games.
Diaz is under club control through the 2028 season. If Janek develops — and performs — as the Astros anticipate, he could be beyond ready to contribute at the major-league level as an everyday regular.
“The opportunity for us to get this guy, there was no factor as to the fact we have a young catcher,” Ladnier said. “I don’t think you can ever get enough of it. One of the greatest things that organizations are looking for is catching, and this guy immediately will be somebody that will be, in my opinion, coveted by other organizations and obviously he’s very coveted by us.”
Even throughout this season, debate has raged about whether Diaz can stick behind the plate long-term. The Astros’ black hole at first base only reinforces the question. Diaz started seven games at first base last season and has taken groundballs there before games this year.
Upon releasing José Abreu last month, manager Joe Espada acknowledged the club had discussed deploying either Diaz or backup catcher Victor Caratini at first base, but has yet to attempt it in a game. Drafting Janek does not mean Diaz’s days behind the plate are numbered, but the team’s ability to move him around to either first base or designated hitter can’t be overlooked in analyzing this selection.
Janek saw limited action at second base, third base and both corner outfield positions at Sam Houston, but Ladnier and Pendino made it clear that he will stick at catcher as a professional. Janek said he’s caught “for as long as I can remember.”
Next, he’ll do it with the team he — and his grandfather — grew up watching.
“My whole family loves the Astros. My grandpa loves the Astros. He died a couple years ago, so to make this dream come true kind of (goes out) to him,” Janek said. “I know he’d be proud of me. Overall, I’m just super excited and super stoked.”
(Photo: Richard Rodriguez/ Getty Images)
