Astros take Davis to begin Draft's second day

The Astros kicked off the action for the second straight day of the 2014 Draft on Friday, this time taking college infielder J.D. Davis at No. 75 overall.

Houston, which owned the No. 1 overall pick for the third straight year, started the Draft on Thursday night by taking Brady Aiken, a high school lefty from San Diego. The Cathedral Catholic High School ace follows Mark Appel and Carlos Correa as recent top picks by the Astros.

Day 2 of the Draft, which began with the third round, had a decidedly different feel, though -- five of the top six picks in the first round were high school products, while the third round featured more seasoned college prospects, including each of the first eight selections.

Davis, who was previously selected by the Rays in 2011, ended up going to Cal State Fullterton for three years and saw time at the corner infield positions, in the outfield and as a reliever. The Astros will likely have him focus on playing first base, especially after his show of power in the Cape Cod League last summer.

"It's a right-handed power bat," Cal State-Fullerton coach Rick Vanderhook told MLB.com. "In college, he had power from foul pole to foul pole. He's a physical hitter, which are hard to come by [now in the] Draft."

The Marlins had the second pick of the day, taking Arkansas third baseman Brian Anderson, a 6-foot-3 junior who has also seen time at second base and the outfield. The White Sox continued the college trend, taking Oregon State lefty Jace Fry at No. 77 (their third straight pitcher drafted) before the Cubs selected Virginia Tech catcher Mark Zagunis -- the Cubs, in a surprising move on Thursday night, also took Indiana catcher Kyle Schwarber with the No. 4 overall pick. Through the first seven rounds of the Draft, the Cubs had only selected catchers and pitchers.

Virginia prep left-hander Nick Wells was the day's first high school player to be drafted, going at No. 83 to Toronto. Arizona took one of the best remaining high school prospects in outfielder Matt Railey at No. 89.

Boston called a familiar name with the second-to-last pick of the third round, selecting Seminole State hurler Jake Cosart, the brother of Astros starter Jarred Cosart. The right-hander, the second junior college player drafted this year, is a converted pitcher who transferred from Duke and has hit 98 mph with his fastball.

In the fifth round, Detroit took UCLA backstop Shane Zeile, the nephew of long-time Major Leaguer Todd Zeile, who also went to UCLA.

The Yankees, who did not have a pick in the first round, began Day 2 by taking a local product in Austin DeCarr, a right-hander from Salisbury School in Connecticut. New York took pitchers with their first five selections, starting with Mississippi State lefty reliever Jacob Lindgren, who went No. 55 overall.

"A dream came true when the Yankees picked me," Lindgren said on Twitter. "I want to thank everyone who supported me and I am excited to see what the future holds."

The White Sox made an interesting move in the fourth round, selecting North Carolina State catcher Brett Austin. Austin, a switch-hitting junior, was the batterymate of Chicago's first-round pick, Carlos Rodon, who was taken No. 3 overall. Rodon was considered by some to be the best college lefty since David Price.

Baltimore didn't get to pick until the third round, when it grabbed first baseman Brian Gonzalez at No. 90. The O's then took Notre Dame's Pat Connaughton, a right-hander who also averaged 13 points and seven rounds for the Irish basketball team this past season.

For players whose Draft stock fell, look no further than Arkansas junior right-hander Chris Oliver, who entered the Draft ranked as MLB.com's No. 48 prospect but ended up being selected by the Phillies at No. 112 overall in the fourth round. Oliver, a 6-foot-4 starter, was arrested on a DWI charge two days before the Draft. The 20-year-old was stopped by Fayetteville Police on Tuesday night, two days after the Razorbacks were eliminated from the NCAA tournament.