Stanford's Mark Appel pitches in the sixth inning at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond in Stanford, Calif. on Friday, June 1, 2012. The Stanford Cardinal played the Fresno Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Stanford Regional. (Jim Gensheimer/Staff)
Stanford pitcher Mark Appel, who was rumored to be the No. 1 overall pick in Monday's baseball draft, slipped to No. 8 overall, where the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted to former Monte Vista High star.
The Astros instead selected 17-year-old shortstop Carlos Correa with the No. 1 pick, making him the highest selection ever to come from Puerto Rico.
Appel wasn't even the first right-handed college pitcher from the Bay Area selected Monday. That distinction went to Kyle Zimmer from the University of San Francisco, who was taken No. 4 overall by the Kansas City Royals.
San Jose's Pat Burrell remains the only player from the Bay Area to be the No. 1 overall selection in the history of the draft. Burrell, who retired this year, was the top pick of the 1998 draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Appel becomes the highest-drafted Bay Area player since Stanford pitcher Greg Reynolds was chosen No. 2 overall by the Colorado Rockies in 2006.
The Astros liked Correa, who has an incredibly strong arm and terrific instincts defensively, and they may have found their shortstop of the future. He bested catcher Ramon Castro, who went No. 17 to Houston in 1994, as the highest-drafted Puerto Rican player.
It was the first time Houston had the top pick in the draft since 1992, when the Astros selected Phil Nevin -- passing on Derek Jeter, who went five spots later to the Yankees. While recent previous drafts lacked intrigue with the first pick,
it was unclear even an hour before their selection who the Astros would take.
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