Astros' J.B. Bukauskas: Hits top-100 on Pipeline

Bukauskas is ranked 76th overall on MLB Pipeline's top-100 prospects.

Bukauskas, the Astros' sixth-ranked prospect per RotoWire, was selected in the first round (15th overall) of the 2017 draft. The 21-year-old right-hander has an advanced 1-2 combination with a mid-90s sinking fastball and a mid-80s slider. After a full season at the University of North Carolina in 2017, the 6-footer made three abbreviated starts at the lower levels of Houston's organization, finishing up at short-season Tri-City of the New York-Penn League. There's thought among the talent-evaluation community that Bukauskas will eventually become a reliever, but at this point, the Astros are high on him as a starter. They'll be looking for him to develop a third pitch and tone down a delivery that takes considerable effort. If the Astros decide to move him to the pen, Bukauskas has closer upside and should move up rapidly.