The Houston Astros selected Juanita (WA) High School pitcher Jayson Schroeder in the second round of MLB’s First-Year Player Draft on Monday night. Juanita is located in Kirkland, a suburb just east of Seattle.

Schroeder, who was the Washington Star-Times baseball player of the year (and Baseball America‘s top-ranked player in the state), was taken with the 66th pick. The 6’2″, 195-pound right-handed pitcher was the first player from Washington taken in the 2018 draft.

Related: Astros Tap Clemson’s Seth Beer in First Round, #28 Overall

According to Schroeder’s Twitter account, scouts for the Twins, White Sox, and Cardinals had interest in him, at least to the point of showing up for a personal showcase in January. The Astros have a slotted draft bonus of $965,300 available for Schroeder, per MLB.com’s Draft Tracker.

Schroeder has signed a letter of intent with the Washington Huskies, and his decision, now, revolves around whether that amount of money will be enough to override his desire to attend college and play ball at the next level. It is: Schroeder signed his contract with Houston, June 22! Congratulations, Jayson!

CBS Sports seems to think the challenge is in the ‘Stros’ court, with this optimistic view: “Look for the reigning World Series champs to lure Schroeder out of his commitment to the University of Washington.”

Schroeder (6-4) pitched 60.1 innings, earning a 1.51 ERA for the red, white, and blue Rebels, striking out 110 batters. That total includes 17 out of the 21 batters he faced whiffing in a seven-inning perfect game against Redmond High in April, keeping the Mustangs off balance with just his fastball and a curve!

“I don’t consider it to be straight, but it’s a four-seamer,” Schroeder’s Juanita baseball coach, Brian Shannon, told the Houston Chronicle recently about his star’s fastball. “He did throw some two-seamers last year with a more run on it, but I know he likes more to try to elevate and bring it.”

The Scouts Are Heard From

MLB.com’s scouting report on Schroeder: “Strong and physically mature, Schroeder has been a man among boys in his senior season. His fastball sits easily in the 91-92 mph range and is consistently up to 93-95 mph.

“He commands the fastball and his solid curveball very well, giving high school hitters little chance of success. He shows good arm speed on his changeup, throwing it with fading sink, though he doesn’t have to throw it often. He also has a slider, which is behind his curve, a solid pitch that could get shelved as a pro.”

Perfect Game had this overview on Schroeder on file, from a single showcase, fall of 2015: “Simple delivery mechanics with good direction and lower half use, high 3/4’s arm slot, low effort release, will drift out early on occasion but self-corrected well, loose and fluid arm.

“Fastball topped out at 88 mph with outstanding downhill angle, and equally outstanding and consistent cutting action; fastball velocity plays up and was very consistent, pitched to both sides of the plate with intent. Only threw one secondary pitch this outing and will have to show this is part of his package. High ceiling young arm.”

Worth the Weight?

“Every time I’d see him, whether it was practice or a game, he was bigger,” Brian Shannon told the Chronicle about Schroeder’s growing girth. “His uniform got smaller every time I saw him, and he kept getting bigger.”

“He’s built like he could play Division I college football,” Shannon continued. “A very physical kid, and it shows with his velocity: 92-93 most of the time, was up to 95 this year. Very athletic kid. He runs really well. I think he repeats his delivery very well, and he’ll have success.”